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A  CENTENNIAL 
it 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


OF 


//srt 

73*7 


OHIO 


ILLUSTRATED 


'A  people  that  take  no  pride  in  the  noble  achievements  of  remote  ancestors  will  never 

achieve  anything  worthy  to  be  remembered  with  pride  by 

remote  generations." — Macaulay 


CHICAGO 

The  Lewis  Publishing  Company 
1902 


WW« 


1 


PREFACE. 


THE  REV.  NEWELL  DWIGHT  HILLIS,  the  rising  star  in  the  bril- 
liant  firmament  of  the  Presbyterian  ministry  and  now  the  occupant  of 
the  pulpit  of  Plymouth  Church,  Brooklyn,  made  famous  by  the  great  Henry 
Ward  Beecher,  said:  "By  universal  consent  biography  is  the  most  fasci- 
nating of  literature.  Its  charm  doubtless  grows  out  of  the  fact  that  it  is  the 
siory  of  life.  At  best  only  a  secondary  interest  can  attach  to  those  dead 
things  named  stones  and  stars.  But  biography  has  at  least  three  advantages: 
it  concerns  life,  it  concerns  human  life,  and  it  concerns  man  in  his  best  form, 
in  the  person  of  earth's  best  and  bravest  spirits.  For  these  reasons  the 
books  that  have  ushered  in  new  epochs  for  society  have  generally  been  biog- 
raphies. Indeed,  the  very  heart  of  a  nation's  literature  is  the  history  of  its 
heroes." 

Crawford  County,  Ohio,  has  sustained  within  its  confines  men  who 
have  been  prominent  in  public  affairs  and  great  industrial  enterprises 
for  half  a  century.  The  annals  teem  with  the  records  of  strong  and  noble 
manhood,  and,  as  Sumner  has  said,  "the  true  grandeur  of  nations  is 
in  those  qualities  which  constitute  the  greatness  of  the  individual."  The 
final  causes  which  shape  the  fortunes  of  individuals  and  the  destinies 
of  States  are  often  the  same.  They  are  usually  remote  and  obscure, 
and  their  influence  scarcely  perceived  until  manifestly  declared  by 
results.  That  nation  is  the  greatest  which  produces  the  greatest  and  most 
manly  men  and  faithful  women;  and  the  intrinsic  safety  of  a  community 
depends  not  so  much  upon  methods  as  upon  that  normal  development  from 
the  deep  resources  of  which  proceeds  all  that  is  precious  and  perma- 
nent in  life.  But  such  a  result  may  not  consciously  be  contemplated  by 
the  actors  in  the  great  social  drama.  Pursuing  each  his  personal  good  by 
exalted  means,  they  work  out  as  a  logical  result. 


PREFACE 

The  elements  of  success  in  life  consist  in  both  innate  capacity  and  deter- 
mination to  excel.  Where  either  is  wanting,  failure  is  almost  certain  in  the 
outcome.  The  study  of  a  successful  life,  therefore,  serves  both  as  a  source 
of  information  and  as  a  stimulus  and  encouragement  to  those  who  have  the 
capacity.  As  an  important  lesson  in  this  connection  we  may  appropriately 
quote  Longfellow,  who  said  :  "  We  judge  ourselves  by  what  we  feel  capa- 
ble of  doing,  while  we  judge  others  by  what  they  have  already  done."  A 
faithful  personal  history  is  an  illustration  of  the  truth  of  this  observation. 

In  this  biographical  history  the  editorial  staff,  as  well  as  the  publishers, 
have  fully  realized  the  magnitude  of  the  task.  In  the  collection  of  the  ma- 
terial there  has  been  a  constant  aim  to  discriminate  carefully  in  regard  to  the 
selection  of  subjects.  Those  who  have  been  prominent  factors  in  the  public, 
social  and  industrial  development  of  the  county  have  been  given  due  recog- 
nition as  far  as  it  has  been  possible  to  secure  the  requisite  data.  Names 
worthy  of  perpetuation  here,  it  is  true,  have  in  several  instances  been  omitted, 
either  on  account  of  the  apathy  of  those  concerned  or  the  inability  of  the 
compilers  to  secure  the  information  necessary  for  a  symmetrical  sketch;  but 
even  more  pains  have  been  taken  to  secure  accuracy  than  were  promised  in 
the  prospectus.  Works  of  this  nature,  therefore,  are  more  reliable  and  com- 
plete than  are  the  "  standard"  histories  of  a  country. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


INDEX. 


Adams,  Franklin,  230 

Agnew,  J.,  864 

Alexander,  William  L.,  194 

Allen,  Benjamin  F.,  720 

Altstaetter,  Henry,  358 

Arbuckle,  William,  292 

Ashcroft,  Adam,  824 

Auck,  Michael,  184 

Babst,  Dan,  Jr.,  253 

Babst,  Daniel,  398 

Babst,  Jacob,  (54 

Banks,  Obadiah,  819 

Barney,  J.  G.,  244 

Battefeld,  Lewis  H.,  (S'.l 

Baumgartner,  John,  <>(>0 

Beal,  John,  463 

Beall,  James  P.,  152 

Beard,  Joseph  H.,  24(> 

Beck,  Daniel,  822 

Bender,  Anthony,  775 

Bender,  Jacob,  8(50 

Bender,  John,  63(5 

Bender,  Philip,  (513 

Bender,  William.  698 

Bennett,  Smith  W.,  853 

Berg,  Henry,  526 

Birk,  Christian  F.,  118 

Birk,  Emanuel  R..    12 

Black,  Robert  R.,  327 

Blair,  George  O..  4  71) 

Bland,  Jerome,  (542 

Blicke,  William  A.,  91 

Bliss,  Julius  J..  54 

Brause,  George  A-,  490 

Breisinger,  Charles,  163 

Bridgeman,  William  H.,  764 

Brine,  James,  817 

Brinkman,  Daniel,  3i  I 

Broede,  Jacob,  811 

Broemel,  August,  37 

Brose,  Daniel,  672 

Brown,  Catherine  B..  70*3 

Brown,  Charles  A.,  443 

Brown,  Jacob,  669 

Brown,  Jacob,  792 

Brown,  John,  Sr. ,  728 

Brown,  John,  Jr.,  728 

Brown,  Joseph  D.,  494 

Brown,  Sebastian,  481 

Brown,  William,  791 

Brown,  William  S.,  862 

Brown,  Willis  A.,  48(5 

Bucyrus  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  437 

Burgbacher,  John,  807 


Burger,  John,  70.1 
Burt,  G.  W.,  405 
Cahill,  John  C,  838 
Caldwell,  Smith  C.,  237 
Campbell,  John  B.,  4'.>:; 
Carle,  Frederick,   ]  I ', 
Carmean,  Jonathan,  338 
Carmean,  Mathew  L.,  208 
Carrick,  Aaron,  (596 
Carrothers,  James  B.,  76'3 
Carson,  Tarlington  B.,  12  I 
Cary,  Lewis,  17 
Chance,  Aaron,  784 
Chaney,  Sylvanus  C,  140 
Charlton,  Amos  B.,  856 
Chesney,  John  A.,  11  J 
Cleland,  Arthur,  772 
Close,  George,  459 
Close,  Harvey,  511 
Close,  Nelson,  459 
Clutter,  Thomas  H.  B.,  76 
Cory,  Hugh  M.,  548 
Coulter,  James  W.,  383 
Cover,  Richard,  682 
Cover,  W.  D.,  757 
Crawford,  William,  12 
Crissinger,  Elias,  829 
Critzer,  William  H.,  412 
Crowley,  Robert  E.,  564 
Crum,  David,  578 
'/rum,  Jacob,  806 
Cupp,  John  W.,  282 
Dalzell,  Emma  J.,  183 
Davis,  E.  P.,  239 
Dawson,  William,  738 
De-nzer,  Jacob,  129 
Denzer,  Lewis  I.,  130 
Dewalt,  Samuel,  814 
Dick,  Frank,  101 
Dick,  Franklin  P.,  521 
Dickson,  James  M.,  469 
Didie,  George  W.,  201 
Dillinger,  John,  (184 
Donnenwirth,  George,  164 
Duncan,  Arthur  M.,  188 
Dunlap,  James,  675 
Durnwald,  Peter,  668 
Durr,  John  Jacob,  866 
Durr,  Ludwig,  473 
Dwire,  Emory  I  Jay,  7K: 
Eberhart,  George  J.,  341 
Edler,  Charles.  (541 
Eckert,  John  R.,  708 
Eckert,  William  A.,  123 


6 


INDEX. 


Eckstein,  Adam,  665 
Eckstein,  John,  771 
Eichhorn,   Samuel,  848 
Eise,  Christian  F,,  402 
Endslow,  Thomas  B.,   740 
English,  John,  298 
Ensminger,  Albert  M.,  172 
Esterline,  Samuel,  491 
Fauser,  Jacob,  788 
Feick,  Adam,  793 
Fetter,  Nicholas,  385 
Finley,  Ebenezer  B.,  27a 
Firstenberger,  Jacob  D.,  403 
-Fisher,  Cyrus  W.,  29 
i  -.her,  John,  845 
Flickinger,  Edward,  375 
Forrest,  Wallace  B.,  144 
Forum  Printing  Company,  372 
Foster,  F.  M.,  225 
Fralick,  Edward,  582 
Frank,  C.  P.,  408 
Frankenfield,  Andrew,  820 
Franz,  W.  C,  335 
Freese,  E.  M.,  417 
Freese,  Samuel  S.,  823 
French,  John  W.,  652 
Frost,  Abraham,  ISO 
Gearhart,  J.  J.,  693 
Gebhardt,  John,  191 
Gee,  Samuel,  471 
Geiger,  William  M.,  585 
Geissmann,  S.  William,  4(51 
George,  Tilghman,  110 
Gledhill,  Joseph,  440 
Gledhill,  William,  554 
Gordon,  John,   605 
Gormly,  James  B.,  1*!1 
Green,  Daniel,  697 
Green,  Henry  B.,  756 
Gregg,  Robert,  694 
Grubb,  Wesley,  617 
Guinther,  Isaac  C,  386 
Guiss,  John,  SOI 
Gunder,  James  M.,  Z\'-\ 
Gundrum,    Silas,  840 
Haas,  Abraham,  812 
Hadley,  Nathaniel  J.,  80 
Hall,  Alexander,  367 
Hall,  Joseph  E.,   52  1 
Hall,  Lawrence  W\,  22 
Hammond,  Albert,  556 
Harkenrider,  John.  843 
Harley,  Solomon,  795 
Harris,  Stephen  R.,  302 
Harrop,  James  E.,  488 
Hartman,   Herman  H.,  3oo 
Harvey,  Andrew  J.,  Ill 
Hassel,  Conrad,  133 
Haworth,  Albert,  240 
Hays,  William,  313 
Hazlett,  Andrew  J.,  218 
Heinle,  George  W.,  289 
Heinlen,  Franklin  D. ,  3  L2 


Helfrich,  Peter.  103 
Heller,  CassiusC,  753 
Herbold,  John  G.,   198 
Herman,  Anthony,  500 
Hilborn,  Charles  M.,  825 
Hilborn,  John,  703 
Hilborn,  Samuel,  Y-'^ 
Hise,  William  H.,  100 
Hoffmann,  John,  610 
Holbrook,  Franklin,  372 
Holland,  James  O.,  2S0 
Hollinshead,  Jesse,  S30 
Holmes,  Joseph  W.,  392 
Homer,  James  R.,  84 
Hood,  George  W.,   lis 
Hopley,  John,  156 
Hoppel,  Jeremiah  J.,  649 
Hosford,  Asa,  24 
Hosier,  David  E.,  260 
Hosier,  Isaac,  742 
Hoss,  P.  Fred,  852 
Hull,  J.  C.  Ffemont.  35 
Humphrey,  John  W.,  631 
Jenner,  George  L.,  725 
Johnston,  Henry  D.  E  .,676 
Johnston,  Robert  T.,  623 
Johnston,  Robert  W.,  651 
Jones,  Alonzo  M.,  23 
Kalb,  David,  865 
Kanzleiter,  Daniel,  21 1 
Kearsley,  Edmund  R,,  348 
Keil,  John,   433 
Keller,  Amos  F.,  Wl 
Keller,  George,  23 
Keller,  John,  555 
Keller,  Oliver  J.,  316 
Keller,  Philip,  319 
Kelly,  Webb  J.,  754 
Kennedy,  Thomas  S.,  168 
Kerr,  George  T.,  314 
Kerr,  James,  147 
Kerr,  Robert  W.,  113 
Kessler,  Gabriel,  322 
Kibler,  John  W.,  311 
Kibler,  Matthias,  2S4 
Kibler,  Samuel  J.,  284 
Kiess,  William  C.,  38 
Kilbourne,  James,  15 
Kimerline,  Charles  E,  408 
Kimerline,  Jonathan  F.,  368 
Kinninger,  Charles,  44 
Koons,  Samuel  B. ,  751 1 
Kunnert,  John  P.,  312 
Kuntz,  John  W.,  206 
Laibbly,  Abraham,  855 
Lake,  Charles,  93 
Lambert,  E.,  821 
Lantz,  P.  F.,  433 
Lash,  Benjamin  F.,  630 
Lash,  Francis  M..  734 
Lash,  Peter  B.,  780 
Laubach,  Charles  A.,  5: 11 
Lederer,  Adam  G.,  2/  . 


INDEX. 


Leimenstoll,  Henry,  346 
Lemert,  Wilson  C,  566 
Leonhart,  Adam.  626 
Leonhart,  John,  446_ 
Lichty,  Adam  J.,  435 
Liebich,  Frank  E.,  182 
Linn,  Henry  R.,  557 
Linn,  William,  396 
Locke,  Daniel  W.,  94 
Lucas,  Arista  O.,  212 
Ludwig,  Samuel,  479 
Lust,  David,  510 
Lust,  Frederick,  445 
Lust,  Israel,  507 
Lust,  Jacob,  297 
Lust,  Nathan,  354 
Lutz,  David  A.,  671 
Lutz,  David  E.,  467 
Lutz,  Emanuel  L.,  667 
Lutz,  Michael,  464 
Lyons,  Elijah,  689 
Mahon,  Charles,  745 
Malcolm,  James  H.,  532 
Malcolm,  Gilbert  F.,  562 

Margraff,  Charles  F..  539 

Markley,  Horatio  W.,  686 

Marquart,  August,  519 

Marquart,  Jefferson,  559 

Marquart,  Michael,  663 

Martin,  Louis  C,  657 

Mather,  George,  290 

Matthias,  H.  S.  Z.,  104 

May,  FrederickW.,  456 

May,  Louis,   456 

McCallum,  D.  D.,  259 

McCarrell,  James  S.,  24 

McConnell,  William  F., 

McCracken,  Charles  W., 

McGaughy,  Frank  C,  401 

McKean,  Alexander,  628 

McKinstry,  James,  248 

McMahon,  James  F.,  378 

McManis,  William,  765 

McMichael,  Daniel,   16 

McNutt,  Ezekiel  C.  691 

Messner,  Albert  F.,  62 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Bucyrus,  437 

Michelfelder,  John,  362 

Miller,  Burton  R.,  422 

Miller,  Eli.  607 

Miller,  George  W.,  59 

Miller,  Henry  D.,  571 

Miller,  Jacob,  537 

Miller,  John  R.,  253 

Miller,  Louisa,  131 

Miller,  William  H.,  592 

Miller,  William  H.,  638 
Millimiter,  Jacob  C.    155 
Molle'nkop,  Joseph,  621 
Monnett,  Abraham,  572 
Monnett,  Family,  The,  831 
Monnett,  Orwin  B.,  608 
Monnett,  Thomas  J.,  584 


U5 


Monnett,  Wallace  L.,  271 

Moore,  Andrew,  815 

Moore,  John,  580 

Morgan,  Reuben  O.,  300 

Morrow,  Charles,  733 

Morrow,  James,  Sr. ,  475 

Morrow,  John,  462 

Morrow,  William,  731 

Mueller,  C.  H.,  199 

Mulford,  Allen  B.,  726 

Mulford,  John  H.,  637 

Munch,  Jacob,  858 

Muth,  August,  670 

Myers,  John  G.,  112 

Myers,  Samuel,  365 

Neff,  Aaron,  633 

Neff,  David  E.,  89 

Neff,  E.  M.,  622 

Neff,  Emanuel,  635 

Neff,  Joseph,  63 

Ness,  Charles,  863 

Newman,  Fred,  318 
Nicholls,  William  S.,  520 
Norton,  Fernando  J.,  331 
Norton,  Samuel,  13 
Nye,  Albert  S.,  655 
Nye,  William  S.,  841 
Oberlander,  Henry  J . ,  810 
Oberlander,  Henry  N.,  600 
Ohl,  Owen,  818 
Outhwaite,  John,  498 
Patterson,  Thomas  N.,  847 
Peppard,  David  M.,  411 
Perrine,  James  H.,  204 
Petri,  Jacob  H.,  395 
Pfahler,  Caleb,  799 
Pfleiderer,  Daniel,  178 
Pfleiderer,  Isaac,  749 
Pfleiderer,  Jacob  J.,  598 
Pfleiderer,  John,  604 
Plants,  Josiah  S.,  22 
Pope,  Theodore  F. ,  451  • 
Price,  Madison,  522 
Pry,  Frederick,  709 
Pry,  Jacob,  799 
Pry,  John,  709 
Pry,  Lewis,  801 
Pugh,  Moses,  428 
Quaintance,  Aaron  J.    li'- 
Quaintance,  Joseph  W.,  35(5 
Rader,  Aaron,  482 
Rader,  James  P. ,  485 
Ranck,  Jacob,  51  ! 
Raub,  Henry  A..  210 
Reehl,  William  W.,  174 
Regula,  Thomas,  is; 
Reichhard,  Adam   627 
Reisinger,  Louis  K.,  2! 
Rexroth,  John,   118 
Richards,  Joseph  M. 
Riedie,  Jacob,  789 
Rininger,  Eli,  778 
Robinson,  David  C,  776 


85 1 


INDEX. 


Robinson,  James  H..  ■">;  \ 

-'Robison,  Elmer  D.,  040 
Rose,  John,  13 
Ross,  Peter,  634 
Ross,  Royal  R.,  560 
Rowse,  Zalmon,   1  i 
Ruhl,  John,  25 
Rupp,  Charles  G.,  25 
Schaber,  Charles  F.,    19 
Schaeffer,  Jacob  H.,  528 
Schafer,  Jacob  F.,  42  i 
Scheerer,  Nicholas,  591 
Schick,  Lorenz.  235 
Schieber,  Henry,  108 
Schieber,  John  C,  406 
Schiefer,  Christopher  G.,701 
Schifer,  Frederick,  364 
Schill,  Joseph,  315 
Schuler,  Philip,  344 
Schwemley,  Albert  H.,  262 
Schwenk,  Henry  L.,  760 
Scott,  David  A.,  661 
Scott,  Josiah,  18 
Scroggs,  Charles  J.,  200 
Scroggs,  Jacob,   269 
Sears,  Benjamin,  51 
Sears,  Frank  O.,  544 
Sears,  RufnsV.,  53 
Seele,  William  C,  512 
Seery,  Jacob,  538 
Seery,  Peter,  54  I 
Seery,  Solomon,  809 
Shade,  Simon,  674 
Shalter,  Hiram,  699 
Shalter,  John,   503 
Sharrock,  Charles  A.,  243 
Sharrock,  Garrett,   22!) 
Sheckler,  Charles  R.,  576 
Sheckler,  John  P.,  474 
Sheckler,  William  H.,  404 
Sheehand,  J.  P.,  597 

^Sheetz,  Jacob,  73 

-Sheetz,  John  H.,  265 
Sheibley,  Albert,  256 
Sheibley,  Matthias,  589 
Shell,  Joseph  M.,   015 
Sherer,  Emanuel  D. ,  224 
Sherer,  Jacob,  223 
Sherer,  John  A.,    IS 
Sherer,  John  C,  43 
Shilling,  Clyde  D.,  763 
Shroll,  George,  546 
Shumaker,  Charles  B.,  192 
Shupp,  Samuel,  540 
Siefert,  John  E.,  502 
Siefert,  Michael,  71 
Sigler,  George  E.,  786 
Simmons,  Benjamin  F.,  680 
Sinn,  Benjamin  A.,  826 

""Smith,  Alexander,  802 
Smith,  Anthony,  542 
Smith,  Harrison,  343 
Smith,  Hiram  E.,  3  I  i 


Smith,  Jefferson  I.,  328 

""Smith,  John  A.,  587 

-Smith,  John  F.,  577 
Smith,  L.  M.,   388 
Snavely,  Isaac,  (519 
Snyder,  Samuel,  552 
Snyder,  William,  381 
Spahr,  George  A.,  14!) 
Sponseller,  Samuel,  121 
Sprankle,  Allen  G.,  217 
Springer,  Matthias  M.,  151 
Stahley,  Reuben,  295 
Starner,  George  W.,  281 
Starner,  Leonard,  785 
Steinhilber,  Ezekiel,  155 
Stevens,  Benjamin,  710 ', 
Stevens,  Jacob  H.,  504 
Stevens,  Sherman  H.,  496 
Stine,  William  A.  492, 
Stock,  Samuel  A.,  737 
Stuckey,  George,  551 
Stumpf,  Frank,  790 
Sturtz,  Fremont  F.,   120 
Swingley,  Frederick,    139 
Taylor,  William  S.,  274 
Teel,  Elisabeth,  333 
Tobias,  James  C,  32 
Tobin,  Charles,  700 
Tobin,  Thomas,  547 
Tracht,  R.  C,  414 
Trago,  John  H.,  438 
Tuttle,  William  S.,  614 
Uhl,  Jacob,  658 
Ulmer,  Jacob,  S49 
Underwood,  Valentine,  72  I 
Valentine,  Horace  E.,  20 
Virtue,  Frank  M.,  516 
Vollrath,  Charles,  84 
Vollrath,  Edward,  01 
Walker,  John  A.,  75!) 
Waller,  Lysander  M.,  518 
Warner,  Frank  P.,  (ill 
Warner,  Robert  K.,  170 
Weaver,  George,  735 
Weaver,  John  J.,  714 
Wechter,  Frank,  458 
Wechter,  George,  594 
Wentz,  John,  321 
White,  Leo,   827 
Whitmyer,  Charles  L.,  325 
YVickham,  George  W.,  722 
Williams,  G.  Washington,  221 
Williamson,  David,  13 
Wingert,  Andrew,  782 
Winkelfoos,  Michael,  639 
Wisman,  Adam  J.,   151 
Wisman,  Frederick,  279 
Wood,  Martin  V.  B.,  718 
Woods,  Thomas  C,  202 
Young,  Bernard,  5!  15 
Youngblood,  R.  M.,  846 
Zimmerman,  George  D.,  683 


A  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 

OF 

CRAWFORD  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Introductory. 

From  the  east  and  southeast  came  the  pioneers  who  made  the  early 
white  settlement  in  the  state  of  Ohio.  Hardy  sons  of  toil  were  they,  following, 
closely  upon  the  steps  of  the  retreating-  savages.  Broad  and  deep  did  they  lay 
the  foundations  of  civilization;  wisely  and  well  did  the  old  residents  build 
thereupon;  and  the  magnificent  results  have  been  enlarged,  beautified  and 
enjoyed  by  their  successors. 

The  state  of  Ohio  was  organized  and  ushered  into  existence  on  the  3d 
day  of  March.  1803,  with  its  present  limits  of  territory, — two  hundred  and  ten 
miles  north  and  south,   two  hundred  and  twenty  miles   east   and  west,   in 
length   and   breadth,    embracing   approximately    39,964   square   miles.     The- 
closing  days  of  the  first  century  of  existence  of  the  state  constitute  a  fitting" 
occasion  for  the  publication  of  a  centennial  biographical  record  of  those  whose 
civilizing  influences  wrought  the  great  changes  that  have  taken  place  in  this' 
region  since  its  reclamation  from  the  savages  and  of  those  who  are  now  car- 
rying forward  the  work  thus  inaugurated.     To  this  end  the  succeeding  pages 
of  biography  are  devoted  to  the  lives  and  deeds  of  many  who  have  been  prom- 
inent in  the  settlement,  growth  and  development  of  Crawford  county. 

The  origin  of  Crawford  county  as  a  distinct  political  division  of  the 
state  dates  back  to  February  20,  1820,  when  the  general  assembly  of  the  state 
passed  an  act  for  the  ''erection  of  certain  counties"  out  of  the  vast  tract  of 
wilderness  known  as  the  "New  Purchase,"  and  acquired  by  treaty  on  the  29th 

of  September,  181 7,  made  at  the  foot  of  the  Maumee  rapids  with  the  Indians,,. 

1 


io  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

who  ceded  to  the  United  States  the  whole  of  the  remaining  portion  of  the  state 
still  under  Indian  domination. 

By  a  treaty  made  at  Greenville,  August  3,  1795..  the  United  States  had 
acquired  of  the  Indians  the  whole  of  the  state  of  Ohio  save  that  portion  in- 
cluded within  a  line  drawn  from  the  mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga  river  to  Fort 
Laurens,  the  present  site  of  Bolivar,  in  Tuscarawas  county,  and  thence  west 
with  the  line  known  as  the  "Greenville  Treaty  Line"  or  "Indian  Boundary." 
In  1807  a  further  cession  was  made  by  the  Indians,  of  that  part  of  their  ter- 
ritories which  was  included  between  the  line  of  the  Cuyahoga  river  and  a  new 
one,  drawn  from  a  point  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  between  the  mouth 
of  Sandusky  Bay  and  Portage  river,  to  a  point  due  south  on  the  "Boundary 
line,"  a  point  just  a  little  east  of  the  village  of  Cardington,  in  Morrow  county. 
This  line  passed  through  what  is  now  Crawford  count}-,  on  the  western  bound- 
ary of  the  "Three-Mile  Strip,"  represented  in  its  width  in  this  county  by 
Sandusky  township. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  Richland  county,  then  rapidly  settling  up,  ex- 
tended to  the  eastern  border  of  the  "Three  Mile  Strip,"  and  that  the  eastern 
tier  of  townships  of  Crawford  county,  namely,  Auburn,  Vernon,  Jackson  and 
Polk,  originally  belonged  to  Richland  county. 

By  the  act  of  the  general  assembly  of  Ohio,  enacted  Februarv  20.  1820, 
the  whole  of  the  Maumee  valley  was  opened  to  settlement,  and  was  divided 
up  into  counties  for  judicial  and  governmental  purposes.  Townships  1,  2  and 
3  south,  in  range  13,  14,  15,  16  and  17  east,  and  all  the  land  east  of  these 
townships  up  to  what  was  then  the  western  limits  of  Richland  county,  was 
named  Crawford  county,  in  honor  of  the  gallant  soldier.  Colonel  William 
Crawford,  who  was  captured  by  the  Delaware  Indians  and  burned  by  them 
at  the  stake,  in  1782.  on  the  plains  within  these  boundaries.  At  first  the  di- 
vision of  territory  known  as  Crawford  county  did  not  have  any  political 
-ignificance  or  power,  but  was  attached  to  Delaware  county.  When  Marion 
county  was  regularly  organized.  December  15,  1823,  Crawford  county  was 
attached  to  it,  as  the  act  reads,  "for  judicial  purposes."  This  association  did 
not  continue  long.  On  the  17th  of  February,  1824,  the  increase  of  popula- 
tion having  become  so  great  as  to  make  it  inconvenient  for  the  more  remote 
ettlers  to  go  to  Marion  to  transact  their  business,  that  portion  of  Crawford 
county  which  was  situated  north  of  the  Wyandot  reservation,  "including  one 
tier  of  townships  lying  east  and  west,"  was  attached  to  Seneca  county  for 
judicial  purposes.  This  continued  until  January  31.  1826,  when,  by  act  of 
the  general  assembly,  Crawford  county  was  organized  into  a  separate  and 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  n 

distinct  county.  This  act  declared  "that  those  townships  and  fractional  town- 
ships in  Crawford  county  which  have  heretofore  been  attached  to  and  formed 
a  part  of  any  township  in  Marion  or  Seneca  counties,  respectively,  are  herebv 
atached  to  and  declared  to  be  a  part  of  Crawford  township,  in  said  Crawford 
count}',  till  the  same  shall  be  otherwise  provided  for  by  the  commissioners 
of  said  count\." 

Crawford  county  as  thus  organized  embraced  a  scope  of  territory  three 
congressional  townships  in  width,  and  extended  from  the  eastern  boundary 
of  Sandusky  and  Cranberry  townships  to  the  western  boundary  of  Crawford, 
Salem,  and  Mifflin  townships  in  Wyandot  county.  The  Wyandot  Indian 
Reservation  covered  the  larger  part  of  what  is  now  Wyandot  county  and 
three  miles  of  the  western  portion  of  what  is  now  Bucyrus  and  Holmes 
townships,  Crawford  county.  In  1835  the  Indians  sold  to  the  government 
a  strip  seven  miles  off  the  east  end  of  their  reservation,  which  was  sold 
by  the  government  publicly  in  Marion,  Ohio.  February  3,  1845,  Wyandot 
county  was  erected,  and  in  the  general  reorganization  of  the  counties  that 
occurred  Crawford  lost  all  territory  west  of  the  middle  line  of  townships  in 
range  15  east,  and  gained  from  Marion  county  a  strip  of  territory  two  miles 
wide  extending  to  the  Richland  county  line,  and  from  the  latter  county  on 
the  east  a  tract  four  miles  wide,  extending  the  whole  length  of  Crawford 
from  north  to  south,  some  twenty  miles.  But  in  1848  a  tier  of  fractional 
sections  were  taken  off  in  the  erection  of  Morrow  county,  leaving  Crawford 
in  its  present  limits.  On  the  6th  of  March,  1845,  tne  county  commissioners 
organized  the  county  into  townships.  A  change  was  made  in  the  following 
June,  establishing  Jackson  township,  and  in  March,  1873,  Jefferson  town- 
ship was  erected,  and  since  then  no  change  has  been  made  in  boundary  lines 
of  townships.  The  county,  as  now  arranged,  is  comprised  of  the  following 
civil  townships  :  Auburn,  Vernon,  Jackson,  Polk,  Jefferson,  Sandusky,  Cran- 
berry, Chatfield,  Liberty,  Whetstone,  Dallas,  Bucyrus,  Holmes,  Lykens,  Texas 
and  Todd. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  early  settlers  of  Crawford  county  were  from 
Xew  England,  Xew  York,  Pennsylvania  and  other  eastern  states,  while  a  few 
came  from  the  south.  But  later  in  the  settlement  of  the  county  the  German 
elements  assumed  the  ascendancy.  About  the  year  1832  there  was  a  large 
accession  of  German  population,  coming  direct  from  Germany,  by  way  of  the 
Erie  canal  to  Buffalo  and  thence  to  Cleveland  or  Sandusky.  The  political 
troubles  of  Germany,  in  1848,  brought  many  Germans  to  the  county,  and, 
to-day,  many  a  German  "agitator"  is  represented  among  the  county's  most 


i2  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

reliable  citizens.     The  Pennsylvania  Dutch,  also,  are  numerously  represented 
in  the  county. 

Colonel  William  Crawford,  in  whose  honor  Crawford  county  was 
named,  was  a  Virginian,  of  Scotch-Irish  lineage,  born  in  the  year  1732.  His 
childhood  home  was  that  of  a  pioneer  farmer  of  the  Old  Dominion.  His  edu- 
cation was  limited.  In  early  life  he  learned  the  art  of  surveying  in  com- 
panionship with  Washington,  and  followed  the  vocation,  together  with  farm 
work,  until  about  twenty-three  years  of  age. 

In  the  year  1755  he  forsook  the  plow  and  compass  and  began  a  most 
brilliant  military  career.  Commissioned  an  ensign  by  the  governor  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  joining  a  company  of  riflemen,  he  accompanied  the  army  of  the 
ill-fated  General  Braddock  in  the  march  against  Fort  du  Ouesne.  For  gal- 
lantry displayed  upon  that  disastrous  occasion,  Ensign  Crawford  was  pro- 
moted the  following-  year  to  a  lieutenancy.  Later  he  received  a  cap- 
tain's commission,  recruited  a  company  and  participated  in  the  second 
march  against  Fort  du  Ouesne,  reaching  which  the  army  found  it 
vacated.  F  or  three  years  thereafter  Captain  Crawford  remained  in 
the  army  service  of  Virginia,  and  then  returned  to  his  home  in  the  valley 
of  the  Shenandoah.  Until  1707  he  was  again  engaged  in  farming  and  sur- 
veying. After  examining  the  valley  of  the  Youghiogheny,  he  located  there 
in  what  is  now  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  thither  removing  his  family 
in  the  year  1769. 

\\  hen  the  war  of  independence  came  on  he  recruited  a  regiment  for 
continental  service.  January  12,  1776,  he  was  made  lieutenant-colonel  of  the 
Fifth  Virginia  Regiment,  and  October  1  ith,  the  same  year,  he  was  appointed 
colonel  of  the  Seventh  Regiment  of  Virginia  battalions,  by  congress,  com- 
mission to  be  dated  the  14th  of  August.  Colonel  Crawford  served  under 
Washington  upon  the  seaboard,  repaired  to  Fort  Pitt,  built  Fort  Crawford, 
engaged  under  Mcintosh  in  the  Detroit  expedition,  aided  Clark's  expedition, 
then  retired  from  active  military  service  by  returning  to  his  home,  hoping  to 
discontinue  in  warfare.  But,  induced  to  join  in  the  Sandusky  expedition,  we 
find  him  again  in  warfare,  and  it  was  in  this  last  named  expedition  that  he 
1"  I  his  life.  While  on  this  expedition  he  was  captured  by  the  Delaware 
Indians,  and  at  their  hands  met  an  awful  death  by  torture, — burning  at  the 
stake.  June  1 1.  1782  ! 

it  is  fitting  that  some  mention,  in  this  connection,  be  made  of  the  gallant 
officers  who  served  under  Colonel  Crawford  in  the  Sandusky  expedition. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  13 

Colonel  David  Williamson,  one  of  them,  participated  in  the  Sandusky 
expedition  as  held  major.  He  was  a  patriot,  who  loved  his  country.  Worthy 
of  especial  note  in  his  valor  displayed  at  the  battle  of  Olentangy,  fought  in 
what  is  now  Whetstone  township,  Crawford  county,  June  6,  1782.  He  did 
much  to  encourage  his  heroic  little  band  of  soldiers,  and  was  ably  seconded 
by  the  indefatigable  "John  Rose,"  whose  cheerfulness,  suavity  and  coolness 
were  only  equalled  by  his  wonderful  skill  and  intrepidity. 

"John  Rose,"  the  hero  of  the  retreat  of  Crawford's  army  from  the  plains 
of  Sandusky,  it  afterward  developed,  was  rea'iy  a  young  Russian  nobleman — 
the  Baron  Gustavus  H.  Rosenthal,  of  Livonia — who,  because  of  killing  an- 
other in  a  duel,  had  been  obliged  to  fly  from  his  own  country  and  seek  safety, 
first  in  England  and  then  in  America.  In  the  Revolutionary  war  he  served 
the  colonists  with  fidelity  until  its  close,  without  having  revealed  his  true 
name  or  rank,  and  then,  by  permission,  returned  to  Europe,  subsequent  to  the 
Sandusky  expedition.  He  was  regarded  with  favor  by  Emperor  Alexander 
ancl  became  grand  marshal  of  the  province  of  Livonia.  The  first  link  in  that 
bright  chain  of  friendship,  which  has  ever  existed  between  the  Russian  em- 
pire and  the  United  States,  was  forged  by  "John  Rose." 

Other  officers  who   served  under   Colonel   Crawford  in   the  expedition 

were:      Thomas   Gaddis,   John    McClelland,   Britton,    who    were   field 

majors;  Daniel  Leet,  brigade  major;  John  Knight,  surgeon;  and  John  Slover 
and  Jonathan  Zane,  pilots. 

On  the  site  of  the  battle  of  Olentangy  there  stands  a  monument  erected 
to  the  memory  of  the  brave  army  of  the  Sandusky  expedition. 

Samuel  Norton,  the  first  settler  of  Bucyrus  township,  was  born  within 
one  mile  of  Congress  Spring,  near  Saratoga,  New  York,  March  3,  1870. 
His  father  was  of  Scotch  descent,  and  many  years  previous  to  the  birth  of 
Samuel  had  emigrated  from  Scotland  and  settled  in  Connecticut.  Samuel 
Norton  was  married,  January  1,  1804,  to  Miss  Mary  Bucklin,  who  was  born 
in  Coventry,  Kent  county,  Rhode  Island,  October  31,  1785.  The  Bucklins 
were  of  English  descent,  and  Mary  Bucklin  s  parents  removed  from  Rhode 
Island  to  Little  Falls,  New  York,  when  she  was  about  six  years  of  age, 
and  some  twelve  years  afterwards  to  what  is  now  Susquehanna  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  she  was  married  to  Samuel  Norton.  The  young  couple 
settled  near  Elk  Hill,  then  in  Luzerne  but  now  in  Susquehanna  county.     The 


14  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

district  is  situated  in  the  mountain  regions  of  that  state ;  the  land  is  poor,  and 
even  at  that  time  the  country  was  very  wild.  It  is  said  that  at  one  time, 
while  Norton  was  still  a  resident  of  Elk  Hill,  he  shot  a  panther  which  meas- 
ured eleven  feet  and  three  inches  in  length !  These  wild  beasts  have  never 
been  seen  in  Crawford  county  since  it  was  first  settled  by  white  men;  and, 
although  the  first  settlers  of  Bucyrus  township  emigrated  to  a  newer  country, 
they  did  not,  in  some  respects,  find  a  wilder  one. 

Norton  was  dissatisfied  with  this  wild,  rocky  Pennsylvania  land,  and, 
after  residing  there  with  his  wife  for  fifteen  years,  determined  to  seek  a  more 
pleasing  country.  He  caught  the  western  fever  and  finally  decided  that  his 
destination  should  be  the  land  obtained  by  the  "New  Purchase."  His  wife 
was  opposed  to  this  movement  of  the  Norton  family  and  refused  to  go  unless 
her  brother  Albijence  Bucklin  would  go  along.  Norton  finally  succeeded  in 
inducing  Bucklin  to  accompany  him  with  his  family,  by  promising  him  fifty 
acres  of  land.  Norton  had  previously  visited  the  new  country,  selected  a  quar- 
ter section  on  the  present  site  of  Bucyrus,  and  had  returned  to  his  native  state 
for  his  family.  Very  late  in  the  spring  of  1819  the  pioneers  left  their  home 
in  Pennsylvania,  and,  after  journeying  about  six  hundred  miles  in  a  big 
"schooner"  wagon,  reached  the  quarter  section  of  land  which  Norton  had  se- 
lected, in  October,  1819.  The  party  consisted  of  the  following  eighteen 
persons :  Samuel  Norton  and  his  wife,  Mary  Norton ;  their  three  daughters, 
Louisa,  Catherine  and  Elizabeth  (the  late  Mrs.  A.  M.  Jones);  their  three 
sons, — Rensellear,  Warren  and  Waldo  Norton;  Albijence  Bucklin  and  his 
wife;  their  six  children, — Esther,  Cynthia,  Austris,  Elizabeth,  Almeda  and 
Pitt;  also,  Polly,  an  adopted  daughter  of  the  Bucklins,  and  Seth  Holmes. 

After  reaching  their  destination  the  two  families  lived  for  three  days  in 
an  Indian  wigwam,  which  stood  near  the  present  site  of  the  court  house,  and 
during  this  brief  period  the  three  men  constructed  a  more  durable  residence. 
This  first  rude  home  was  built  of  small  round  logs  and  erected  upon  the  bluff  of 
the  Sandusky  river.  The  two  families  moved  into  this  log  cabin,  and  shortly 
afterward  another  was  built  for  the  Bucklin  family.  When  these  early  settlers 
constructed  their  first  cabin  the  nearest  white  neighbors  were  eight  miles  off, 
1  >n  the  banks  of  the  Olentangy,  and  that  settlement  consisted  of  only  a  few 
squatters,  who  were  generally  as  nomadic  in  habit  as  they  were  transient 
in  location.  The  Norton  family  occupied  their  first  log  cabin  home  during  one 
winter  and  until  July,  1820.  In  this  cabin  was  born,  on  the  nth  of  February, 
1820,  Sophronia  Norton,  who  was  the  first  white  child  born  on  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  Bucyrus,  and  probably  was  the  first  born  in  the  present  limits  of 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  15 

Crawford  county.  Samuel  Norton  operated  a  tannery  on  a  small  scale  for 
several  years,  farmed  and  in  1835  built  and  opened  a  hotel.  He  was  an  old- 
school  Baptist  and  a  man  of  many  sterling  qualities.  He  died  April  18,  1856, 
in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age.  His  wife,  Mary  Norton,  lived  three 
years  after  her  husband's  death,  and  finally  passed  away,  April  29,  1859. 
Other  children  born  unto  them,  not  already  mentioned,  were  Harris  P., 
Charles,  Jefferson  and  William  B.  Being  the  first  settler  and  original  pro- 
prietor of  the  land  on  which  Bucyrus  was  laid  out,  Samuel  Norton  was  justly 
entitled  to  the  name  of  the  "Father  of  Bucyrus." 

Colonel  James  Kilbourne  was  a  native  of  Xew  Britain,  Connecticut, 
born  October  9,  1770,  was  highly  educated,  and  in  early  life  became  a  member 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church,  and  about  the  year  1800  was  ordained. 
"When  scarcely  more  than  nineteen  years  of  age  he  married  Lucy  Fitch, 
daughter  of  the  celebrated  John  Fitch,  the  inventor  and  builder  of  the  first 
steamboat  in  the  world.  He  became  a  pioneer  settler  of  Ohio,  in  1802,  and  the 
following-  year  established  a  colony  from  his  native  state  in  the  Scioto  valley. 
A  church  was  built  and  he  became  the  rector.  He  visited  neighboring  set- 
tlements in  other  parts  of  the  state,  preaching  and  organizing  church  societies, 
many  of  which  became  permanent  Episcopal  churches.  He  retired  from  the 
ministry  in   1804. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  state  government  of  Ohio,  he  was  appointed 
a  civil  magistrate,  and  also  an  officer  of  the  militia  for  the  northwestern 
frontier.  In  the  spring  of  1805  he  explored  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie, 
and  selected  the  site  of  the  city  of  Sandusky.  About  this  time  he  was  made 
state's  surveyor  of  a  large  portion  of  public  lands.  In  1806  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  first  trustees  of  the  Ohio'  College  at  Athens,  and  in  1808  one  of 
three  commissioners  to  locate  the  seat  of  Miami  University. 

During  this  year  he  married  for  a  second  wife  Miss  Cynthia  Goodale. 
his  first  wife  having  died  soon  after  he  came  to  Ohio. 

About  this  time  he  was  made  major  of  the  "Frontier  Regiment."  later 
was  promoted  to  the  colonelcy,  but  this  position  he  resigned,  as  he  also  did 
the  former  position.  On  the  organization  of  the  Worthington  College,  in 
1812,  he  was  elected  its  president.  The  same  year  he  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Madison  as  a  commissioner  to  settle  the  boundary  between  the  public 
lands  and  the  Great  Virginia  Reservation.  Immediately  after  the  comple- 
tion of  this  service  he  was  elected  a  member  of  congress.  Later  he  became  a 
colonel,  hence  his  military  title.     In  1814  he  was  again  elected  to  congress. 


1 6  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

In  1823  he  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature,  and  again  in  1838-39  he  was 
a  member  of  that  body.  After  a  long,  useful  and  active  career  he  died,  at 
Worthington,  Ohio,  April  9,  1850.  Why  is  he  mentioned  in  a  biographical 
history  of  Crawford  county  ?  It  was  while  surveying  public  lands  that  Colonel 
Kilbourne  first  appeared  in  what  is  now  Crawford  county.  It  was  he  who 
then  persuaded  Samuel  Norton  to  have  a  town  survey  made  upon  his  farm. 
Norton  owned  the  laud  on  which  Bucyrus  is  now  located.  The  location  the 
Colonel  regarded  as  a  beautiful  site  for  a  town.  It  was  within  a  few  miles  of  a 
direct  line  of  travel  from  Sandusky,  the  nearest  point  on  Lake  Erie,  to  Co- 
lumbus, the  state  capital;  a  tide  of  emigration  had  set  in;  many  were  settling 
in  the  vicinity,  and  consequently  the  prospects  for  a  thriving  village  at  this 
point  were  flattering.  After  some  hesitation  Air.  Norton  consented  to  the 
survey,  and  Colonel  Kilbourne  made  the  original  town  plat  in  February,  1822. 
The  new  town  was  named  Bucyrus  by  the  Colonel.  One  of  his  favorite  his- 
toric characters  was  Cyrus,  the  Persian  general  who  conquered  the  city  of 
Babylon,  and  there  is  reason  for  believing  that  Colonel  Kilbourne  named  the 
town  in  honor  of  this  distinguished  character,  prefixing  to  the  name  "Cyrus" 
the  syllable  "bu,"  the  sound  of  the  first  part  of  the  word  "beautiful,"  declar- 
ing that  the  name  Bucyrus  should  always  mean  "beautiful  Cyrus." 

Daniel  McMichael  was  born  in  Ireland  about  1778.  and  when  about 
sixteen  years  old  his  parents  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania.  When  he  attained  his  majority  he  married  Mary 
McDowell,  who  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  came  to  the  United  States  with 
her  parents  at  an  early  date.  The  following  children  were  the  issue  of  their 
marriage:  David,  Mathew,  William.  Martha,  Alary,  Daniel,  Allen  and  Hat- 
tie.  In  1820  McMichael  removed  with  his 'wife  and  family  to  Crawford 
county,  and  settled  for  a  few  weeks  on  what  is  now  the  northern  part  of 
Bucyrus  corporation.  Being  a  miller  by  trade  and  a  mechanical  genius,  he  de- 
sired to  engage  in  the  milling  business,  and,  finding  a  more  suitable  location 
about  four  miles  tip  the  Sandusky  river,  removed  his  family  to  the  land  he 
first  entered  in  Liberty  township,  which  township  he  was  the  first  settler  to 
invade.  In  a  few  months  he  commenced  work  on  this  new  enterprise,  which 
was  the  first  mill  erected  in  what  was  then  Crawford  county.  He  soon  found 
he  could  not  depend  upon  the  Sandusky  river  for  water  to  keep  the  machinery 
running  twelve  months  each  year,  and,  the  outlook  not  being  promising,  he 
rented  the  mill  in  1823  to  Nehemiah  Squire  and  removed  to  Bucyrus,  where 
he  died  some  two  vears  later. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  17 

Colonel  Zalmon  Rowse  was  among  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Crawford 
county.  He  was  a  native  of  the  Bay  state,  born  in  the  year  1789.  His  par- 
ents were  poor  and  unable  to  give  him  the  advantages  of  a  classical  educa- 
tion. He  was  endowed  with  a  quick  and  comprehensive  mind  and  by  his  own 
efforts  he  succeeded  in  getting  a  good  education,  which  he  turned  to  the  best 
advantage  by  engaging  in  school  teaching.  When  sixteen  years  old  he  went 
to  Wayne  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  while  there,  when  he  had  arrived  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mehetabel  Kent,  who  was  then  six- 
teen years  old.  In  the  spring  of  182 1  he  walked  from  Wayne  county,  Penn- 
sylvania — five  hundred  miles — to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  where  he  entered 
three  tracts  of  land  of  eighty  acres  each,  after  which  he  again  walked  to  his 
home.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  came  to  this  county  with  his  family, 
which  consisted  of  his  wife  and  six  children,  coming  by  means  of  a  team  of 
oxen,  arriving  in  December.  He  first  located  in  Whetstone  township,  but  later 
in  Bucvrus  township.  He  taught  one  term  of  school  after  he  came  to  the 
county. 

Mr.  Rowse  was  a  man  well  fitted  for  public  trusts,  and  the  citizens  ap- 
preciated his  natural  abilities  by  electing  him  to  many  important  positions.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  justices  of  the  peace  in  Bucvrus  township,  and  served 
in  this  capacity  for  nearly  twenty  years.  In  1825  he  was  commissioned  lieu- 
tenant-colonel of  the  Fourth  Regiment  of  Ohio  Militia.  During  the  latter 
part  of  1825  and  until  Crawford  county  was  organized,  in  1826,  Colonel  Rowse 
served  as  one  of  the  commissioners  of  Marion  county,  to>  which  Crawford 
county  was  then  attached  "for  judicial  purposes."  Upon  the  organization  of 
Crawford  county  Mr.  Beardsley  was  appointed  clerk,  but  shortly  afterward 
resigned,  and  Colonel  Rowse  became  his  successor.  He  served  the  people 
faithfully  in  this  position  for  many  years.  At  this  time  the  recording  of 
deeds  and  mortgages  was  a  part  of  the  duties  of  Colonel  Rowse,  and  he  left 
an  excellent  file  of  records. 

In  1826  he  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Columbus  &  San- 
dusky Turnpike  Company,  and  in  1846  a  charter  member  of  the  Bucyrus 
Lodge  of  Freemasons.  In  1831  he  erected  the  American  Hotel  of  Bucyrus. 
His  death  occurred  August  15,  1854,  after  a  residence  in  the  county  of  over 
thirty  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Whig  party  and  was  a  man  of  gen- 
eral respect.  Of  his  children,  Horace  and  William  Rowse  became  prominent 
merchants  of  Bucyrus. 

Lewis  Cary,  born  in  New  Jersey,  in   1783,  first  resided  in  Jefferson 


1 8  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

county,  Ohio,  but  came  to  Crawford  county  in  the  spring  of  1822;  erected  the 
first  hewed-log  cabin,  with  a  shingle  roof  and  grooved  floor,  in  Bucyrus,  all 
other  cabins  until  then  having  been  made  of  round  logs  and  puncheon  floors ; 
built  and  operated  the  first  tannery  in  Crawford  county,  and  was  the  first 
postmaster  of  the  village  of  Bucyrus,  being  appointed  by  President  Monroe, 
about  1823.     He  died  in  Defiance,  Ohio,  in  1866. 

Josiah  Scott. — Perhaps  the  most  distinguished  lawyer  and  jurist  of 
Crawford  county  was  Josiah  Scott,  of  whom  the  following  eulogy  was  de- 
livered in  1886  before  the  Ohio  State  Bar  Association,  by  the  Hon.  Stephen  R. 
Harris,  of  Bucyrus : 

"Josiah  Scott  was  born  on  the  1st  day  of  December,  1803,  in  Washing- 
ton county,  Pennsylvania,  on  his  father's  farm,  three  miles  from  Cannons- 
burg,  the  seat  of  Jefferson  College,  where  he  was  educated  under  Dr.  Matthew 
Brown,  and  received  his  religious  impressions  under  the  celebrated  Dr.  Mc- 
Millen.  He  lived  at  home,  walked  daily  to  and  from  the  college,  and  grad- 
uated in  the  year  1823,  with  the  highest  honors  of  a  class  of  thirty-two 
young  men,  many  of  whom  afterwards  rose  to  distinction,  mostly  in  the 
church  and  as  college  presidents,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned  the  names 
of  David  H.  Riddle,  LL.  D.,  president  of  Washington  and  Jefferson  College, 
and  David  L.  Carroll,  D.  D.,  president  of  Hampden  Sidney  College,  Virginia. 

"After  his  graduation  he  was  thrown  entirely  on  his  own  resources  and 
set  out  at  once  to  enter  courageously  upon  the  life  work  before  him.  He  first 
went  to  eastern  Pennsylvania  and  for  a  period  of  two  years  taught  in  a  classical 
academy  at  Newton,  Bucks  county,  and  in  this  time  prepared  several  students 
for  the  freshman  class  at  college,  some  of  whom  graduated  at  his  own  alma 
mater  and  came  to  preferment  in  after  life.  He  went  south  and  taught  a 
classical  school  for  two  years  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  employing  his  leisure 
time  in  the  study  of  law.  He  then  returned  to  the  home  of  his  youth  and  was 
soon  after  chosen  by  the  authorities  as  a  tutor  in  Jefferson,  where  four  years 
before  he  had  taken  his  degree  with  distinguished  honor.  He  taught  in  this 
institution  for  one  year,  during  which  he  employed  his  leisure  intervals  in 
pursuing  his  legal  studies.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  decided  to  visit  Ohio, 
with  a  view  of  selecting  a  location  for  the  practice  of  law.  He  traveled 
west  on  horseback,  as  was  the  custom  of  the  day,  and  arrived  at  Mansfield  in 
the  spring  of  1829,  where  he  visited  Hon.  Thomas  W.  Bartley,  who  had  been 
his  pupil  at  college  and  afterward  became  his  associate  on  the  bench.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  permanently  located  himself  at  Bucyrus,   the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  19 

county  Seat  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  in  the  month  of  June,  1829,  when 
that  village  was  but  a  hamlet  in  the  wilderness,  and  nearly  half  of  the  county 
was,  and  for  some  fifteen  years  afterward  remained  an  Indian  reservation,  oc- 
cupied by  the  Wyandots. 

"His  abilities  were  very  soon  appreciated  and  he  rapidly  rose  in  his 
profession,  so  that  he  was  regarded  as  a  lawyer  of  great  influence  with  court 
and  jury,  both  in  Bucyrus  and  in  the  surrounding  counties,  where  he  had 
a  growing  practice.  In  1840  he  was  elected  as  a  representative  to  the  general 
assembly  for  the  counties  of  Crawford,  Marion  and  Delaware.  In  1855 
he  removed  to  Hamilton,  Butler  county,  and  continued  the  practice  of  his 
profession  with  great  distinction  and  success,  in  competition  with  such  lawyers 
as  John  Woods,  Lewis  D.  Campbell,  Thomas  Milliken  and  William  Bebb. 
In  October,  1857,  lie  was  elected  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  Ohio,  for 
the  term  commencing  on  the  9th  day  of  February,  1857.  Shortly  after  his 
election  he  was  appointed  by  the  governor.  Chase,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused 
by  the  resignation  of  Judge  Ranney,  and  held  under  the  appointment  until  the 
9th  day  of  February,  the  commencement  of  the  regular  term.  He  was  twice 
re-elected  and  continued  on  the  bench  until  the  9th  day  of  February,  1872.  hav- 
ing declined  to  be  a  candidate  for  another  term. 

"Some  vears  before  he  left  the  bench  he  returned  again  to  Bucyrus,  and 
at  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  resumed  practice  and  continued  until  January. 
1876,  when  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Hayes  a  member  of  the  supreme 
court  commission.  On  the  expiration  of  the  commission,  in  February,  1879, 
he  again  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession,  but  was  soon  stricken  with  a 
malignant  disease,  which  terminated  his  life  on  the  15th  day  of  June,  1879, 
in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age,  but  still  in  his  intellectual  prime. 

"Such,  gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  State  Bar  Association,  is  a  brief  sketch 
of  the  eventful  life  of  one  of  the  most  gifted  men  who  ever  adorned  our  pro- 
fession. It  is  with  a  willing  heart  and  grateful  mind  that  I  embrace  the 
present  opportunity  to  commemorate  his  virtues,  only  regretting  my  inability 
to  set  forth  in  a  deserving  manner  the  tribute  which  I  shall  endeavor  to  bring 
to  his  memory. 

"Over  thirty-seven  years  ago  I  came  to  Bucyrus  a  stranger,  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  my  chosen  profession.  I  was  young  and  diffident, 
and  the  first  member  of  the  bar  to  give  me  a  friendly  greeting  and  extend  the 
hand  of  encouragement  was  the  Hon.  Josiah  Scott.  After  a  few  months' 
acquaintance  and  professional  intercourse  he  invited  me  into  his  office  as  a 
partner.     We  continued  our  partnership  until  he  removed  to  Hamilton.     After 


20  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

he  returned  from  Hamilton  to  reside  in  Bucyrus,  while  still  on  the  bench,  he 
made  my  office  his  headquarters,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  we  re- 
sumed our  partnership,  after  an  interval  of  over  twenty  years.  We  continued 
together  until  his  death,  and  by  the  terms  of  his  last  will  and  testament  he 
made  me  one  of  his  executors.  Do>  I  need,  therefore,  to>  apologize  for  my 
veneration  of  the  man,  and  when  I  say  I  will  revere  his  memory  as  a  friend 
and  benefactor  until  the  last  pulsation  of  my  heart  ? 

"In  the  professional  and  judicial  career  of  Judge  Scott  he  did  not  neglect 
the  pursuits  of  learning,  but  habitually  indulged  in  mathematics,  the  reading 
of  English  classical  authors  and  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek  literature. 
Of  the  ancient  classics,  Horace  and  Demosthenes  were  his  favorite  authors. 
He  would  turn  at  random  to  any  portion  of  Horace  or  Virgil  and  translate 
them  fluently  into  elegant  English.  Sometimes,  in  his  arguments  at  the  bar, 
in  the  midst  of  a  flight  of  eloquqence,  he  would  quote  and  adapt  passages  from 
Pollock's  Course  of  Time  or  Milton's  Paradise  Lost  with  such  ease  and  grace, 
and  so  appropriate  to  his  theme  as  to  make  his  hearers  lose  sight  of  the 
quotation. 

"He  was  always  diffident  and  retiring  until  called  out  by  some  genial 
friends  or  professional  associates,  in  whose  company  he  might  be  cast.  On 
such  occasions  he  was  always  found  to  possess  conversational  powers  of  a 
high  order,  enlivening  his  conversation  by  a  warm  glow  of  delicate  humor  and 
brightening  it  often  by  lively  flashes  of  wit.  His  knowledge  and  skill  in 
mathematics  were  astonishing.  No  mathematical  problem  capable  of  solution 
baffled  him.  It  may  be  safely  asserted  that  he  was  absolute  master  of  algebra 
and  geometry.  He  would  solve  difficult  algebraic  problems  mentally  in  an 
incredibly  short  space  of  time,  announcing  his  methods  as  he  progressed. 
By  way  of  light  reading  he  would  peruse  by  the  hour  that  wonderful  pro- 
duction, Euler's  Elements  of  Algebra,  with  as  much  delight  as  if  it  were  a 
romance,  instead  of  a  work  so  deep  that  few  but  professional  mathematicians 
could  comprehend  it. 

"Whilst  he  was  a  profound  scholar  and  linguist,  yet  his  greatest  tri- 
umphs were  at  the  bar.  He  had  leading  practice  in  all  the  counties  in  his 
part  of  the  state,  and  rarely  was  an  important  jury  case  tried  but  he  con- 
ducted one  side  of  it.  It  was  there  he  displayed  his  great  power  as  a  nisi- 
prius  lawyer.  His  skill  was  displayed  in  the  cross  examination  of  witnesses. 
He  seldom  rebuked  or  intimidated  a  witness  so  as  to  excite  his  stubbornness 
or  aggravate  his  hostility,  but  rather  led  him  along  first  in  the  line  of  undis- 
puted facts  in  a  pleasant  manner  until  he  would  get  the  truth  out  of  him, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  21 

when  it  was  unintentional  on  the  part  of  the  witness,  who  had  gone  on  the 
stand  with  the  full  determination  to  perjure  himself  in  behalf  of  the  opposite 
party.  On  such  occasions  a  grim  shade  of  disappointment  might  be  ob- 
served to  steal  over  the  countenances  of  the  opposing  counsel.  In  his  argu- 
ments he  was  ordinarily  mild,  eloquent  and  persuasive  before  a  jury,  but 
when  occasion  required  he  would  pour  out  a  torrent  of  invective  that  was 
overwhelming,  like  that  of  Curran's  celebrated  denunciation  of  Flood  in  the 
Irish  parliament.  In  his  argument  to  the  court,  Judge  Scott  was  logical  and 
convincing.  He  belonged  to  that  older  class  of  lawyers  who  began  the  prac- 
tice when  books  were  few,  but  read,  studied  and  thoroughly  mastered  all  the 
elementary  principles  of  the  law.  I  have  seen  him  in  combats  with  other  law- 
yers of  the  same  class,  a  race  that  has  nearly  all  disappeared,  such  as  Judge 
Stewart,  Bartley,  Kirkwood,  Brinkerhoff  and  Cooper  K.  Watson,  and  deep 
were  the  impressions  they  made  on  my  mind  in  the  outset  of  my  practice. 
What  models  for  the  emulation  of  the  young-  practitioner !  In  their  legal  con- 
flicts it  was  a  battle  of  giants.  What  ponderous  arguments,  mostly  on  prin- 
ciples rather  than  an  array  of  authorities,  with  Judge  Bowen  on  the  bench 
to  appreciate  them,  without  requiring  the  production  of  books!  Such  thrusts 
and  such  parries !  Such  logical  reasoning,  so  pregnant  with  legal  principles 
that  they  would  seem  unanswerable,  and  then  see  an  antagonist  meet  and 
combat  them  like  Hercules  with  his  club!  I  sometimes  pause  and  ask,  Will 
ever  cases  be  tried  like  those  again  ? 

"Whilst  on  the  bench,  Judge  Scott's  position  was  characterized  by  the 
highest  degree  of  learning-  and  accuracy.  His  published  judicial  opinions  are 
found  in  the  Ohio  State  Reports,  from  volume  V  to  volume  XXI  inclusive,  and 
the  first  series  of  volumes  containing  the  decisions  of  the  commission,  and 
they  take  rank  with  the  best  ever  announced  from  the  bench.  In  preparing 
a  brief,  when  a  lawyer  finds  a  decision  of  Judge  Scott  on  the  subject,  it  always 
affords  pleasure  and  relief.  His  analysis  is  so  complete  and  his  reasoning 
so  conclusive  and  easily  understood  that  one  almost  wonders  why  the  question 
should  ever  have  been  involved  in  doubt.  It  is  also  a  notable  feature  of  the 
Ohio  State  Reports  that  there  are  few,  if  any,  dissenting  opinions  in  cases 
where  the  decisions  were  announced  by  Judge  Scott.  He  left  his  impression 
upon  the  jurisprudence  of  Ohio  as  distinctly  as  any  other  figure  in  the  his- 
tory of  our  courts,  and  his  opinions  are  not  only  sound,  but  instructive. 

''He  was  an  earnest  believer  and  professor  of  the  truths  of  the  Christian 
religion,  whose  holy  precepts  he  practiced  in  the  whole  course  of  his  life.  It 
mav  safely  be  asserted  that  he  never  in  his  life,  in  his  business,  in  his  pro- 


22  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

fession,  in  court  or  elsewhere,  did  or  conceived  a  dishonorable  act,  and  his 
life  teaches  us  that  without  professional  uprightness  and  integrity  there  can 
be  no  enduring  success.  Judge  Scott  always  regarded  it  as  a  duty,  not  only  to 
his  client  and  himself,  but  a  higher  and  more  important  one  to  his  country, 
which  bestows  on  a  lawyer  important  privileges  and  requires  of  him  important 
services,  to  discourage  groundless  and  unlawful  litigation,  and  to  present  his 
client's  case  truthfully  and  fairly.  Sad,  indeed,  would  be  the  thought,  when 
such  a  man  is  gone  from  earth,  were  all  his  learning"  and  wisdom  gone,  too. 
But  all  of  such  men  cannot  die.  While  his  body  slumbers  in  the  earth  his 
words  of  wisdom  and  his  example  of  purity  will  shed  their  lustre  as  a  beacon 
to  guide  those  who  succeed  him." 

Lawrence  \Y.  Hall  came  from  Cuyahoga  county  in  the  spring  of  1844 
and  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  Bucyrus.  For  six  years  from  October, 
1845,  he  held  the  office  of  county  prosecuting  attorney;  was  elected  judge  of 
the  common-pleas  court  in  1851  and  held  the  office  until  1857;  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  house  of  representatives  of  the  thirty-fifth  congress,  and  then 
resumed  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  a  brilliant,  able  lawyer,  and  as  a 
political  and  partisan  leader  possessed  even  still  greater  ability.  In  the  last 
years  of  his  life  his  course  was  less  commendable.  The  opposition  to  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion,  developed  in  Bucyrus  and  vicinity,  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  government,  and  in  1862  Judge  Hall  was  arrested  and  nominally  held  for 
several  weeks  a  political  prisoner,  at  Camp  Mansfield,  and  finally  discharged 
without  further  action.  In  consequence  of  ill  health,  largely  on  account  of 
drink,  he  was  on  parole,  and  required  to  report. — only  as  it  suited  his  con- 
venience.    He  died  at  Bucyrus,  January  18,  1863. 

Josiah  S.  Plants,  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1820,  died  in  Bucyrus,  Au- 
gust 23,  1863,  of  wounds  received  by  the  accidental  discharge  of  a  gun.  He 
was  educated  in  Ashland  (Ohio)  Academy,  studied  law  under  the  preceptor- 
ship  of  Judge  Josiah  Scott,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  practice 
at  Bucyrus,  in  1844.  He  rose  very  rapidly  in  the  profession,  and,  in  1858  was 
elected  judge  of  the  common-pleas  court;  and  while  in  office  he  was  dis- 
tinguished for  industry,  honesty  of  purpose,  devotion  to  his  friends,  fidelity  to 
his  clients  and  earnestness  and  force  as  a  public  speaker.  His  career  at  the 
bar  and  on  the  bench  was  such  as  to  justify  the  highest  expectations  of  his 
friends  had  his  life  been  prolonged. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  23 

Alonzo  M.  Jones,  deceased,  was  a  native  of  Berkshire  county,  Massa- 
chusetts, horn  April  4,  181 1.  His  parents  were  Ludwig  and  Mary  (Hale) 
Jones.  They  removed  to  the  Western  Reserve  in  the  spring  of  181 7  and 
settled  in  Lorain  county,  where  their  son  was  reared.  He  had  gained  a 
limited  education  when,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  lost  his  father  in  death,  and 
thereafter,  until  twenty-one,  the  care  and  support  of  his  family  fell  upon  him. 
He  began  the  study  of  medicine,  in  the  spring  of  1832,  at  La  Grange,  in  the 
office  of  Dr.  E.  W.  Hubbard.  A  year  later  he  attended  lectures  at  the  medical 
school  in  Worthington,  Ohio,  graduating  in  July,  1834.  He  came  to  Bucyrus, 
in  December,  1835,  an<^  thereafter  continued  his  profession  with  scarcely  an 
interruption  until  1843.  For  some  seven  years  thereafter  Dr.  Jones  operated 
a  woolen  mill,  and  then,  selling  his  interest  in  the  mill  to  a  partner,  he  engaged 
in  the  real-estate  business,  for  several  years  with  success.  In  1866,  in  com- 
pany with  three  other  gentlemen,  Dr.  Jones  embarked  in  the  manufacture  of 
hubs,  spokes  and  bent  work.  He  was  a  competent  business  man  and  a 
worthy  citizen. 

In  1838,  he  married  Elizabeth  Norton,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Norton,  an 
early  pioneer  of  the  county,  and  the  original  proprietor  of  the  land  on  which 
the  village  of  Bucyrus  was  first  laid  out.  Of  the  eight  children  born  unto  the 
marriage,  five  died  in  infancy  and  childhood.  The  other  three  were  Mary  L., 
wife  of  Col.  W.  C.  Lemert,  Lorenzo  E.  and  Volney  W. 

Dr.  George  Keller,  deceased,  was  one  of  the  most  eminent  and  skillful 
physicians  and  surgeons  that  ever  graced  the  medical  profession  in  Crawford 
county.  He  was  a  native  of  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  the  date  of  his 
birth  being  November  24,  1826.  He  was  three  years  old  when  his  father  re- 
moved to  Ohio  and  settled  at  Dalton,  where  Dr.  Keller  spent  his  youth  and  was 
educated.  When  only  fifteen  he  began  the  study  of  medicine,  under  a  practi- 
tioner of  Dalton,  and  until  he  was  prepared  to  practice,  both  studied  medicine 
and  taught  sciiool.  At  DeKalb,  Ohio,  he  began  the  practice  and  after  some 
time  spent  there  he  went  to  Cleveland  to  further  prepare  himself  for  the  pro- 
fession by  attending  medical  lectures  during  the  sessions  of  1846  and  1847. 

Returning  to  Dalton,  he  practiced  there  until  March,  1850,  when  he  be- 
came physician  for  a  party  of  two  hundred  and  forty  people,  who  were  travel- 
ing overland  to  California,  this  journey  covering  a  period  of  one  hundred  and 
eight  days  and  fraught  with  some  accidents  and  fatal  occurrences,  nine  men 
being  killed  by  the  Indians  on  Pitt  river.  On  July  4,  1850.  the}-  reached  their 
destination,  arriving  at  a  point  on  the  Sacramento  river.     For  six  months  Dr. 


24  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Keller  practiced  in  Yuba  City  and  Marysville.  Returning  to  Ohio,  in  May, 
1 85 1,  he  located  at  West  Liberty,  where  he  remained  about  three  years,  and, 
graduating,  in  the  spring  of  1853,  from  the  Cincinnati  Medical  College,  he  was 
then  located  for  a  short  time  at  Bluffton,  Indiana,  but  in  1861  became  a  resi- 
dent physician  of  Bucyrus,  where  he  continued  until  the  time  of  his  death,  with 
an  interruption  of  about  two  years  spent  at  Churubusco,  Indiana. 

In  1877  and  1878  he  was  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  the  Fort  Wayne 
Medical  College.  He  was  well  educated  and  of  varied  knowledge  and  skill 
in  his  profession.  He  was  noted  for  his  literary  ability  and  extensive  knowl- 
edge of  various  subjects.  Some  ten  years  ago  death  closed  his  useful  and 
exemplary  career.  In  1848  he  married  Mary  J.  English,  of  Canton,  Ohio,  who 
survives  him  and  still  resides  in  Bucyrus. 

James  S.  McCarrell,  one  of  the  best  known  older  citizens  of  Bucyrus, 
was  born  in  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  February  16,  1836.  His  par- 
ents were  James  and  Nancy  (Shearer)  McCarrell.  He  was  reared  on  a 
farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  was  sent  to  an  academy  at  Hookstown,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  studied  for 
three  years,  after  which  he  spent  six  years  in  teaching  school.  When  aged 
twenty-four  years  he  entered  a  dental  office  at  New  Brighton,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  was  a  student  of  dentistry  for  three  years.  After  a  further  stay  of 
two  years  in  New  Brighton  he  came  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Bucyrus,  and 
began  the  practice  of  dentistry,  in  which  he  has  been  so  successful  as  to  estab- 
lish a  high  reputation  for  himself. 

January  16,  1867,  Dr.  McCarrell  married  Mary  Matthews,  of  San- 
dusky, Ohio. 

Asa  Hosford  was  among  the  early  settlers  of  Crawford  county.  He 
was  born  in  Richfield,  Massachusetts,  in  1799,  and  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age, 
spending  an  active  and  fruitful  life.  When  he  was  six  years  of  age  his  par- 
ents became  residents  of  Jefferson  county,  New  York,  where  they  spent  four- 
teen years  and  then  removed  to  Ontario  county,  New  York.  He  was  reared 
<  in  the  farm,  and  when  he  became  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  having  a  strong 
desire  to  see  Ohio,  he  and  his  brother  went  by  steamboat  to  Cleveland,  and 
then  started  out  on  foot  for  the  interior  of  the  state.  This  was  in  the  fall 
of  1819,  and  in  Huron  county  Mr.  Hosford  remained  all  winter,  and  was 
joined  in  the  spring  by  his  parents,  who  with  him  located  in  Crawford  county, 
where  he  worked  for  several  years  to  earn  his  first  one  hundred  dollars,  with 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  25 

which  he  entered  eighty  acres  of  land  near  Galion.  In  the  year  1824  he 
opened  the  first  hotel  in  the  neighborhood.  It  was  located  within  the  present 
site  of  Galion,  and  for  eight  years  he  was  its  proprietor,  and  then  sold  it  for 
six  hundred  dollars,  and  purchased  forty-three  acres  of  land,  which  was  situ- 
ated where  the  heart  of  Galion  is  to-day.  It  was  his  intention  to  lay  out  a 
town  on  it,  but  finally  sold  the  land  to  Michael  and  Jacob  Ruhl,  who  laid  out 
the  town  of  Galion,  September  10,  1831.  Mr.  Hosford,  in  1832,  purchased 
the  mill  property  in  Polk  township,  which  he  operated  for  more  than  fifty 
years. 

In  1825  Alta  Kent  became  his  wife,  who  bore  him  three  children,  viz.: 
Rebecca,  Eri  and  Stephen. 

John  Ruhl,  the  father  of  Michael  and  Jacob  Ruhl,  who  laid  out  the 
town  of  Galion,  September  10,  1831,  came  from  York  county,  Pennsylvania, 
direct  to  Crawford  county.  His  family  consisted  of  his  wife  and  his  children. 
— Michael,  Jacob,  Levi,  Henry,  Peter  and  Rebecca.  He  was  possessed  of 
considerable  means  in  land  and  money,  and  his  sons  became  important  factors 
in  the  development  of  Polk  township,  and  the  town  of  Galion.  His  grand- 
son, Alexander  A.  Ruhl,  son  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  (Daws)  Ruhl,  served  as 
auditor  of  the  county  four  years  from  1859,  and  was  elected  clerk  of  courts 
in  1879.  Alexander  A.  Ruhl  was  born  in  Shrewsbury,  York  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, April  4,  1828;  was  well  educated;  married,  in  1853,  Aurelia  M. 
Shanke,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Charles  G.  Rupp,  son  of  Peter  and  Hellena  (Earnst)  Rupp,  was  born 
February  3,  1822,  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania.  Gottleib  Rupp,  his  grand- 
father, was  a  native  of  Germany,  came  to  America  late  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury and  settled  in  York,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  a  butcher :  he  had  four 
sons  and  two  daughters.  The  marriage  of  Peter  Rupp  and  Hellena  Earnst 
was  blessed  with  four  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  father  died  at  York, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1825,  while  the  mother  survived  him  many  years,  dying  at 
Wapakoneta,  Ohio,  in  1878,  aged  ninety-three  years. 

Charles  G.  Rupp  received  a  limited  education,  became  a  clerk  at  the  age 
of  eleven,  at  his  native  town,  and  was  thus  employed  for  ten  years.  In  1843 
he  came  to  Ohio  by  stage  and  capal,  remained  only  a  short  time  in  Galion. 
then  went  to  Leesville,  where  he  kept  store  for  three  years,  and  then  re- 
moved to  Bucyrus,  in  1848,  and  was  employed  as  a  clerk  for  four  years.  He 
then  engaged  in  business  for  himself,  with  partners,  for  a  short  time  and  was 


26  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

compelled  to  retire  on  account  of  ill  health;  but  later  he  became  a  clerk  again. 
Upon  the  failure  of  the  Bucyrus  Machine  Works  he  became  the  assignee  and 
settled  up  the  business,  which  required  some  three  years.  In  1873  he  bought 
a  stone  quarry  at  Leesville,  which  was  a  profitable  investment.  He  was  post- 
master of  Leesville  during  the  administration  of  President  Polk.  In  politics 
he  was  first  a  Free-soiler  and  then  a  Republican.  He  was  married,  in  1848, 
to  Margaret  J.  Ruhl,  of  Gabon.  To  the  marriage  were  born  four  children, 
— Annie,  Clara,  Maggie  and  Lincoln,  who  grew  to  maturity,  while  five  died  in 
childhood. 

HORACE  EUGENE  VALENTINE. 

In  the  affairs  of  state,  as  taken  aside  from  the  extraordinary  conditions  of 
warfare,  there  are  demanded  men  whose  mental  ken  is  as  wide  and  win  »se  gen- 
eralship is  as  effective  as  those  which  ensure  successful  maneuvering  of  armed 
forces  by  the  skilled  commanders  on  the  field  of  battle.  The  nation's  welfare 
and  prosperity  may  be  said  to  hang  as  heavily  upon  individual  discrimination 
and  executive  ability  in  the  one  case  as  the  other.  It  requires  master  minds 
to  marshal  and  organize  the  forces  for  political  purposes  and  produce  the  best 
results  by  concerted  effort.  One  of  the  honored  Democratic  political  leaders 
of  Crawford  count)-  is  Hon.  Horace  Eugene  Valentine,  who  served  for  two 
terms  as  state  senator  from  the  thirty-first  senatorial  district,  and  his  public 
record  reflects  credit  upon  his  constituents  and  district  which  he  represented. 
He  is  also  an  active  man-of-affairs  in  business  circles,  being  the  cashier  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Bucyrus,  which  position  he  has  occupied  since  1898. 

Mr.  Valentine  is  one  of  the  native  sons  of  Crawford  county,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  in  the  village  of  Benton  in  Texas  township,  April  8,  1859.  He 
represents  an  old  New  York  family,  his  ancestors  having  come  from  the  Em- 
pire state.  His  father,  James  Valentine,  removed  to  Crawford  county  from 
the  city  of  Syracuse,  New  York,  about  1830,  his  wife  and  his  parents  coming 
with  him.  He  secured  a  tract  of  land  in  Texas  township  and  there  devoted  his 
energies  to  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  the  year 
1861.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Angeline  Clark.  She  was  born 
near  Syracuse,  New  York,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Edward  Clark,  who  served 
in  the  New  York  Militia  in  the  war  of  1842.  Mrs.  Valentine  was  called  to 
her  final  rest  in  1866.  They  had  four  sons,  the  eldest  being  Edward,  who 
enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war  and  died  in  Libby  prison;  Jabez  Clark, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  29 

deceased;  George  B.,  deceased,  and  Horace  Eugene.     There  was  one  daughter, 
Emily,  now  deceased. 

Throughout  his  entire  life  Horace  Eugene  Valentine  has  been  a  resident 
of  Crawford  county.  His  preliminary  education,  acquired  in  the  common 
schools,  was  supplemented  by  study  in  the  Ohio  Normal  University,  at  Ada, 
Ohio,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1888.  The  following  year  he 
was  elected  county  surveyor  of  Crawford  county  and  was  re-elected  in  1892, 
serving  continuously  until  1895,  covering  a  period  of  nearly  seven  consecutive 
years.  Before  his  retirement  from  that  office  he  was  elected,  as  a  Democrat, 
to  the  position  of  state  senator  to  represent  Crawford,  Seneca  and  Wyandot 
counties,  or  the  thirty-first  district.  He  served  for  four  years  and  filled  the 
position  so  creditably  that  in  1897  he  was  re-elected.  He  was  one  of  the  active 
working  members  of  the  senate  and  gave  to  each  question  which  came  up  for 
consideration  earnest  thought  and  study  and  left  the  impress  of  his  individ- 
uality upon  the  legislation  of  the  two  terms  served  by  him.  He  was  the 
author  of  the  anti-trust  law  of  Ohio,  known  as  the  Valentine  Anti-Trust  Law. 
It  was  declared  constitutional  by  the  state  supreme  court  and  if  enforced 
would  effectually  do  away  with  injurious  and  unlawful  trusts.  His  labors 
were  untiring  in  behalf  of  the  people  and  his  record  is  creditable  to  the  district 
which  honored  him. 

In  1889  Mr.  Valentine  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Josephine  Nedry, 
of  Texas  township,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Nedry,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
and  native  sons  of  Crawford  county,  who  is  now  seventy-five  years  of  age. 
His  father  came  to  Ohio  from  Pennsylvania  at  a  very  early  period  in  the 
development  of  the  state.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Valentine  have  been  born  two 
children,  Allen  Gladstone,  and  Florence  Emily. 

Mr.  Valentine  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  and  on  the  political  stage  such  is  his  popularity  and  such  his  personal 
magnetism  that  his  appearance  to  address  the  people  is  the  signal  of  due  en- 
thusiasm. He  is  a  sturdy  American  character  and  a  stalwart  patriot,  and 
has  ever  had  the  strongest  admiration  for  our  free  institutions,  being  ever 
ready  to  make  any  personal  sacrifice  for  their  preservation. 

CYRUS  W.   FISHER. 

Colonel  Cyrus  W.  Fisher,  who  for  many  years  was  a  prominent  pro- 
moter, constructor  and  operator  of  railroads  in  the  west,  has  for  the  past 
decade  been  a  leadings  and  influential  citizen  of  Bucvrus.     He  was  born  in 


30  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Waynesville,  Warren  county.  Ohio,  on  the  22(1  of  September,  1835.  His 
father,  a  prominent  physician  of  Waynesville,  removed  to  Indiana  in  1839 
and  in  1844,  accompanied  by  his  family,  vent  to  Illinois.  The  following 
year  he  became  a  resident  of  Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  and  in  1846  set- 
tled in  Rock  county,  that  state,  from  which  place  Cyrus  W.  Fisher  was  sent 
to  Ohio  in  j  848  to  attend  school  at  Waynesville.  In  1849  ms  parents  returned 
to  Ohio,  locating  in  Lebanon,  Warren  count}-,  at  which  place  our  subject 
completed  his  academic  studies  in  185 1.  Soon  afterward  he  joined  a  corps 
of  engineers  engaged  in  making  surveys  of  several  railroads  centering-  in 
Cincinnati.  He  was  thus  employed  until  1854.  when  he  entered  the  service 
of  the  Ohio  &  Indiana  Railroad  Company,  winch  was  constructing  its  line 
between  Crestline,  Ohio,  and  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  serving  in  various 
capacities  with  that  company,  in  shops,  offices  and  in  running  trains  upon 
the  road  until  July,  1850.  Next  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Bee  Line 
Railroad  as  conductor,  running  between  Crestline  and  Indianapolis.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1857,  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  office  of  John  Canby,  superintend- 
ent of  the  same  road,  at  Bellefontaine,  Ohio,  and  continued  in  that  capacity 
until  1 86 1. 

When  President  Lincoln  issued  his  first  call  for  seventy-five  thousand 
troops  Mr.  Fisher  entered  the  army  and  was  chosen  first  lieutenant  of  his 
company,  which  reported  at  Camp  Chase.  Columbus.  It  was  mustered  into 
the  I  nited  States  service  for  three  years  as  Company  F,  Twenty-third  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry.  The  field  and  staff  officers  of  the  regiment  were:  W. 
S.  Rosecrans,  colonel :  Stanley  Mathews,  lieutenant  colonel ;  Rutherford  B. 
Hayes,  major;  Cyrus  W.  Fisher,  adjutant;  and  Skiles  Gardner,  quartermas- 
ter. The  regiment  was  sent  to  West  Virginia,  in  July,  1861,  and  partici- 
pated in  the  battles,  marches  and  hardships  of  the  campaign  of  that  summer 
and  fall  which  resulted  in  clearing  West  Virginia  of  Rebels.  In  November, 
1 861,  Mr.  Fisher  was  appointed  major  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Ohio  Infantry, 
and  joined  that  regiment  at  Camp  Dennison,  Ohio.  In  Februarv,  1862,  his 
command  was  sent  to  Paducah,  Kentucky,  and  was  one  of  the  regiments  form- 
ing- the  division  first  commanded  by  Brigadier  General  W.  T.  Sherman.  In 
November  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Fisher  was  promoted  to  lieutenant  colonel 
of  his  regiment,  which  remained  with  that  division  that  afterward  became  the 
nucleus  of  the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps,  and  thus  took  part  in  many  battles  and 
sieges  until  the  close  of  the  war.  His  promotions  are  an  indication  of  his 
ability  as  a  military  leader  and  of  his  unquestioned  loyalty  and  fidelity 
to  duty. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  31 

In  Bellefontaine,  Ohio,  on  the  15th  of  December,  1859,  Colonel  Fisher 
had  been  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sallie  M.  Dunham,  who  died  September 
25,  i860,  and  on  the  nth  of  August,  1864,  he  was  again  married,  his  second 
union  being  with  Miss  Martha  I.  Hetich,  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  by  whom 
he  had  three  children — Cyrus,  John  and  Sallie,  but  the  second  is  now 
deceased. 

In  March,  1865,  accompanied  by  his  wife.  Colonel  Fisher  removed  to 
Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  and  purchased  the  Oskaloosa  Herald,  of  which  he  was  pro- 
prietor and  editor-in-chief  until  February,  1868.  During  his  residence  in 
Bellefontaine,  Ohio,  he  had  studied  law  under  the  instruction  of  the  Hon. 
Benjamin  Stanton,  who  was  for  a  number  of  years  the  member  of  congress 
from  that  district.  In  July,  1864,  Colonel  Fisher  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
by  the  supreme  court  of  Ohio,  and  after  selling  the  Herald  in  1868  he  opened 
a  law  office  in  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  but  threatened  pulmonary  troubles  com- 
pelled him  to  seek  the  dryer  climate  of  the  Rocky  mountains. 

Having  been  tendered  the  position  of  superintendent,  general  freight  and 
ticket  agent  of  the  Denver  Pacific  Railroad,  he  accepted  the  appointment  in 
November,  1869,  being  the  first  to  hold  those  offices,  on  any  railroad  in  Colo- 
rado. He  acted  in  those  capacities  until  the  road  was  purchased  by  the  Kan- 
sas Pacific  Railway  in  1873.  In  the  summer  of  1870  the  Kansas  Pacific 
Railroad  was  completed  to  Denver  and  he  was  tendered  the  position  of  super- 
intendent of  the  Denver  division,  which  he  accepted  in  September  of  that 
year,  thus  serving  until  July  15,  1878.  He  was  also  superintendent  of  the 
Colorado  Central  Railway  for  a  few  months  until  Mr.  Loveland  again  assumed 
control  of  the  road  in  1875.  In  the  summer  of  1878  he  was  made  superin- 
tendent of  the  mountain  division  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  and  assumed 
the  duties  of  that  office  on  the  15th  of  July,  remaining  there  until  February 
7,  1879,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  position  of  general  superintendent  of 
the  Denver,  South  Park  &  Pacific  Railway,  of  which  he  was  also  chosen  a 
director  and  second  vice-president  in  January,  1880.  Upon  the  purchase  of 
the  Denver,  South  Park  &  Pacific  Railroad  by  the  Union  Pacific  he  left  that 
employ  in  September,  1882,  and  became  general  manager  of  the  Xew  Orleans 
&  Denver  Railroad  Company,  of  which  he  was  elected  president  and  general 
manager  in  1883.  In  1884-5  ne  was  lessee  and  general  manager  of  this  road, 
but  resigned  in  March,  1886,  to  acept  the  position  of  general  manager  of  the 
Rock  Island  lines  west  of  the  Missouri  river,  a  position  which  he  held  until 
1888,  building  and  putting  into  operation  thirteen  hundred  miles  of  railroad 
during  that  time. 


32  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Colonel  Fisher's  wife,  a  sufferer  from  rheumatism,  died  at  Hot  Springs, 
Arkansas,  in  1888,  and  the  Colonel  then  resigned  his  position  and  spent  six 
months  traveling  in  Europe,  after  which  he  returned  to  Denver.  In  1889  he 
brought  his  children  to  Bucyrus,  where  he  established  a  home  for  them.  In 
1891  he  married  Airs.  Alary  D.  Beer,  and  has  since  continued  his  residence 
in  Bucyrus. 

In  politics  Colonel  Fisher  has  ever  been  a  stalwart  Republican,  and  has 
done  much  active  service  in  behalf  of  the  Grand  Old  Party.  In  the  cam- 
paign of  1896  he  effectively  supported  William  McKinley,  who  was  his 
comrade  in  the  Civil  war,  and  in  order  to  lessen  the  silver  "craze"  in  Colo- 
rado he  went  to  that  state  to  do  service  for  the  party  of  sound  money  doctrine. 
While  he  was  in  Denver  the  Denver,  Cripple  Creek  &  Southwestern  Railroad 
Company  was  organized,  and  Colonel  Fisher  was  elected  president  of  the 
company,  acting  in  that  capacity  for  two  years,  when  the  road  was  sold 
to  the  Colorado  Southern.  The  Colonel  has  been  identified  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity  since  1857,  and  is  now  a  thirty-second-degree  Mason.  He  is  the 
present  commander  of  the  Grand  Army  post  at  Bucyrus,  and  is  also  identified 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge.  His  has  been  a  very  active  and  useful 
career,  in  which  he  has  advanced  steadily  to  positions  of  importance  and 
responsibility.  His  prosperity  has  resulted  entirely  from  his  own  efforts,  and 
his  promotions  have  come  to  him  in  recognition  of  his  worth  and  merit. 
He  is  widely  known  in  railroad  circles  throughout  the  country,  and  his  repu- 
tation in  business  circles  is  above  reproach,  while  in  social  life  he  is  known 
as  a  genial,  courteous  gentleman  who  enjoys  the  warm  regard  of  many  friends. 


JUDGE  JAMES  C.  TOBIAS. 

Judge  James  C.  Tobias  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
the  nth  of  November,  1856,  a  son  of  William  B.  and  Catherine  (Mills) 
Tobias.  The  father  was  born  near  Carlisle,  Cumberland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, October  1,  181 5,  and  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Sarah  (Clause) 
Tobias.  William  B.  Tobias  resided  on  a  farm  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of 
age,  receiving  but  three  months'  schooling,  and  that  at  a  night  school.  He 
then  went  to  Carlisle,  where  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  cabinet-maker  to  learn  the 
trade,  serving  four  and  a  half  years.  Then,  after  working  about  six  months  as 
a  journeyman,  he  went  to  Greencastle,  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  about 
the  year  1836,  there  opening  a  shop,  and  worked  at  his  trade  for  about  three 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  33 

years.  His  health  failing,  he  closed  his  shop  and  took  up  farming-  in  Franklin 
county,  Pennsylvania,  farming  and  residing  in  that  county  until  1864,  when 
he  came  to  Crawford  county  and  settled  in  Liberty  township,  removing  to 
Holmes  township  some  four  years  later.  In  the  latter  township  he  continued 
his  residence  until  1877.  when  he  sold  his  farm  and  removed  to  Bucyrus,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  retirement  from  active  business  affairs. 
He  died  in  Bucyrus.  in  1882.  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  In  1841  he  mar- 
ried Catherine  Mills,  a  native  of  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania.  She  is  now. 
in  1 901,  residing  in  Bucyrus,  and  is  eighty-four  years  of  age.  She  bore  her 
husband  the  following  children  who  reached  mature  years:  William  F..  Jane 
('.,  Elizabeth.  John  L.,  James  C.  and  Daniel  M. 

William  B.  Tobias  was  dependent  upon  his  own  resources  from  an  early 
age,  but  by  energy  and  industry  he  prospered  and  gained  a  good  estate.  When 
the  Civil  war  broke  out  he  was  residing  four  miles  from  the  Maryland  state 
line,  and  the  army  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee  marched  through  his  farm. 
destroying  much  of  his  property,  while  the  state  militia  destroyed  his  stock 
without  scruples,  taking  all  but  six  of  his  horses.  At  that  time  his  son. 
James  C,  the  subject  of  this  biography,  was  a  mere  lad,  and  when  the  Union 
army  encamped  on  the  Tobias  and  adjoining  farms  to  that  of  his  father,  the  lad 
visited  the  soldiers'  camp,  where  he  was  permitted  to  go  in  and  out  with  free- 
dom, as  he  was  also  permitted  to  do  when  a  part  of  General  Lee's  army  camped 
in  the  same  vicinity.  But  the  boy  was  soon  to  be  taken  from  the  scenes  of  his 
birthplace  and  that  of  warfare,  for  in  1864,  when  James  was  eight  years  of  age, 
his  father  resolved  to  remove  with  his  family  to  Crawford  county.  His  youth 
was  spent  upon  the  farm  and  his  preliminary  education  was  acquired  in  the 
common  schools.  He  was  afterward  sent  to  Cold  Run  Academy,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1872  entered  Oberlin  College,  where  he  studied  until  the  following 
September,  when  he  entered  Mount  Union  College,  remaining  there  three 
years.  He  thus  acquired  a  broad  literary  education  to  serve  as  a  foundation 
upon  which  to  rear  the  superstructure  of  professional  knowledge.  During 
the  period  of  his  college  days  he  taught  school  during"  the  winters,  and  all  his 
vacations  he  labored  upon  the  farm  earning  money  to  assist  in  paying  col- 
legiate expenses. 

Predilection  led  him  to  prepare  for  the  profession  of  law,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1876  he  became  a  student  of  law  in  the  office  of  Finley  &  Swigart,  well 
known  attorneys  of  Bucyrus.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Delaware, 
Ohio,  July  2,  1878,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  and  immediately  afterward  began 


34  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  practice  of  law  in  Bucyrus,  soon  winning  a  fair  share  of  the  public  patron- 
age. Important  litigated  interests  were  entrusted  to  him  and  he  soon  demon- 
strated his  ability  to  successfully  handle  the  intricate  problems  of  jurispru- 
dence. In  1 88 1  he  entered  into  partnership  with  F.  S.  Monnett,  ex-attorney 
general  of  Ohio,  under  the  firm  name  of  Tobias  &  Monnett,  their  relationship 
being  maintained  until  1888,  when  Mr.  Tobias  was  elected  probate  judge  of 
Crawford  county,  a  position  he  continuously  filled  until  1894.  In  1896  he  was 
elected  judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  for  the  district  comprising  Craw- 
ford, Marion  and  Wyandot  counties,  and  is  the  present  incumbent,  his  term 
continuing  over  a  period  of  five  years  and  re-elected  in  1901,  without  opposi- 
tion, for  a  second  term.  His  decisions  have  been  conspicuously  fair  and  im- 
partial and  based  upon  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  law. 

In  1879  the  Judge  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Amina  J.  Monnett,  a 
daughter  of  Abraham  Monnett,  elsewhere  mentioned  in  this  volume,  and  they 
now  have  two  children,  Deane  A.,  who  is  now  a  student  in  the  Ohio  State 
University,  at  Columbus,  and  Helen,  who  is  pursuing  her  education  in  the 
Bucyrus  high  school.  The  Judge  has  always  given  his  political  support  to  the 
Democratic  party  and  is  unswerving  in  his  advocacy  of  its  principles.  The 
cause  of  education  has  ever  found  in  him  a  warm  friend,  and  for  fifteen  years 
he  efficiently  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  acting  as  its  president 
during  the  last  ten  years  of  his  incumbency.  He  did  much  to  promote  the 
interests  of  the  schools,  his  labor  proving  of  great  benefit  along  the  lines  of 
intellectual  advancement.  The  Judge  has  been  identified  with  the  financial 
interests  of  the  city  as  well  as  with  the  practice  of  law,  and  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  City  Bank  of  Bucyrus,  in  which  he  served  as  vice-president 
for  ten  years  and  director  for  eighteen  years.  Socially  he  is  connected  with 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
fraternities,  serving  as  past  chancellor  in  the  lodge  of  the  latter  organization. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which 
he  is  one  of  the  trustees.  Endowed  by  nature  with  high  intellectual  qualities, 
to  which  have  been  added  the  discipline  and  embellishments  of  culture,  his  is  a 
most  attractive  personality.  Well  versed  in  the  learning  of  his  profession  and 
with  a  deep  knowledge  of  human  nature  and  of  the  springs  of  human  conduct, 
he  is  in  the  courts  an  advocate  of  great  power  and  influence  and  on  the  bench  is 
a  judge  who  ever  commands  the  respect  of  the  lawyers  and  of  the  public  by 
reason  of  his  dignitv  in  office  and  extreme  fairness  in  decision. 


CEXTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  35 

J.  C.  FREMONT  HULL. 

The  superior  business  ability  of  Mr.  Hull  has  been  an  integral  factor  in 
the  commercial  activity  whereon  has  rested  much  of  the  prosperity  of  Craw- 
ford count  v.  The  world  judges  the  character  of  a  community  by  those  of 
its  representative  citizens,  and  yields  its  tribute  of  admiration  and  respect 
for  the  ability  and  accomplishments  of  those  whose  works  and  actions  con- 
stitute the  record  of  a  state's  prosperity  and  pride.  Therefore  it  is  proper 
that  a  just  celebrity  should  be  given  to  those  men  who  are  prominent  m 
their  day  and  generation  that  the  living  may  enjoy  the  approbation  of  their 
contemporaries  as  well  as  that  of  a  grateful  posterity. 

J.  C.   F.   Hull  is  one  of  the  leading  and  progressive  business  men  of 
Bucyrus,  where  he  is  occupying  the  important  position  of  cashier  in  the  Sec- 
ond  National  Bank.     He  was  born  in  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  in  1861,  and  is 
a  son  of  the  late  George  W.  Hull,  who  was  born  in  Delaware  county,  Ohio, 
July  21,    1824.   his  parents  being  Benjamin   and   Elizabeth    (Smith)    Hull. 
Benjamin  Hull  came  to  Ohio  from  New  Jersey.     In  1828  the  family  removed 
to  Whetstone  township,  Crawford  county,  locating  upon  a  farm,  and  there 
George  W.  Hull  was  reared  to  manhood.     In  1844  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Attie  Scribner.  of  Marion  county,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Elmira  (Clark)  Scribner.     The  Scribners  were  New  Hampshire  people,  and 
the  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 
In  an  earlv  dav  he  engaged  extensively  in  dealing  in  stock,  which  he  drove 
over  the  mountains  to  the  east.     His  death  occurred  when  he  had  attained 
the  very   advanced   age   of  ninety-six  years.     His   wife's   people  lived   and 
died  in  Marion  county,  Ohio.     In  1855  George  W.  Hull  removed  with  his 
family  to  Morrow  county,  locating  near  Cardington.     He  was  an  energetic 
and  wide-awake  business  man,  made  judicious  investments  in  real  estate  and 
at  one  time  was  the  owner  of  over  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Crawford, 
Morrow  and  Wyandot  counties.     In  ante-bellum  days  he  was  a  stanch  abo- 
litionist, and  was  one  of  the    promoters    of    the  "underground   railroad, 
whereby  mam-  negro  slaves  were  assisted  on  their  way  to  Canada,  where 
they  could  enjoy  freedom  without   fear  of  being  returned  to  their  former 
masters.     His  earnest  Christian  life  was  in  harmony  with  his  belief  as  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  served  both  as  steward 
and  class  leader,  and  was  also  prominent  and  influential  in  public  affairs, 
having  served  as  county  commissioner  in  Morrow  county  for  one  term,  while 
for  twelve  years  he  capably  filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.     In  1877 


36  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

he  came  to  Bucyrus  and  assisted  in  organizing  the  Crawford  County  Bank, 
in  which  enterprise  he  was  associated  with  Abram  Monnett.  who  was  made 
president,  while  Mr.  Hull  became  vice-president,  and  his  son,  Lewis  W.  Hull, 
cashier.  These  gentlemen,  together  with  L.  B.  Harris,  of  Upper  Sandusky, 
and  E.  Blair,  of  Bucyrus.  constituted  the  board  of  directors.  The  bank  was 
opened  for  business  January  i,  1878,  and  Mr.  Hull  was  connected  therewith 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1891.  when  he  was  sixty-eight  years  of 
age.  He  became  .president  of  the  institution  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Monnett, 
and  remained  at  its  head  until  a  short  time  prior  to  his  own  demise,  when  he 
retired,  Mr.  Blair  becoming  his  successor.  In  1885  the  bank  was  reorganized 
and  chartered  under  the  name  of  the  Second  National  Bank  of  Bucyrus. 
Mr.  Hull  took  a  very  active  interest  in  many  important  concerns  contributing 
to  the  suhstantial  development  and  material  progress  of  Bucyrus,  and  in  his 
death  the  town  lost  one  of  its  most  valued  and  honored  citizens.  He  was  a 
gentleman  of  keen  discernment  and  sound  judgment  in  business  affairs,  and 
his  advice  was  valued  very  highly  in  commercial  circles.  His  wife,  surviv- 
ing him  about  two  years,  passed  away  in  1893,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 
Their  eldest  son,  J.  G.  Hull,  is  the  cashier  of  the  Farmers  National  Bank  at 
Findlay,  Ohio,  a  position  which  he  has  occupied  since  1880.  Lewis  W., 
another  son,  was  the  first  cashier  of  the  Crawford  County  Bank,  now  the 
Second  National  Bank  of  Bucyrus,  and  at  present  he  resides  in  Upper  San- 
dusky. Ohio.  There  are  also  two  sisters  in  the  family,  Mrs.  Olive  A.  Mon- 
nett, wife  of  Mervin  J.  Monnett,  of  Central  City,  Nebraska;  J.  C.  F.,  our 
subject;  and  Adell,  wife  of  Ed  D.  Wolfe,  who  is  general  freight  agent  at 
Dallas,  Texas,  for  the  Queen  &  Crescent  Railroad  Company. 

J.  C.  F.  Hull,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  article,  spent  the  first  six- 
teen years  of  his  life  in  his  native  county,  much  of  that  time  being  devoted 
to  the  mastery  of  the  branches  of  study  forming  the  curriculum  of  the  public 
schools  near  his  home.  In  1877  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Bucyrus,  and 
in  1879  entered  the  bank  as  collector.  He  closely  applied  himself  to  the  work 
given  to  his  charge,  and  from  time  to  time  was  promoted,  becoming  cashier 
on  the  1st  of  January,  1885,  a  position  which  he  has  occupied  continuously 
since.  Previously  his  father  had  established  the  Farmers'  National  Bank  at 
Findlay,  Ohio,  and  our  subject  went  to  that  place  in  1880  and  acted  as 
assistant  cashier  for  three  years,  and  was  then  cashier  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Fostoria,  Ohio,  a  bank  he  assisted  in  organizing,  securing  its  charter. 
In  this  bank  his  father  was  also  a  stockholder.  He  resigned  the  position  of 
cashier  of  this  bank  to  become  the  cashier  of  the  Second  National  Bank  of 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  37 

Bucyrus.     He  is  still  a  stockholder  in  the  Farmers'  National  Bank  of  Findlay. 
Mr.' Hull  is  thoroughly  conversant  with  banking  business  in  every  detail  and 
possesses  excellent  executive  ability,  keen  discrimination  and  reliable  judgment. 
These  are  qualities  which  are  absolutely  essential  to  the  successful  conduct 
of  banking  institutions,  and  his  ability  and  labors  have  been  a  potent  factor 
in  securing  the  prosperous  business  which  the   Second  National  Bank  has 
enjoyed.     His  labors  have  not  been  confined  to  one  line,  for  he  is  president 
of  the  Bucyrus  Board  of  Trade,  and  treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the 
Bucyrus  Telephone  Company.     He  has  acted  as  trustee  for  an  unusually  large 
number  of  estates'in  Crawford  county,  each  of  which  he  has  settled  up  satis- 
factorily to  all  concerned.     He  has  also  dealt  quite  extensively  in  real  estate, 
and  is  the  owner  of  valuable  property  in  Bucyrus.  including  a  handsome  resi- 
dence in  the  city. 

In  Republican  circles  Mr.  Hull  is  also  recognized  as  a  leader,  and  since 
April,  1900,  he  has  represented  the  third  ward  of  Bucyrus  in  the  city  council, 
being  elected  to  that  position  in  a  Democratic  ward,  which  fact  indicates  his 
personal  popularity  and  the  trust  reposed  in  him  by  those  who  know  him 
best.  He  is  treasurer  of  the  Crawford  county  Republican  central  committee, 
and  on  a  number  of  occasions  he  has  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  state  con- 
ventions of  his  party.  Socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity  and  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  in  the  first  named  he  has  passed  all  of  the 
chairs.  He  holds  membership  in  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of 
Bucyrus,  and  during  the  past  ten  years  he  has  served  as  its  trustee  and  treas- 
urer. His  business  career  is  above  reproach.  He  has  met  every  obligation 
most  fully  and  honorably,  is  courteous  and  fair  with  his  patrons  and  his 
reliability  commends  him  to  their  confidence  and  good  will. 

AUGUST  BROEMEL. 

August  Broemel  is  the  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Bucyrus  Courier, 
the  German  weekly  paper  of  the  county,  and  is  a  well  known  factor  in  journal- 
istic circles.  He  is  also  regarded  as  one  of  the  reliable  and  enterprising  citi- 
zens of  the  community,  whose  active  co-operation  in  the  movements  for  the 
general  good  is  both  practical  and  profitable.  As  his  name  indicates.  Mr. 
Broemel  is  a  native  son  of  the  fatherland,  his  birth  having  occurred  at 
Stadt  Ilm,  Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt,  Germany.  He  pursued  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  land  and  also  in  an  academy  where  special 


38  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

training  was  given  after  the  manner  of  that  received  in  Armour  Institute, 
of  Chicago,  pupils  being  fitted  for  various  lines  of  business  life.  He  was 
nineteen  years  of  age  when  he  bade  adieu  to  home  and  friends  and  crossed 
the  Atlantic  to  America.  In  1872  he  purchased  the  Bucyrus  Courier,  which 
he  has  since  published.  This  is  a  German  weekly  newspaper,  which  was  estab- 
lished in  1874.  For  a  short  time  Mr.  Broemel  was  associated  with  a  part- 
ner, but  during  the  greater  part  of  the  period  in  which  he  has  published  the 
paper  he  has  been  alone  in  business.  It  has  a  large  circulation  among  the 
German  speaking  people  of  this  portion  of  the  state  and  exercises  a  wide-felt 
influence  in  public  affairs.  Mr.  Broemel  is  deeply  interested  in  everything 
pertaining  to  the  welfare  and  support  of  measures  for  the  public  good  through 
the  columns  of  the  Courier,  and  at  the  same  time  advances  the  interest  of 
the  Democratic  party. 

In  Bucyrus  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Broemel  and  Miss  Emma 
Liebich,  a  native  of  Bucyrus.  In  1896  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  city 
council  and  by  re-election  has  been  continued  in  the  office  since  that  time. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  and  is  found  as  a  champion 
of  educational,  material  and  moral  interests. 

WILLIAM  C.  KIESS. 

The  subject  of  this  review  is  a  self-made  man  who,  without  any  extraor- 
dinary family  or  pecuniary  advantages  at  the  commencement  of  his  career, 
has  battled  earnestly  and  energetically,  and  by  indomitable  courage  and  integ- 
rity has  achieved  both  character  and  fortune.  By  sheer  force  of  will  and 
untiring  effort  he  has  worked  his  wav  upward  and  is  numbered  among  the 
leading  citizens  of  Crawford  county,  where  he  is  now  occupying  the  position 
of  judge  of  the  probate  court,  having  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office 
on  the  gth  of  February,  1900.  His  public  service  has  demonstrated  that 
the  trust  reposed  in  him  is  fully  merited,  and  his  name  is  now  found  on  the 
record  of  reliable  and  capable  officials  in  this  section  of  Ohio. 

Mr.  Kiess  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Whetstone  township,  in  1857,  and  is 
a  son  of  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Delker)  Kiess.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Christopher  Kiess,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  received  excellent  educational 
privileges  and  became  a  successful  teacher  in  his  native  land.  Crossing 
the  Atlantic  to'  America,  he  followed  the  profession  of  teaching  for  twenty 
years  in  Pennsylvania.  Jacob  Kiess,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Lycoming  county,   Pennsylvania,  and    after  arriving  at  years  of    maturity 


CEXTEXXIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  41 

wedded  Catherine  Delker.  whose  birth  occurred  in  Germany,  and  who  came 
to  the  United  States  when  a  maiden  of  fifteen  summers.  In  the  year  1850 
they  removed  to  Crawford  county,  locating  upon  a  farm,  which  the  father 
owned  and  opeiated  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1882,  when  he  was 
seventy-one  years  of  age.  His  wife  passed  away  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
nine  years.  They  were  people  of  the  highest  respectability,  enjoying  the 
esteem  and  good  will  of  all  with  whom  they  came  in  contact.  Of  their  family, 
four  sons  and  a  daughter  are  living,  namely :  William  Christopher,  of  this 
review;  Jonathan  H.,  Simeon  and  Joseph  H.,  all  of  whom  are  successfully 
following  farming  in  Whetstone  township;  and  Mrs.  M.  A.  Butts,  of  Hia- 
watha, Kansas.  Two  sons,  Daniel  and  Samuel,  and  two  daughters,  Lydia 
and  May  Margaret,  are  deceased. 

Born  upon  his  father's  farm,  William  Christopher  Kiess  was  there  reared 
and  earl}-  took  his  place  in  the  fields  to  assist  in  the  work  of  plowing,  planting 
and  harvesting.  In  the  public  schools  he  acquired  his  elementary  education, 
which  was  supplemented  by  study  in  the  Ada  Normal  University  in  the  year 
1887-8.  Subsequently  he  became  identified  with  educational  work,  and  for 
seven  years  was  known  as  a  competent  instructor  in  the  schools  of  Whetstone 
township.  His  fellow  townsmen,  recognizing  his  worth  and  ability,  then 
called  him  to  public  office,  and  for  four  years  he  served  as  clerk  of  the  town- 
ship, and  was  also  land  appraiser  there.  In  the  fall  of  1899  he  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  probate  judge  of  Crawford  county  and  entered  upon  his  duties 
February  9,  1900,  for  a  three  years'  term,  so  that  he  is  the  present  incumbent. 
He  is  extremely  faithful,  prompt  and  reliable  in  performing  the  labors  that 
devolve  upon  him,  and  is  making  a  most  creditable  record. 

Mr.  Kiess  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1879,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Wagner, 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Wagner,  of  Wrhetstone  township,  who  came  to 
Crawford  county  from  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  about  the  year  1852. 
Both  have  now  passed  away,  the  father  dying  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years, 
the  mother  being  called  to  her  final  rest  when  sixty-nine  years  of  age.  The 
marriage  of  the  Judge  and  Mrs.  Kiess  has  been  blessed  with  two  children, — ■ 
Thomas  Clinton,  who  is  now  seventeen  years  of  age  and  is  a  student  in  the 
high  school,  and  Bessie  Belle,  who  is  also  pursuing  her  studies  in  the  schools 
of  Bucyrus.  In  his  political  affiliations  the  Judge  has  ever  been  a  Democrat, 
and  keeps  well  informed  on  the  issues  of  the  day,  politically  and  otherwise. 
His  religious  views  are  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  Evangelical  church. 
On  the  15th  of  March.  1900.  he  removed  his  family  to  Bucyrus,  where  they 
now  occupy  a  pleasant  home,  which  is  celebrated  for  its  gracious  hospitality. 


42  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

In  the  county  which  has  been  his  home  throughout  his  entire  life  Judge  Kiess 
has  made  many  warm  friends,  owing"  to  his  possession  of  those  sterling  traits 
of  character  which  ever}  where  command  admiration  and  respect. 

EMANUEL  R.  BIRK. 

Emanuel  R.  Birk  is  one  of  the  prominent  business  men  of  Bucyrus,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  harness  and  saddlery.  A  coun- 
try has  but  one  chief  ruler,  be  he  king,  emperor  or  president.  Comparatively 
few  men  can  attain  to  the  highest  office  in  civil  or  military  life,  but  com- 
merce offers  a  broad  and  almost  limitless  field  in  which  one  may  exercise  his 
powers  unrestrained  and  gain  leadership  at  the  head  of  a  chosen  calling. 
Drawing  the  lessons  which  we  do  from  the  life  of  Mr.  Birk,  we  learn  that 
the  qualifications  necessary  for  success  are  a  high  ambition  and  a  resolute, 
honorable  purpose  to  reach  an  exalted  standard  that  has  been  set  up. 

One  of  the  native  sons  of  Bucyrus,  he  was  born  July  25,  1866,  unto 
the  marriage  of  John  G.  and  Johanna  B.  (Kuhn)  Birk.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  born  July  22,  1823.  In  accordance  with 
tlie  laws  of  his  native  country  he  attended  school  until  fourteen  years  of  age, 
and  then  began  learning  the  harnessmaker's  trade,  which  he  mastered  both 
in  principle  and  detail.  Believing  that  the  new  world  offered  better  oppor- 
tunities for  advancement  than  the  older  and  more  thickly  settled  countries 
of  Europe,  he  determined  to  cross  the  Atlantic,  and  in  1845  sailed  for  New 
York.  In  1847  ne  came  to  Bucyrus  and  three  years  later  established  a  harness 
shop  on  his  own  account,  beginning  the  business  which  is  now  carried  on  by 
his  son,  our  subject.  In  185 1  he  married  Miss  Johanna  B.  Kuhn,  of  Whet- 
stone township,  Crawford  county,  though  born  in  Germany,  and  unto  them 
were  born  four  sons  and  one  daughter,— Christian  F.,  who  is  now  mayor  of 
Bucyrus;  Lewis  C;  foreman  of  the  harness  shop;  Emanuel  R.,  of  this  review; 
George  M.,  who  is  conducting  a  drug  store  in  Bucyrus;  and  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  F.  P.  Donnenwirth,  of  Bucyrus.  The  father  was  the  treasurer  of  Craw- 
ford county  from  1874  to  1876.  His  death  occurred  November  10,  1888. 
Emanuel  R.  Birk  spent  his  youth  in  the  usual  manner  of  lads  in  the 
ordinary  walks  of  life  and  enjoyed  the  pleasures  of  the  playground  and  gave 
considerable  time  to  the  duties  of  the  schoolroom.  After  putting  aside  his 
text-books  he  began  learning  the  harnessmaker's  trade  of  his  father  in  1882. 
He  worked  with  him  until  the  latter' s  death,  in  1888,  when  he  succeeded  to 
the  business,  which  he  has  since  carried  on.     He  now  enjoys  a  large  and 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  43 

growing  trade,  which  covers  Crawford  county  and  northeastern  Ohio.  The 
business  has  more  than  doubled  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Birk.  He 
carries  on  a  retail  trade  and  also  manufactures  harness  and  saddlery,  and  the 
excellent  quality  of  his  goods,  combined  with  his  honorable  business  methods, 
reasonable  prices  and  earnest  desire  to  please,  has  secured  to  him  gratify- 
ing prosperity. 

On  the  25th  of  October,  1892,  Mr.  Birk  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss 
Melinda  L.  Vollrath,  a  daughter  of  Albert  Vollrath,  who  for  a  number  of 
years  conducted  a  planing-mill  in  Bucyrus,  but  is  now  living  a  retired  life. 
He  is  a  native  of  Stadtilm,  Germany,  born  January  31,  1830,  and  is  a  son 
of  Gottlieb  R.  Vollrath,  who  was  born  in  the  same  place  September  29,  1804. 
There  the  grandfather  acquired  his  education  and  married  Frederike  Meissner. 
After  coming  to  Bucyrus  he  carried  on  the  cabinet-making  business,  being  one 
of  the  leading  representatives  of  industrial  concerns  in  this  part  of  the  state. 
He  was  highly  respected  as  a  reliable  business  man  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zen. His  son,  Albert  Vollrath,  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools  of  the 
fatherland,  and  when  twenty-one  years  of  age  came  to  Bucyrus,  in  companv 
with  his  parents,  his  two  brothers,  Charles  and  William,  and  his  sisters, 
Mrs.  Christian  Renkert  and  Mrs.  Frank  Blicke.  Mr.  Vollrath  entered  upon 
his  business  career  in  Bucyrus  as  a  contractor  and  builder,  and  in  1852  he 
became  a  partner  in  the  planing-mill,  which  he  conducted  up  to  me  time  of 
his  retirement  from  active  business  life.  Mr.  Birk  is  identified  with  two 
fraternities,  the  Masonic  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 
He  attends  the  German  Lutheran  church,  and  as  a  citizen  he  co-operates  in 
all  movements  for  the  general  good,  withholding  his  support  from  no  measure 
which  he  believes  will  advance  the  public  welfare. 

JOHN  C.  SHERER. 

John  C.  Sherer,  than  whom  there  was  no  citizen  more  widely  or  favorably 
known  in  Whetstone  township,  Crawford  county,  was  born  in  Stark  county, 
Ohio,  in  1830  and  was  the  eldest  son  of  Adam  Sherer,  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  that  count}',  where  he  was  known  as  a  public-spirited  and  progressive 
citizen  and  one  who  exerted  considerable  influence  in  political  affairs,  his 
opinions  carrying  weight  in  the  councils  of  his  party,  while  his  labors  con- 
tributed in  no  immaterial  way  to  its  success. 

John  C.  Sherer  was  his  father's  chief  assistant  after  the  removal  of  the 
family  to  Whetstone  township,  Crawford  county.     His  educational  advantages 


44  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

were  only  those  afforded  by  the  common  district  schools,  but  reading,  observa- 
tion and  experience  constantly  broadened  his  fund  of  knowledge  and  he 
became  a  well  informed  man,  being  recognized  throughout  the  county  as  a 
gentleman  of  more  than  ordinary  intellectual  strength.  He  always  followed 
agricultural  pursuits  and  developed  an  excellent  farm,  to  which  he  added  all 
the  modern  accessories  and  improvements.  Neatness  and  thrift  character- 
ized his  place,  and  the  practical  yet  progressive  methods  which  characterized 
his  work  contributed  to  his  prosperity. 

Mr.  Sherer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Catharine  Helfrich.  a  daughter 
of  Peter  Helfrich,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the  county,  and  they  made 
their  home  about  four  miles  west  of  Galion,  where  they  owned  a  nice  prop- 
ertv.  Thev  became  the  parents  of  six  children :  Jenny  M. ;  William ;  May 
S. ;  Harry  W.,  who  is  now  located  in  Columbus;  Willard  A.,  of  Toledo;  and 
John  A.,  who  is  principal  of  the  East  End  schools  of  Galion.  Four  of  these 
children,  together  with  their  mother,  still  survive  the  husband  and  father, 
and  Airs.  Sherer  and  her  son  still  reside  upon  the  farm. 

In  his  political  views  Air.  Sherer  was  a  Republican,  and  on  account  of 
the  minority  of  the  party  in  the  county  he  was  not  so-  prominent  in  political 
affairs  as  he  otherwise  would  have  been.  He  was  abundantly  qualified  for 
office,  and  in  a  quiet  way  he  did  much  to  promote  the  welfare  and  progress 
of  the  community.  He  enjoyed  the  friendship  and  regard  of  all  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact,  irrespective  of  political  or  religious  belief,  and  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1879,  was  sincerely  mourned  by  the  general  public. 

CHARLES  KINNINGER. 

The  subject  of  this  review  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  active 
workers  in  the  ranks  of  the  Democratic  party  in  Crawford  county,  and  has 
rendered  most  effective  service  in  the  party  cause.  But  recently  his  second 
team  as  probate  judge  of  the  county  closed.  In  this  office  he  acted  as  deputy 
previous  to  his  election  to  the  office  for  a  period  of  six  years,  and  then  having 
been  elected  twice  to  the  position  he  served  as  the  incumbent  six  years,  and 
is  now  holding  a  clerical  position  in  the  same  office.  As  a  man  of  splendid 
character  and  much  ability  he  has  been  conspicuous  in  public  affairs,  and  has 
made  a  record  which  commends  him  to  the  public  confidence  and  assures  him 
the  esteem  of  the  community. 

Judge  Kinninger  is  numbered  among-  the  native  sons  of  Crawford  county, 
his  birth  having  occurred  at  Sulphur  Springs,  in  Liberty  township,  July  22, 


/&K(asJM(  Ji, 


I  f 


C/uyy^yyyl^ 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  47 

1853.  His  parents,  John  and  Caroline  (Schindler)  Kinninger,  were  both 
natives  of  Germany,  and  took  up  their  abode  in  Liberty  township,  Crawford 
county,  many  years  ago.  They  resided  in  Sulphur  Springs,  where  the  father 
followed  wagon-making.  He  was  a  hale  and  hearty  man  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
two  years,  at  which  time,  in  1881,  he  met  with  an  accident  which  resulted  in 
his  death.  His  wife  passed  away  in  1879,  when  seventy-two  years  of  age. 
She  was  twice  married,  Mr.  Kinninger  being  her  second  husband.  By  her 
first  husband.  Christian  Sexauer,  she  had  four  children:  William  F.,  Chris- 
tian, Frederick  and  Lewis,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  By  the  second 
marriage  there  were  also-  four  children :  Caroline,  who  has  passed  away : 
Rosa,  wife  of  W.  D.  Mewhort,  of  Sulphur  Springs;  John,  deceased;  and 
Charles. 

The  father  was  not  in  very  affluent  circumstances  and  therefore  could 
not  give  his  children  more  than  a  common-school  education,  hence  our  sub- 
ject received  only  such  advantages  of  mental  discipline  as  he  could  obtain  in 
the  village  schools  of  his  native  town.  He  learned  the  trade  of  carriage 
painting  in  the  carriage  factory  of  his  half-brother's  at  Sulpher  Springs,  con-1 
ducted  under  the  name  of  the  Sexauer  Carriage  Works.  He  eventually 
became  superintendent  of  the  factory,  for,  although  he  began  work  in  the 
humble  capacity  mentioned,  he  was  advanced  through  various  positions  as  he 
demonstrated  his  ability  to  perform  the  work  entrusted  to  him.  In  early 
life  much  responsibility  devolved  upon  him  in  connection  with  the  support  of 
his  parents.  He  was  employed  in  the  factory  until  he  was  made  deputy 
probate  judge,  but  his  first  public  service  was  in  the  capacity  of  clerk  of 
Liberty  township,  in  which  he  has  served  for  several  years.  In  1888  he  became 
deputy  probate  judge  under  Judge  J.  C.  Tobias,  and  he  made  a  splendid 
record,  continuing-  in  that  position  for  six  years,  when  in  1893  he  was  elected 
probate  judge  and  entered  upon  his  duties  in  1894.  He  was  re-elected  in 
1896  and  served  as  probate  judge  through  six  consecutive  years,  retiring 
from  the  office  on  the  9th  of  February,  1900,  as  he  had  entered  it — with  the 
confidence  and  good  will  of  the  public.  On  that  occasion  the  members  of  the 
bar  presented  him  with  a  fine  silver  tea  and  water  set, — a  compliment  to  his 
efficiency  in  office  and  an  expression  of  their  friendly  and  high  regard  for 
him  as  a  man  and  citizen.  He  has  always  taken  a  very  active  interest  in 
political  affairs  as  a  worker  in  Democratic  ranks,  has  served  as  a  member 
of  the  county  central  committee,  and  for  three  years  was  a  member  ui  the 
county  executive  committee. 

In  Liberty  township  Judge  Kinninger  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
3 


48  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Alice  Bickley,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Bickley,  of  Sandusky,  Ohio,  and  their 
living  children  are  Emma  E.,  George  E.,  Edna  M.  and  Grace  Alice.  Their 
first  born,  Harry  \\\.  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  The  son  George  E. 
enlisted  in  1896  as  a  member  of  Company  A,  Eighth  Ohio  National  Guard, 
and  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish-American  war  he  volunteered  with  his  regi- 
ment in  the  United  States  service,  in  which  he  was  mustered  in  as  a  corpora!. 
Idie  command  was  sent  to  Cuba  and  participated  in  active  service  there, 
being  present  at  the  surrender  of  Santiago.  He  recently  received  an  hon- 
orable discharge  from  the  company  after  five  years'  connection  therewith. 
The  family  now  reside  upon  a  fine  farm  two  miles  south  of  Bucyrus,  in 
Bucyrus  township,  where  the  Judge  owns  one  hundred  acres  of  land.  He 
is  successfullv  carrying  on  stock-raising,  and  the  fine  grades  of  cattle  which 
he  raises  enables  him  to  command  a  ready  sale  on  the  market.  In  whatever 
work  he  undertakes  he  is  energetic  and  industrious,  and  thus  he  has  advanced 
to  a  position  among  the  affluent  citizens  of  Crawford  county.  He  belongs 
to  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Knights  of  Honor, 
of  Bucyrus,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church.  The 
cause  of  education  has  ever  found  in  him  a  warm  friend,  and  while  residing 
in  Bucyrus  he  served  for  several  years  as  a  member  of  the  city  school  board. 
During'  his  residence  at  Sulphur  Springs  he  was  the  leader  of  one  of  the 
best  bands  in  the  county,  and  his  love  of  music  is  one  of  his  salient  character- 
istics and  is  a  source  of  pleasure  not  only  to  himself  but  also  to  his  many 
friends,  enabling  him  to  become  an  active  factor  in  entertainment  and  social 
circles. 

JOHN  A.  SHERER. 

Professor  John  A.  Sherer,  principal  of  the  East  End  schools  of  Galion, 
is  one  of  the  most  competent  and  successful  educators  in  this  portion  of  Ohio, 
a  man  of  strong  mentality,  whose  careful  preparation  has  well  qualified  him 
for  his  work  and  who  has  a  just  comprehension  of  the  importance  of  the 
duties  devolving  upon  him. 

Professor  Sherer  was  born  on  a  farm  a  few  miles  northwest  of  Galion 
and  is  of  ancestry  well  known  in  Crawford  and  adjoining  counties.  His 
lather,  John  C.  Sherer.  is  mentioned  on  another  page  of  this  volume.  His 
mother  belonged  to  the  distinguished  and  numerous  Helfrich  family,  so 
-civ  allied  with  the  history  of  this  locality.  Mr.  Sherer  was  born  in  1873, 
and  in  his  early  youth  attended  the  district  school  near  his  home,  while  later 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  49 

he  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  a  course  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at 
Delaware.  On  its  completion  he  began  teaching-  and  had  charge  of  a  number 
of  schools  in  Crawford  county  through  a  period  of  ten  years.  His  success 
in  a  general  way  attracted  the  attention  of  the  school  board  of  Galion  and 
lie  was  called  here  to  take  charge  of  the  East  Side  schools  in  1900.  The 
able  manner  in  which  he  discharged  his  duties  in  that  scholastic  year  recom- 
mended him  for  the  position  for  the  succeeding  year,  and  through  his  two 
years'  service  he  has  won  the  highest  commendation. 

In  1899  Professor  Sherer  was  married  to  Miss  Viola  Kiess,  the  daughter 
of  a  prominent  and  well  known  family  of  Whetstone  township.  Professor 
Sherer  is  one  of  the  county  board  of  school  examiners,  and  has  the  acquaint- 
ance and  friendship  of  the  majority  of  teachers  in  the  county.  He  is  also  one 
cf  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Crawford  County  Historical  Association,  and 
his  literary  contributions  to  the  history  of  Crawford  county,  in  various  news- 
paper articles,  have  attracted  not  only  local  attention  but  also  that  of  the 
State  Historical  Association. 

At  this  point  it  would  be  almost  tautological  to  enter  into  any  series  of 
statements  as  showing  the  Professor  to  be  a  man  of  broad  intelligence  and 
genuine  public  spirit,  for  these  have  been  shadowed  forth  between  the  lines 
of  this  review.  Strong  in  his  individuality,  he  never  lacks  the  courage  of 
his  convictions,  but  there  are  as  dominating  elements  in  this  individuality  a 
lively  human  sympathy  and  an  abiding  charity,  which,  taken  in  connection 
with  the  sterling  integrity  and  honor  of  his  character,  have  naturally  gained 
to  him  the  respect  and  confidence  of  men. 


CHARLES  F.   SCHABER. 

Charles  F.  Schaber  is  one  of  the  younger  representatives  of  the  bar  of 
Bucyrus,  but  those  who  are  acquainted  with  him  and  are  familiar  with  his 
ambitious  and  resolute  spirit  have  no  fear  in  predicting  for  him  a  successful 
future.  Bucyrus  may  well  be  proud  to  claim  him  among  her  native  sons. 
His  birth  occurred  in  this  city  July  30,  1873,  his  parents  being  John  A.  and 
Bertha  W.  (Margraff)  Schaber.  The  paternal  grandparents  were  John 
George  and  Fredrica  Schaber,  who  with  their  family,  consisting  of  John  A. 
and  Frederick,  came  to  Crawford  county  in  June,  1854.  The  last  named  died 
in  Bucyrus  several  years  ago.  The  father  of  our  subject,  after  following 
the  blacksmith's  trade  in  Bucyrus  for  several  years,  took  up  his  abode  at 


50  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Sulphur  Springs,  where  he  established  and  conducted  a  dry-goods  and  grocery 
store.  He  subsequently  became  identified  with  the  mercantile  interests  of 
Bucyrus,  and  in  1877  he  became  an  active  factor  in  official  life,  being  elected 
in  that  year  to  the  position  of  county  sheriff,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for 
two  terms.  After  his  retirement  from  office  he  engaged  in  the  insurance  busi- 
ness until  1896,  when  he  put  aside  all  business  cares  and  is  now  quietly  rest- 
ing in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil.  In  his  political  views 
he  is  a  Democrat,  unswerving-  in  his  advocacy  of  the  principles  of  the  party, 
and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church.  Charles 
F.  Schaber  is  their  only  living  son  (one  dying  in  childhood),  but  there  is  one 
daughter,  Sophia  M.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  and  is  now  a 
successful  teacher  in  the  schools  of  this  city.  She  is  also  a  trustee  of  the 
Bucyrus  Memorial  Library  and  a  member  of  several  literary  societies. 

Mr.  Schaber  has  always  been  a  resident  of  Bucyrus,  and  the  public- 
school  system  of  the  city  provided  him  with  his  educational  privileges.  In 
January,  1892,  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  county  probate  office,  under  Judge  J. 
C.  Tobias,  and  later  served  through  a  period  of  six  years  as  deputy  probate 
judge,  under  Judge  Charles  Kinninger.  His  labors  in  that  position  proved 
to  him  an  excellent  training  school  in  the  line  of  law  and  probate  work.  He 
read  law  under  the  direction  of  the  firm  of  Finley  &  Gallinger,  of  Bucyrus, 
and  after  mastering  many  of  the  principles  of  jurisprudence  he  successfully 
passed  an  examination  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  December,  1900.  He 
immediately  opened  an  office,  in  partnership  with  W.  J.  Schwenck,  with  whom 
he  has  since  been  associated  in  the  active  practice  of  law,  the  firm  meeting" 
with  complimentary  success,  although  they  are  the  youngest  members  of  the 
Bucyrus  bar.  Mr.  Schaber  is  resolute  and  determined,  and  such  qualities 
cannot  fail  to  secure  success. 

His  labors  were  at  one  time  interrupted  by  military  service.  In  1892 
he  enlisted  in  the  Eighth  Ohio  National  Guard  as  a  private,  but  was  soon 
advanced  to  official  positions.  At  the  time  of  the  Spanish-American  war,  in 
1898,  he  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  as  lieutenant  and 
adjutant  of  the  Eighth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  also  ordnance  officer 
of  the  regiment.  He  was  sent  to  Cuba  with  his  command,  which  joined  the 
Fifth  Army  Corps,  participating  in  the  battle  of  Santiago,  and  was  present 
at  the  capitulation  of  that  city.  At  length  the  regiment  was  recalled  to  the 
United  States,  and  Mr.  Schaber  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  service. 

Socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  being  the  exalted  ruler  of  Bucyrus  Lodge,  No.   156,  also  is  connected 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  51 

with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  He  is  a 
young  man  of  genial  manner,  unfailing  courtesy  and  many  sterling  qualities, 
and  is  very  popular  in  social  circles. 


BENJAMIN   SEARS. 

Richard  Sears,  the  progenitor  of  the  American  branch  of  the  Sears  fam- 
ily, landed  at  Plymouth  Rock  in  1632.  He  and  his  descendants  after  him 
bore  their  share  as  pioneers  in  the  subjugation  and  settlement  of  the  new 
world  and  in  those  events  which  culminated  in  the  independence  of  our 
nation. 

Benjamin  Sears,  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  is  descended  on  both  sides 
from  Revolutionary  ancestry.  His  great-grandfather,  Captain  Elkanah 
Sears,  was  a  conspicuous  figure  in  Massachusetts  during  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  was  distinguished  for  his  activity  in  promoting  the  cause  of  free- 
dom, and  was  a  member  of  the  committee  appointed  to  provide  necessities 
for  the  Continental  army.  After  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities  he  equipped 
a  war  vessel,  which  he  commanded.  Many  personal  anecdotes  are  related  of 
him  in  family  history  and  tradition,  which  illustrate  his  character  as  a  man 
of  great  enterprise  and  courage.  His  son,  Benjamin  Sears,  following  the 
line  of  descent  to  the  Crawford  county  family,  was  born  at  Chatham,  Con- 
necticut, in  1 771,  and  removed  thence  to  New  Durham,  New  York.  He 
filled  with  honor  various  military  offices,  and  among  the  papers  now  in  pos- 
sesion of  the  family  is  his  commission  as  major,  signed  by  Governor  De  Y\  itt 
Clinton.  He  became  a  minister  in  the  Baptist  church,  and  in  that  capacity 
distinguished  himself  by  his  zeal  and  fidelity.  He  felt  much  drawn  toward 
mission  work  among  the  Indians,  and  in  182 1,  in  company  with  his  two  sons, 
John  and  Benjamin,  all  having  received  appointments  as  missionaries  among 
the  Indians,  journeyed  to  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  and  established  there  the  first 
Baptist  church  in  that  territory.  While  returning  to  his  family  in  New 
York  the  next  year,  he  was  taken  sick  with  fever  at  Delaware,  Ohio,  and 
died  there  October  11,  1822,  much  lamented  as  a  man  of  energy  and  piety. 
He  was  buried  in  the  old  grave  yard  east  of  the  college  campus  at  Delaware, 
and  a  monument  marked  the  last  resting  place  of  the  pioneer  missionary. 
Eighty  years  afterward,  when  the  grave  yard  at  Delaware  was  abandoned, 
the  remains  were  removed  to  the  family  lot  in  Oak  wood  cemetery  at  Bucyrus, 
Ohio.     Letters  written  by  him  in  his  last  illness,  now  in  possession  of  the 


52  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

family,  show  with  what  resignation,  hope  and  courage  he  entered  "the  valley 
of  the  shadow." 

His  oldest  son,  Elkanah  Sears,  the  Crawford  county  pioneer,  was  born 
in  Meredith,  New  York,  in  1795,  and  died  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Aminda  Nicholson,  in  East  Rockport,  Ohio,  November  15,  1886,  aged  ninety- 
one  years.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ann  Biglow,  was  a  woman 
of  remarkable  character,  and  belonged  to  a  family;  members  of  which  have 
attained  national  distinction.  Elkanah  Sears  came  to  Crawford  county  in 
1836  with  his  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  four  children,  three  sons  and 
one  daughter.  He  moved  upon  a  farm  two  miles  west  of  Bucyrus.  For 
several  years  the  family  occupied  a  log  cabin  on  the  place,  and  afterward  a 
two-story  log  house,  which  in  the  course  of  time  was  weather-boarded,  and 
thus  became,  for  that  period,  one  of  the  most  pretentious  dwellings  in  the 
neighborhood. 

Elkanah  Sears  continued  to  live  for  many  years  on  the  farm  where  he 
originally  settled,  occupied  with  the  duties  of  a  pioneer  farmer.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Desair  Phelps,  came  of  a  distinguished  family,  and 
was  a  very  superior  woman.  She  proved  herself  an  efficient  helpmate  and  in 
those  early  days  of  limited  school  privileges  she  assisted  in  inculcating  into 
the  minds  of  her  children  that  desire  for  knowledge  and  ambition  for  improve- 
ment to  which,  doubtless,  much  of  their  success  in  life  is  owing.  These 
children,  now  all  living,  the  eldest  over  eighty  years  of  age  and  the  youngest 
nearly  seventy,  venerate  their  mother  long  since  gone  to  her  reward.  The 
eldest  of  the  family,  John  Dudley  Sears,  is  living  a  retired  life  at  Upper 
Sandusky,  Ohio.  For  more  than  half  a  century  he  practiced  law.  He  was 
not  only  the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  bar  in  his  county,  but  by  many  was 
regarded  as  the  best  legal  authority  in  this  section  of  Ohio.  He  was  equally 
successful  in  a  business  way,  and  in  a  green  old  age  now  enjoys,  in  the 
esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens,  the  rewards  of  a  life  well  spent. 

Cyrus,  the  youngest  son  of  Elkanah  Sears,  grew  to  manhood  in  Crawford 
county.  He  graduated  at  the  Cincinnati  Law  School,  and  began  the  practice 
of  law  in  Cincinnati,  where  he  also  lectured  in  the  law  school.  When  the 
war  of  the  Rebellion  broke  out  he  entered  the  army,  where  he  continued  in 
service  throughout  the  war,  and  greatly  distinguished  himself  in  many  battles. 
He  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel.  For  distinguished  gallantry  at  the  battle  of 
Iuka  he  received  a  medal  of  honor  from  congress.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  practiced  law  for  a  time  at  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio,  and  later  engaged 
in  manufacturing  and  mercantile  business,  also  in  farming  and  real  estate. 


CENTEX X I AL  BIOGRAPHIC 'AL  HISTORY.  53 

He  now  resides  in  Harpster,  Wyandot  county,  Ohio,  in  which  locality  he  has 
large  real  estate  and  other  interests.  He  married  a  daughter  of  David 
Harpster,  long  known  as  the  wool  king  of  Ohio. 

The  only  daughter  of  Elkanah  Sears,  Mrs.  Lewis  Nicholson,  is  a  widow 
living  at  Lake  wood,  Ohio. 

Benjamin  Sears,  the  second  son  of  Elkanah  Sears,  is  the  only  member 
of  the  family  who  has  made  his  permanent  home  in  Crawford  county.  He 
continued  to  reside  on  the  farm  where  his  father  settled  until  1876.  Since 
that  time  he  has  lived  in  Bucyrus.  He  was  successful  as  a  stock-raiser, 
fruit-grower  and  nurseryman,  and  in  these  pursuits  laid  the  foundation  for 
an  estate  now  one  of  the  most  considerable  in  the  county.  He  is  largelv 
interested  in  real  estate  and  in  banking,  and  is  a  man  of  great  business  sagacity 
and  judgment.  He  is  quiet  and  unostentatious,  simple  in  his  habits  and  style 
of  living,  and  although  his  early  education  was  limited  he  has  always  been 
a  great  reader,  and  is  one  of  the  most  widely  informed  and  best-informed 
and  best-read  men  in  the  community.  On  subjects  in  which  he  has  taken  a 
special  interest,  such  as  horticulture  and  botany,  he  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  best  local  authorities. 

He  has  a  family  of  seven  children  living,  three  sons  and  four  daughters. 
His  oldest  daughter,  Annie,  who  was  for  fourteen  years  a  missionary  in 
China,  died  in  1804.  His  oldest  son,  R.  V.  Sears,  is  a  successful  lawyer 
at  Bucyrus.  His.  second  son.  Frank  O.  Sears,  is  a  leading  farmer  and  stock- 
man, residing  with  his  family  on  the  old  family  homestead,  two  miles  west 
of  Bucyrus.  The  third  son,  Hiram  B.,  is  unmarried,  and  was  for  some  years 
in  the  newspaper  business  in  Bucyrus.  He  is  at  present  assisting  his  father 
in  the  management  and  care  of  his  property.  Of  the  daughters,  who  are  all 
ladies  of  culture  and  education,  the  eldest,  Alice,  is  living  at  home,  and  is  an 
ornament  in  the  literary  and  social  life  of  the  city.  Minda  P.  is  a  graduate 
in  medicine  and  a  woman  of  superior  ability.  Bertha  is  a  successful  teacher 
in  Cleveland ;  and  Ruby  D.,  the  youngest  daughter,  is  married  to*  Mr.  Otto 
Carpenter,  a  prominent  insurance  man  of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

RUFUS  V.  SEARS. 

Rufus  V.  Sears  is  the  oldest  son  of  Benjamin  and  Melissa  (Minich) 
Sears.  His  mother  is  the  granddaughter  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  a 
descendant  of  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Maryland.  He  was  born  at  the 
old  family  homestead,  two  miles  west  of  Bucyrus.     After  graduating  at  the 


54  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Bucyrus  high  school  he  followed  farming-  for  several  years,  in  the  meantime 
pursuing  the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1886.  He  imme- 
diately began  the  practice  of  law  in  Bucyrus.  In  1888  he  married  Sallie  J. 
Harris,  the  accomplished  daughter  of  Hon.  S.  R.  Harris,  of  Bucyrus.  In 
1893  Mr.  Sears  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Harris,  the  leader  of  the 
Crawford  county  bar.  The  firm  enjoys  a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  being 
retained  in  many  cases  of  importance  both  in  the  state  and  federal  courts. 

Air.  Sears,  while  not  personally  ambitious  in  politics,  has  always  been 
a  Republican,  and  in  1894  was  elected  city  solicitor  of  Bucyrus,  by  a  large 
majority  over  his  Democratic  opponent,  although  the  city  was  strongly  Dem- 
ocratic. He  has  been  as  successful  in  business  matters  as  in  professional 
life,  and  is  interested  in  various  investments  and  enterprises,  taking  an  active 
part  in  every  movement  for  the  benefit  and  prosperity  of  the  city  and  com- 
munity. He  is  a  director  of  the  Bucyrus  board  of  trade,  a  director  in  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Bucyrus,  and  president  of  the  Buckeye  Traction 
Company,  now  constructing  several  electric  railway  lines. 

Mr.  Sears  is  the  father  of  three  sons:  Paul  Biglow,  born  December  17, 
1 89 1 ;  Demas  Lindley,  February  6,  1894;  and  John  Dudley,  December  4,  1897. 

JULIUS  J.  BLISS. 

No  compendium  such  as  the  province  of  this  work  defines  in  its  essential 
limitations  will  serve  to  offer  fit  memorial  to  the. life  and  accomplishments 
of  the  honored  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  numbered  among  the  prominent 
educators  of  Ohio,  and  for  six  years  has  been  superintendent  of  the  public 
schools  of  Bucyrus  and  previous  to  this  time  was  for  more  than  a  decade  a 
successful  teacher  in  Crawford  county. 

Professor  Bliss  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Bainbridge  township,  Geauga 
county,  Ohio,  May  16,  1854,  and  traces  his  lineage  back  through  many  gen- 
erations to  the  founder  of  the  family  in  America — Thomas  Bliss,  who  came 
from  Devonshire,  England,  in  1635,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Plymouth 
colony.  Representatives  of  the  name  were  active  and  leading  citizens  of  the 
communities  in  which  they  resided,  and  took  an  important  part  in  shaping 
the  events  which  go  to  form  the  colonial  history  and  early  annals  of  the 
Republic.  Ephfaim  Bliss,  Sr.,  joined  the  Colonial  army  at  the  time  of  the 
war  of  the  Revolution,  serving  as  a  member  of  the  company  commanded  by 
Captain  John  Pain.  His  son,  Ephraim  Bliss,  Jr.,  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
pany commanded  by  Captain  Israel  Hix.     He  joined  the  service  in   1775, 


S^SI-i  loL^L^. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  $7 

and  loyally  aided  in  the  cause  of  independence.  His  home  was  in  Rehoboth, 
Massachusetts.  His  son,  Benjamin  Bliss,  the  great-grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  1760,  and  when  the  yoke  of  British  oppression  became 
intolerable  the  same  patriotic  and  liberty  loving  spirit  which  prompted  his 
grandfather  and  his  father  were  manifest  in  him  and  caused  his  enlistment 
as  a  member  of  the  company  commanded  by  Captain  Sylvanus  Martin.  He 
lived  to  enjoy  republican  liberty  for  more  than  half  a  century,  passing  away 
in   1823. 

Otis  B.  Bliss,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  resided  in  Berkshire  county, 
Massachusetts,  at  North  Adams,  in  his  early  manhood,  and  thence  came  with 
the  family  to  Ohio  in  1833,  locating  in  Bainbridge  township,  Geauga  county, 
where  he  secured  a  tract  of  wild  land.  With  characteristic  energy  he  began 
its  improvement,  transforming  it  into  a  rich  and  fertile  farm,  upon  which 
he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1873,  when  he  was  sixty-five 
years  of  age.  He  married,  in  1831,  Julia  Elma  Maria  Potter,  a  daughter 
of  Olney  and  Mary  (Richardson)  Potter,  of  Gloucester,  Rhode  Island.  Mrs. 
Bliss  was  born  November  26,  1809.  Her  grandfather,  James  Potter,  was 
also  a  Revolutionary  hero,  serving  as  lieutenant  in  a  Rhode  Island  regiment 
under  command  of  Colonel  Christopher  Smith.  His  father,  Samuel  Potter, 
was  captain  of  a  company  in  Colonel  Dyer's  regiment  of  Rhode  Island  troops. 
The  celebrated  divine.  Bishop  Potter,  is  also<  a  member  of  this  family.  Among 
the  children  of  Otis  B.  and  Julia  E.  M.  (Potter)  Bliss  was  Olney  R.  Bliss, 
the  father  of  our  subject.  He,  too,  was  born  in  Geauga  county,  in  the  year 
1833,  and  is  still  living  at  a  ripe  old  age,  his  home  being  in  Brookville,  Kan- 
sas. His  has  been  a  useful,  active  and  honorable  career,  and  he  is  still  well 
preserved.  He  married  Mahala  J.  McFarland.  a  daughter  of  John  Wesley 
McFarland,  of  Bainbridge  township,  Geauga  county,  and  took  up  his  abode 
in  that  county  in  1816,  emigrating  Avestward  from  Berkshire  county,  Massa- 
chusetts. The  McFarlands  are  of  Scotch  lineage,  and  the  first  members  of 
the  family  in  America,  leaving  the  land  of  hills  and  heather  in  17 19,  took 
up  their  abode  in  what  was  then  the  Massachusetts  colony. 

Professor  Julius  J.  Bliss  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  the  Buckeye  state. 
He  acquired  his  education  in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  county,  receiv- 
ing instruction  from  some  very  capable  instructors  from  Xew  England.  At 
an  early  day  he  entered  Hiram  College,  during  the  presidency  of  B.  A. 
Hinsdale,  a  learned  man  who  for  some  years  was  the  leading  professor  of 
pedagogy  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  There  he  frequently  saw  and  heard  that 
great  teacher  who  afterward  became  the  chief  executive  of  the  nation,  James 


58  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

A.  Garfield,  and  the  spirit  of  the  master  found  lodgment  in  the  character  of 
the  pupil.  However,  wishing-  a  more  complete  course  of  study  than  Hiram 
College  then  afforded.  Professor  Bliss  matriculated  in  Oberlin  College,  where 
he  completed  the  full  classical  course  and  was  graduated  in  1881,  with  the 
degree  of  bachelor  of  arts.  Five  years  later,  in  1886,  his  alma  mater  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  master  of  arts.  Throughout  his  entire  busi- 
ness career  he  has  been  connected  with  the  profession  of  teaching.  For 
two  and  a  hall  years,  from  1883  until  1885,  he  was  one  of  the  teachers  in 
the  high  school  of  Bucyrus,  and  then  went  to  Crestline  as  superintendent  of 
the  schools  of  that  city,  continuing-  in  charge  through  the  succeeding  decade. 
The  schools  there  grew  rapidly  during  his  incumbency  and  marked  improve- 
ment was  seen  in  the  methods  of  teaching-  and  in  the  work  done  in  the  schools. 
Fie  not  only  kept  abreast  of  the  times  in  thought,  but  had  the  bravery  to  put 
that  thought  into  practice.  He  carried  forward  his  investigations  along  orig- 
inal lines,  and  introduced  into  the  schools  valuable  methods  of  great  utility. 
The  School  Journal,  published  in  1894,  contained  the  following: 

"The  receipt  of  the  manual  of  the  public  schools  of  Crestline,  Ohio,  at 
this  office  led  us  to  look  up  the  Ohio  boy  who  could  plan  so  rich,  though  so 
logical,  a  course  of  study.  Here,  it  seemed  to  us,  was  planned  work  of  a 
really  practical  nature,  and  yet  in  harmony  with  the  best  thought  of  the  'new 
education.'  Investigation  showed  that  the  theory  was  fully  wrought  out  in 
the  schoolroom,  and  that  under  his  direction  an  able  corps  of  teachers  are 
securing  results  superior  to  those  in  many  much  larger  places.  The  high 
school  courses  are  unique  and  most  admirable.  We  have  never  seen  the 
work  of  a  high  school  better  arranged.     It  is  simple,  yet  rich  and  complete. 

"Our  long  experience  in  teaching  and  superintending  enables  us  to  judge 
these  matters,  and  we  unhesitatingly  pronounce  Professor  Bliss  one  of  the 
most  level-headed  and  progressive  of  such  superintendents." 

In  the  year  1895  Professor  Bliss  was  called  to  the  superintendence  of  the 
public  schools  of  Bucyrus  and  has  since  remained  in  charge,  his  services  giv- 
ing excellent  satisfaction.  It  is  well  known  to  all  what  great  progress  has 
been  made  in  the  methods  of  education  and  that  the  attendance  of  the  schools 
has  "greatly  increased.  There  are  three  school  buildings  in  the  city,  with 
twenty-eight  teachers,  and  in  1900  the  membership  was  twelve  hundred  and 
seventy-two  pupils,  which  has  increased  to  more  than  thirteen  hundred  in 
the  present  year,  1901.  During  the  incumbency  of  Professor  Bliss  the  increase 
in  attendance  at  the  high  school  has  been  more  than  one  hundred  per  cent, 
and  the  institution  is  of  such  a  high  character  that  its  graduates  are  prepared 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  59 

to  enter  college  without  further  mental  training.  There  are  now  one  hundred 
and  fifty  students  in  the  high  school  department.  The  number  of  courses 
of  study  have  been  increased  and  improved  and  an  elective  system  has  been 
added,  which  has  proved  very  profitable  and  popular,  enabling  the  scholars 
to  pursue  such  courses  of  study  as  they  believe  will  be  of  most  benefit  to  them 
in  later  years.  The  influence  of  his  work  cannot  be  estimated,  but  will 
prove  of  lasting  benefit  to  all  who  have  come  under  his  instruction.  He 
is  continually  seeking  to  promote  advancement,  and  labors  with  and  for  his 
teachers  that  the  results  attained  may  be  of  the  highest  practical  benefit.  In 
many  instances  he  has  made  individual  study  of  his  pupils,  realizing  that 
their  needs  are  as  varied  as  are  their  characters.  Professor  Bliss  is  the 
possessor  of  the  highest  grade  state  teacher's  certificate,  and  his  fame  as  an 
instructor  is  not  limited  by  the  confines  of  Crawford  county,  for  he  is  known 
throughout  the  state  in  educational  circles  as  one  whose  ability  is  of  superior 
order.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Ohio  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  of  the 
Chautauqua  literary  and  scientific  course,  and  has  taken  the  Prang  course  in 
form  study  and  drawing. 

In  1886  Professor  Bliss  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ella  May  Fuhr- 
man,  of  Bucyrus.  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Adeline  (Kirby)  Fuhrman  and 
the  foster  daughter  of  George  Donnenwirth,  the  president  of  the  Bucyrus 
City  Bank.  Their  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  two  children, — Marion 
George  and  Mary  Mahala.  Mrs.  Bliss  is  a  lady  of  superior  culture  and 
refinement,  and  intellectual  activity  make  her  a  leader  in  society  in  Bucyrus.. 
She,  too,  pursued  the  Chautauqua  course.  The  Professor  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Congregational  church  and  his  wife  in  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity. 

GEORGE  W.  MILLER. 

As  a  representative  of  an  honored  pioneer  family,  of  the  educational 
interests  of  Crawford  county  and  now  of  the  insurance  business,  George  W. 
Miller  is  widely  and  favorably  known  throughout  this  section  of  the  state. 
He  has  attained  to  an  enviable  position  in  the  business  world  entirely  through 
his  own  unaided  efforts.  Faithfulness  to  duty  and  strict  adherence  to  a  fixed 
purpose  in  life  will  do  more  to  advance  a  man's  interests  than  wealth  or 
advantageous  circumstances.  The  successful  men  of  the  day  are  they  who 
have  planned  their  own  advancement  and  have  accomplished  it  in  spite  of 
many  obstacles  and  with  a  certainty  that  could  have  been  attained  only  through 


60  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

their  personal  efforts.  It  has  been  along  such  lines  that  George  W.  Miller 
has  won  and  maintained  a  creditable  position  in  business  circles  in  his  native 
county,  where  he  is  now  occupying  the  position  of  secretary  of  the  Crawford 
Count}'  Farmers'  Mutual  Insurance  Company  and  of  the  Crawford  County 
Agricultural  Society. 

He  was  born  in  Todd  township  in  1859,  a  son  of  John  D.  and  Mary 
(Kahl)  Miller.  The  father  came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents  in  1837  anc^ 
located  in  Richland  county.  He  was  born  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  181 3,  and  his  parents,  George  M.  and  Cartherine  (Rex)  Miller, 
were  also  natives  of  the  Keystone  state.  Having  arived  at  years  of  maturity, 
in  1840  John  D.  Miller  married  Miss  Mary  Deal,  and  their  union  was  blessed 
with  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  yet  living:  Nathaniel  M.,  living  in 
California;  Annias  D.,  a  resident  of  Wyandot  county,  Ohio;  and  William  A., 
of  Seneca  county,  this  state.  Andrew  J.  died  in  1901,  in  California;  and  a 
daughter  died  in  childhood.  Annias  D.  and  William  A.  served  through  the 
Civil  war  as  defenders  of  the  Union.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in 
1852.  and  in  1855  Mr.  Miller  wedded  Mrs.  Mary  Barga.  a  widow  who  had 
two  children,  Albert  and  Lovina.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Susan 
(Rank)  Kahl,  who  emigrated  to  Richland  county,  Ohio,  from  Pennsylvania, 
at  an  early  date.  The  subject  of  this  review  is  the  only  child  born  unto  this 
marriage.  His  father  came  to  Crawford  county  in  1852  and  located  on  a 
farm  just  north  of  Oceola,  where  both  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  remaining 
days,  the  later  dying  in  1890,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  and  the  father 
in  1896,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three.  Both  were  consistent  Christian  people, 
and  enjoyed  the  respect  of  all  who  knew  them. 

The  childhood  days  of  George  W.  Miller  were  spent  on  the  old  homestead 
which  he  now  owns.  His  education  was  mostly  acquired  in  the  common 
schools,  supplemented  by  a  course  in  the  Northwestern  Normal,  of  Fostoria, 
Ohio.  Having  qualified  himself  for  teaching  he  became  a  follower  of  that 
profession  and  for  a  number  of  years  performed  the  duties  of  an  instructor 
in  the  schoolroom  through  the  winter  months,  while  in  the  summer  seasons 
he  engaged  in  farming.  Having  the  ability  to  impart  readily  and  with 
accuracy  to  others  the  knowledge  he  had  gained,  and  being  also  an  excellent 
disciplinarian,  he  proved  a  competent  educator,  giving  excellent  satisfaction. 
During  the  last  three  years  of  his  school  work  he  was  employed  as  principal 
of  the  Oceola  schools.  He  did  much  to  advance  the  efficiency  of  the  schools 
and  his  labor  was  attended  with  gratifying  results.  He  is  now  president  of 
the  countv  board  of  school  examiners  and  of  the  Ohio  Teachers'   Reading 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  61 

Circle  of  the  county,  thus  keeping  in  close  touch  with  the  educational  interests 
of  this  part  of  the  state. 

In  1880  Air.  Miller  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Dell  A.  Sigler,  the 
youngest  daughter  of  George  E.  and  Harriett  (Horrick)  Sigler,  of  Todd 
township.  Her  parents  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Crawford  county,  hav- 
ing come  here  in  the  early  '40s.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children: 
Mary  L.,  Elliot  W.,  Rosamond  E.  and  Dell  A.  Mrs.  Sigler,  who  was  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Grimes)  Horrick,  died  in  1898,  but  Mr.  Sigler 
is  still  living  on  a  farm  in  Todd  township.  He  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Rachel 
(Hines)  Sigler  and  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  while  his  wife  was  born  in 
Ashland  county,  Ohio.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  has  been  born  but  one 
child,  Minta  M..  who  is  in  the  senior  year  in  the  high  school  of  Bucvrus. 
In  that  city  her  parents  have  a  pleasant  home,  justly  celebrated  for  its  warm- 
hearted hospitality. 

In  1898  Mr.  Miller  was  elected  secretary  of  the  Crawford  County 
Farmers'  Mutual  Insurance  Company,  which  was  organized  in  1877  and  now 
is  the  strongest  farmers'  mutual  in  the  state.  In  1899  he  was  elected  sec- 
retary of  the  Crawford  County  Agricultural  Society,  and  since  his  election 
the  society  has  introduced  the  educational  feature  in  their  fair  and  it  has 
proven  one  of  the  best  attractions.  A  new  hall  has  been  constructed  espe- 
cially for  this  feature,  which  is  filled  each  year  with  the  best  work  from  the 
schools  of  the  county.  Mr.  Miller  also  served  for  fourteen  years  as  treasurer 
and  clerk  of  Todd  township.  In  his  political  views,  like  his  father,  he  is  a 
stalwart  Democrat,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  work  of  the  party, 
doing  all  he  can  for  its  substantial  advancement  and  success.  He  is  a  man 
of  strong  purpose,  of  sterling  worth  and  of  unquestioned  integrity  and  fidelity 
to  duty,  and  enjoys  the  high  regard  of  the  people  among  whom  his  entire  life 
has  been  passed. 

COLONEL  EDWARD  VOLLRATH. 

Prominent  among  the  lawyers  of  Crawford  county,  and  well  known  in 
public  affairs  is  Colonel  Edward  Vollrath,  of  Bucyrus,  in  which  city  his  birth 
occurred  forty-three  years  ago.  His  parents,  Charles  and  Elizabeth  Vollrath, 
were  natives  of  Germany.  He  attended  the  Bucyrus  public  schools,  graduat- 
ing at  the  high  school  in  1878.  After  attending-  Wittenberg  College,  Spring- 
field. Ohio,  he  entered  Princeton  Lmiversity,  at  which  latter  institution  he 
graduated  in  1883.     In  youth  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  bench,  but  predilec- 


62  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

lion  led  him  to  the  study  of  law.  In  1885  he  was  admitted  to  practice  as  an 
attorney  at  law  by  the  supreme  court  of  Ohio,  and  has  since  practiced  with 
success  as  a  member  of  the  Crawford  county  bar. 

In  1884  Colonel  Vollrath  entered  the  Ohio  National  Guard  as  a  private. 
He  rose  to  the  rank  of  major,  in  which  capacity  he  volunteered  with  his 
regiment — the  Eighth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry — in  the  Spanish-American 
war,  and  participated  with  Shatter's  corps  in  the  siege  of  Santiago,  Cuba, 
He  was  mustered  out  of  the  United  States  service  as  major  of  volunteers, 
and  was  chosen  colonel  of  his  regiment — the  Eighth  Ohio — upon  its  reorgan- 
ization into  the  Ohio  National  Guard.  Colonel  Vollrath  has  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice,  and  is  also  largely  interested  in  manufacturing  and  real 
estate. 

In  1888  he  married  Miss  Millie  C.  Wise,  and  his  home  is  celebrated  for 
its  generous  hospitality.  Fraternally  Colonel  Vollrath  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity.  He  is  a  member  of  the  St.  Paul's  English 
Lutheran  church  at  Bucyrus ;  has  been  a  deacon  in  the  church  for  more  than 
fifteen  years,  and  for  several  years  he  has  superintended  the  Sunday-school. 

Unassuming  and  genial  in  manner,  and  always  fair  and  just  in  all  deal- 
ings, Colonel  Vollrath  is  highly  esteemed  by  his  fellow  citizens,  and  enjoys 
the  confidence  of  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 

ALBERT  F.  MESSNER,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Albert  Frederick  Messner  is  one  of  the  younger  representatives  of 
the  medical  fraternity  in  Bucyrus,  but  his  years  seem  no  bar  to  his  success, 
as  his  ability  is  such  as  to  win  for  him  a  constantly  growing  practice.  He 
is  numbered  among  the  native  sous  of  the  city,  his  birth  having  occurred 
here  on  the  3d  of  May,  1865.  His  father,  Frederick  Messner,  was  born  at 
Schulerhoff,  Germany,  and  after  crossing  the  briny  deep  to>  the  new  world 
he  took  up  his  abode  in  Bucyrus.  He  married  Fredrika  Nachtrieb,  who  was 
born  in  Bretzenacker,  in  the  province  of  Weiblinger,  Germany,  and  after 
coming  to  the  new  world  took  up  her  abode  in  Columbus,  Ohio. 

The  Doctor,  at  the  usual  age,  entered  the  public  schools  and  after  putting 
aside  his  text-books  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  for  three  years,  but 
desiring  to  enter  professional  life  he  took  up  the  study  of  medicine,  reading 
under  the  direction  O'f  Dr.  Jerome  Bland,  with  whom  he  continued  until  nine- 
teen years  of  age.  He  then  studied  in  the  Starling  Medical  College  of  Colum- 
bus, Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  two  terms,  after  which  he  became  a  student 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  63 

in  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College  of  Chicago,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
1890,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years.  The  same  year  he  opened  an  office 
and  began  practice  in  Bucyrus,  where  he  remained  until  1896,  when,  wishing 
to  still  further  perfect  himself  in  his  chosen  work,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to 
Berlin,  Germany,  and  pursued  a  post-graduate  course  as  a  student  in  the 
Frederick  Wilhelm  University,  known  as  the  Imperial  University.  In  the 
latter  part  of  1897  he  returned  to  his  native  land,  resuming  practice  in  Bucyrus. 
On  the  1 6th  of  April,  1896,  Dr.  Messner  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Martha  A.  Jordan,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  A.  Jordan.  Their  pleasant 
hime  in  Bucyrus  is  noted  for  its  hospitality,  which  is  freely  extended  to  their 
large  circle  of  friends.  The  Doctor  has  attained  a  remarkable  degree  of 
success  in  his  professional  career,  and  is  accorded  a  prominent  position  in  the 
ranks  of  the  medical  fraternity  by  his  brethren  of  the  profession  and  by  the 
public  as  well. 

JOSEPH  NEFF. 

An  esteemed  citizen  and  substantial  farmer  of  Holmes  township,  who 
has  been  identified  with  much  of  the  development  of  this  section  of  Crawford 
county,  is  Joseph  Neff,  who  was  born  in  Hepburn  township,  Lycoming  county, 
Pennsylvania,  on  November  10,  1829,  a  son  of  Michael  Neff.  (The  family 
history  may  be  found  in  the  sketch  of  David  Neff,  in  another  part  of  this 
volume. ) 

The  early  life  of  Joseph  Neff  was  similar  to  that  of  other  healthv  and 
happy  boys,  some  schooling  but  much  more  farm  work  occupying  his  time. 
Until  he  was  twenty-eight  years  old  he  remained  at  home,  managing  the 
farm  for  his  mother.  In  the  spring  of  1857  our  subject,  with  his  mother, 
brother  Jonathan,  and  three  sisters,  came  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and 
spent  his  first  summer  with  his  uncle,  John  Wagner.  In  the  fall  Joseph  Neff 
and  his  brother  Jonathan,  bought  two  hundred  acres  of  his  present  home  farm, 
and  here  the  brothers  carried  on  extensive  operations  for  a  number  of  years 
together,  their  mother  residing  with  them.  During  this  partnership  they  in- 
creased the  acreage  to  three  hundred  and  seventeen,  and  when  Jonathan  Neff 
decided  to  retire  from  active  labor  Joseph  purchased  his  interest.  In  later 
years  he  lias  added  to  it  and  now  owns  in  Holmes,  Liberty  and  Sandusky 
townships  some  nine  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  the  finest  farming  land  in 
Crawford  county. 

Mr.  Neff  was  married  February  9,  1869,  to  Sophia  D.  Yeiter,  and  to 


64  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

this  union  were  born  nine  children,  eight  of  whom  still  survive :  Emanuel, 
who  married  Sarah  Krauter;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Durr;  Aaron  and 
Amos  C,  twins;  J.  Jacob,  who  married  Ella  Schieber ;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Abra- 
ham Schieber;  Matilda,  deceased;  Emma,  at  home;  and  Joseph.  All  of  the 
children  are  at  home  or  located  on  farms  in  the  county.  Mr.  Neff  is  sur- 
rounded by  his  descendants  and  has  great  cause  to  feel  pardonable  pride  in 
them.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neff  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Mr.  Neff,  one  of  the  most  generous  of  men.  donated  the  ground  and  was  a 
member  of  the  building  committee  for  the  Methodist  church  building,  which 
was  erected  on  his  farm  near  his  residence.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has 
been  a  trustee  and  his  advice  and  business  management  of  its  affairs  are 
invaluable.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  has  taken  an  active  part 
in  educational  matters  and  has  been  a  wise  and  judicial  member  of  the  school 
board.  Mr.  Neff  is  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Crawford 
county. 

Mrs.  Neff  was  born  in  Liberty  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  April 
5,  1840.  Her  parents  were  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Aupperly)  Yeiter,  both 
natives  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  and  wrere  married  there  and  came  to  this 
country  in  1832,  and  settled  in  Liberty  township,  where  they  lived  and  died, 
the  father  dying  in  1878  and  the  mother  in  1885.  They  had  nine  children, 
of  whom  four  are  deceased.  The  names  are  John,  deceased;  Jacob;  Mary, 
deceased;  David;  Catherine;  Christina,  deceased;  Frederick;  Sophia;  Eman- 
uel, deceased. 

JACOB  BABST. 

In  studying  the  lives  and  characters  of  prominent  men  we  are  naturally 
led  to  inquire  into  the  secret  of  their  success  and  the  motives  that  prompted 
their  action.  Success  is  oftener  a  matter  of  experience  and  sound  judgment 
and  thorough  preparation  for  a  life  work  than  it  is  of  genius,  however  bright. 
\\  nen  we  trace  the  career  of  those  whom  the  world  acknowledges  as  success- 
ful and  of  those  who  stand  highest  in  public  esteem,  we  find  that  in  almost 
every  case  they  are  those  who  have  risen  gradually  by  their  own  efforts,  their 
diligence  and  perseverance.  These  qualities  are  undoubtedly  possessed  in  a 
large  measure  by  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch,  and 
added  to  these  is  a  devotion  to  principle  that  may  well  be  termed  the  keynote 
of  his  character.     It  is  this  which  commands  the  confidence  and  respect  so 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  67 

universally  given  him,  and  it  is  this  which  has  secured  him  prominence  in 
the  professional  and  industrial  circles  of  Crestline. 

Mr.  Babst  was  born  in  Canal  Fulton.  Stark  county,  Ohio,  February  11, 
1846,  and  is  the  third  child  of  Daniel  and  Margaret  (Yost)  Babst,  whose 
life  history  may  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  When  seven  years  of 
age  he  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Crestline,  where  he  pursued  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools.  In  early  life  he  learned  the  tinner's  trade, 
which  he  followed  for  about  eight  years,  when,  in  1868,  he  opened  a  stove 
and  tin  store,  which  he  successfully  conducted  until  1871,  when  his  father 
erected  the  building  and  opened  his  present  bank,  at  which  time  he  disposed 
of  his  store  and  joined  his  father  in  the  bank,  acting  as  bookkeeper  for  one 
year.  May  10,  1872,  he  went  to  Berea,  Ohio,  where  he  opened  the  first 
bank  in  that  village,  the  firm  being  known  as  Clark,  Babst  &  Companv.  By 
an  agreement  entered  into  with  his  father  prior  to  his  going  to  Berea,  he 
returned  to  Crestline  the  following  May,  and  became  cashier  of  his  father*:' 
bank,  assuming  entire  management,  and  these  relations  continued  until  the 
retirement  of  his  father  in  1878.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Dan  Babst,  Jr., 
became  identified  with  the  bank,  a  co-partnership  being  formed  between  the 
brothers,  the  active  management,  however,  remaining  in  Jacob's  hands,  as 
heretofore.  This  partnership  was  dissolved  by  mutual  consent  in  May,  1887, 
when  Jacob  became  sole  owner  of  the  institution,  continually  occupying  the 
same  room  and  same  position  for  almost  one-third  of  a  century.  His  good 
judgment,  keen  discrimination  and  scrupulous  honesty  have  caused  this  insti- 
tution to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  reliable  financial  concerns  in  the 
county.  His  close  application  to  business  duties  and  the  confidence  reposed  in 
him  by  his  fellow  citizens  have  been  the  potent  elements  which  have  marked 
to  a  great  degree  the  increasing  patronage  of  his  bank.  These  strong  char- 
acteristics are  noted  not  only  by  his  daily  acquaintances  but  also  by  his  fellow 
bankers,  he  having  served  three  years  on  the  Ohio  Bankers'  Association 
executive  board,  and  was  selected  by  this  association,  being  one  of  five  in 
the  state,  to  represent  them  at  the  World's  Congress  of  Bankers  at  Chicago 
during  the  World's  Fair,  and  again  in  1898  he  represented  this  same  body  at 
the  American  Bankers'  Association  at  Denver. 

At  the  present  time  he  is  the  president  of  the  Burch  Plow  Works,  which 
employs  about  forty  men.  He  organized  the  Schill  Brothers'  Furnace  & 
Range  Company,  of  which  he  was  one  of  its  stockholders  and  directors. 

In  him  Crestline  has  always  found  a  warm  friend.      Xo  movement  which 
embodied  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  this  city  ever  failed  to  get  his 
4 


68  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

hearty  endorsement  and  active  support.  Indeed,  he  has  been  looked  upon  as 
their  leader,  being  selected  as  chairman  of  committees  on  public  improve- 
ments. He  may  well  be  termed  the  "father  of  pike  roads"  in  this  township. 
The  first  articles  in  the  city  papers  agitating  the  "piking"  of  the  roads 
emanated  from  his  pen,  the  initial  meetings  being  held  in  his  banking  house, 
it  was  through  his  efforts  that  the  first  "pike"  road  was  built  in  this  town- 
ship, and  to-day  it  is  noted  for  its  splendid  roads,  being  one  of  the  foremost 
townships  in  the  county.  One  of  the  most  important  considerations  of  a 
city  is  its  sanitary  condition.  It  is  this  feaure  which  attracts  the  attention  of 
the  promoter  and  the  home-seeker,  and  it  is  this  which  assures  health  to  its 
inhabitants,  and  to  this  end  Mr.  Babst  has  toiled  most  untiringly :  nor  did 
he  cease  his  untiring  labors  until  he  succeeded  in  securing  a  sewerage  system 
which  is  the  beginning  of  a  movement  that  must  prove  of  great  benefit  to  the 
community.  While  Crestline  cannot  boast  of  an  oil  well  to-day,  yet  it  was 
the  pioneer  town  in  the  late  oil  development  in  Ohio,  and  in  this  Mr.  Babst 
was  the  prime  mover,  being  personally  interested  in  five  wells. 

He  stands  very  prominent  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity,  hav- 
ing frequently  represented  this  order  in  the  grand  lodge.  He  is  known  all 
over  the  state  as  the  "Pythian,"  for  his  activeness  in  behalf  of  the  order. 
Pie  belongs  to  the  Masons,  having  been  a  member  for  thirty-two  years,  and 
also  holds  membership  in  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

Like  his  father,  his  support  is  ever  given  to  the  Republican  party,  and 
while  he  has  always  refused  political  honors  yet  he  has  taken  an  active  interest 
in  all  local  affairs,  and  is  always  ready  to  uphold  the  principles  of  the  ''Grand 
(  )1<1  Party,"  and  has  often  been  a  delegate  to  the  state  convention  of  his  party. 

In  i860  Mr.  Babst  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mathilde  Stoll,  a 
daughter  of  George  F.  and  Caroline  Stoll,  of  Bucyrus,  who  were  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  this  county.  To  a  man's  social  standing  and  to  his  success  or  failure 
in  business  life  may  be  attributed  to  a  degree  the  co-operation  he  receives 
from  the  personage  he  selects  for  his  life  companion.  As  a  factor  in  the 
progressive  and  successful  business  life  of  our  subject  can  be  added  the  influ- 
ence of  his  domestic  life  which  is  portrayed  in  the  character  of  his  wife. 
Before  marriage  Mrs.  Babst  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  public  schools  of 
Crawford  county  and  has  a  broad,  progressive  and  comprehensive  mind. 
Their  beautiful  home,  winch  is  so  noted  for  the  hospitality  they  have  exhibited 
there,  has  been  made  brighter  by  the  presence  of  three  children :  Earl  D., 
who  is  now  a  prominent  attorney  at  Detroit,  Michigan;  Jessie,  the  wife  of 
H.  H.  Cocklev,  the  secretary  of  the  Shelby  Steel  Tube  Company,  of  Cleveland, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  69 

Ohio;  and  Bertha  S.,  who  is  with  her  parents.  Their  home  is  always  found 
open  tor  the  warm  reception  of  their  many  friends,  and  the  family  enjoys 
a  leading  place  in  social  circles  and  gatherings  in  the  county.  The  churches 
and  charitable  organizations  of  Crestline  all  profit  by  Mr.  Babst's  generous 
nature,  and  the  poor  and  needy  always  find  in  him' a  warm  friend.  Thin 
we  see  portrayed  the  life  of  an  active  and  progressive  self-made  man,— 
the  life  of  an  honest,  kind-hearted  and  charitable  man  who  for  a  third  of  a 
century  has  participated  in  the  business  life  of  Crestline,  and  during  this 
entire  time  he  has  so  conducted  himself  and  the  affairs  entrusted  to  him  as  to 
gain  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  entire  county,  and  no  word  of  censure  has 
ever  been  uttered  against  him. 

LEWIS  H.  BATTEFELD. 

In  the  affairs  of  state,  as  taken  aside  from  the  extraordinary  conditions 
of  warfare,  there  are  demanded  men  whose  mental  ken  is  as  wide  and  whose 
generalship  is  as  effective  as  those  who  insure  successful  maneuvering  of 
armed  forces  by  the  skilled  commanders  on  the  field  of  battle.  The  nadons 
welfare  and  prosperity  may  be  said  to  hinge  as  heavily  upon  individual  dis- 
crimination and  executive  ability  in  the  one  case  as  the  other.  It  requires 
master  minds  to  marshal  and  organize  the  forces  for  political  purposes  and 
produce  the  best  results  by  concerted  effort.  One  of  the  leaders  in  Demo- 
cratic ranks  in  Crawford  county  is  Lewis  H.  Battefeld,  who  has  labored 
untiringly  and  effectively  to  promote  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his  party 
and  to  secure  a  successful  termination  to  its  campaigns.  He  has  filled  many 
position ;  of  public  trust  and  is  now  serving  for  the  second  term  as  county 
commissioner. 

Mr.  Battefeld  resides  in  Bucyrus  and  is  numbered  among  Ohio's  native 
sons,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  the  capital  city  in  1842,  his  parents  being 
Lewis  and  Christina  (Biber)  Battefeld.  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ger^ 
many.  The  father  was  a  Hessian  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Wurtemberg. 
She  was  a  little  maiden  of  nine  summers  when,  in  1832.  she  was  brought 
to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  by  her  parents,  Conrad  and  Christina  (Utz) 
Biber,  both  of  whom  spent  their  remaining-  days  in  this  county.  Having 
located  here  in  pioneer  times,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject  entered  land 
from  the  government  in  Cranberry  township,  and  there  developed  and 
improved  a  farm. 

the  parents  of  our  subject  both  died  of  cholera  in   1849,  and  he  was 


;o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

thus  left  an  orphan  at  the  early  age  of  seven  years.  Lewis  H.  Battefeld  was 
educated  in  the  country  schools.  He  has  also  added  largely  to  his  knowledge 
through  reading,  observation  and  experience.  In  i860  he  came  to  Bucyrus 
and  learned  the  trade  of  harness  and  saddle  making  under  the  direction  of 
J.  G.  Birk.  For  fourteen  years  he  followed  that  pursuit  and  then  abandoned 
it  to  engage  in  the  manufacture  of  drain  tile  in  Bucyrus,  in  1876.  He  com- 
menced operations  on  a  small  scale,  using  horse  power,  but  his  trade  soon 
demanded  increased  facilities;  steam  power  was  introduced,  improved  ma- 
chinerv  was  secured  and  an  extensive  business  was  carried  on.  The  enterprise 
is  now  conducted  by  his  son,  Lewis  P.  Battefeld,  in  his  own  name. 

Our  subject  has  frequently  been  called  to  public  office  and  has  been 
long  a  recognized  leader  in  Democratic  circles.  In  April,  1869,  he  became 
city  marshal  and  filled  the  office  for  two  years,  and  at  the  same  time  was  town- 
ship constable.  For  six  years,  from  1886  until  1892,  he  was  township  trus- 
tee of  Bucyrus  township,  and  in  1895  he  became  county  commissioner,  being 
elected  in  1894.  Three  years  later  he  was  re-elected  to  the  office,  so-  that  he 
is  the  present  incumbent.  For  two  years  he  was  president  of  the  County 
Commissioners'  Association  of  Ohio,  filling  the  office  in  1898-9,  its  sessions 
being  held  in  Toledo  and  Dayton  in  those  years.  From  the  time  he  attained 
his  majority  down  to  the  present  Mr.  Battefeld  has  never  wavered  in  his 
allegiance  to  Democracy.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  national  convention  held 
in  Kansas  City  in  1900  from  the  thirteenth  congressional  district  of  Ohio, 
and  has  been  chairman  of  the  county  central  committee  of  the  Democracy  for 
the  past  eight  years,  filling  that  position  at  the  present  time.  For  five  years 
prior  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  committee  and  he  has  frequently  been  a 
delegate  to  congressional  and  state  conventions,  where  his  opinions  carry 
weight  in  the  councils  of  his  party. 

Mr.  Battefeld  was  united  in  marriage,  in  Bucyrus,  to  Miss  Phillipina 
krebs,  a  daughter  of  Frederick  Adair  and  Christina  (Weibel)  Krebs,  who 
came  from  Rhine,  Bavaria,  to  the  United  States  in  1852,  and  located  in 
Liberty  township,  Crawford  county,  upon  a  farm,  where  they  remained  until 
called  to  the  home  beyond.  The  only  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Battefeld  is 
Lewis  P.  They  Inst  a  daughter,  Cordelia  S.,  who  died  in  1886.  The  son 
is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  of  Bucyrus,  of  the  class  of  1887,  and  is  now 
carrying  on  the  business  established  by  his  father.  He  manufactures  brick 
and  terra  cotta  and  employs  about  twenty  workmen,  making  shipments  to 
various  towns  in  Ohio.  He  is  a  member  of  the  blue  lodge  and  chapter  of 
the  Masonic  fraternitv,  and,  like  his  father,  is  a  stalwart  Democrat. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  71 

Socially  Mr.  Battefeld,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  is  connected 
with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  the  latter  he  has  filled  all  of  the  offices.  He 
also  belongs  to  the  English  Lutheran  church.  His  business  affairs  were  ever 
so  conducted  as  to  gain  for  him  a  constantly  increasing  patronage.  He  was 
at  all  times  strictly  reliable,  and  his  integrity,  combined  with  his  keen  dis- 
crimination and  capable  management,  won  him  a  high  degree  of  success,  so 
that  he  is  now  enabled  to  rest  in  an  honorable  retirement  from  the  active 
cares  and  duties  of  business  life.  Always  courteous  and  genial,  he  possesses 
a  social  disposition  that  well  fits  him  for  the  part  he  has  taken  in  political 
affairs.  The  high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  speaks  better  than  words  can 
do  as  to  his  character  as  a  man  and  a  citizen. 

MICHAEL  SIEFERT. 

Michael  Siefert,  who  is  proprietor  of  a  warehouse  and  has  other  prop- 
erty interests  in  New  Washington,  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  Cranberry  township,  where  he  now  lives.  Throughout  the  years 
of  his  residence  in  this  county  he  has  been  known  as  a  progressive  and  wide- 
awake citizen.  He  was  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  October  8,  1S30,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Salome  (Lantz)  Si-efert.  The  father  of  our  subject  was 
born  in  Alsace,  France,  now  a  part  of  Germany,  in  1803,  and  was  there 
reared  to  farm  life.  His  father,  John  Siefert,  emigrated  to  America  with 
his  wife  and  seven  children  in  the  year  1827,  landing-  at  New  York  city  after 
a  voyage  of  twenty-seven  days.  Making  his  way  westward,  he  came  through 
the  canal  to  Stark  county,  where  a  location  was  secured,  the  father  pur- 
chasing forty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  spent  his  remaining  days.  The 
same  year  of  their  arrival  John  Siefert  was  married  and  located  in  Stark 
count}-,  where  he  operated  one  farm  of  forty  acres,  conducting  this  on  the 
shares  for  six  years. 

In  1834  he  came  to  Crawford  county  and  entered  a  farm  of  eighty  acres, 
one  mile  northwest  of  New  Washington.  Upon  this  tract  of  land  he  built 
a  log  cabin  sixteen  by  eighteen  feet,  and  soon  his  family  were  installed  in 
their  new  home.  The  farm  was  all  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  timber 
and  the  Indians  in  the  neighborhood  were  far  more  numerous  than  the  white 
settlers,  but  that  year  several  white  families  took  up  their  abode  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Siefert  farm.  The  father  of  our  subject  cleared  his  land  and  pur- 
chased thirty  acres  adjoining,  developing  a  valuable  property,  upon  which  he 


72  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

resided  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1859.  His  wife,  who 
was  born  in  Alsace,  France,  in  1804,  came  to  this  country  with  her  parents 
on  the  same  vessel  on  which  her  future  husband  made  the  voyage,  and  the 
Lantz  family  also  located  in  Stark  county.  Mrs.  Siefert  survived  until  1863, 
when  she,  too.  was  called  to  her  final  rest.  Six  children  were  born  of  their 
union,  but  only  two  of  the  number  are  now  living,  namely:  Michael  and 
Anna,  the  latter  the  wife  of  John  Schemley,  of  New  Washington. 

Michael  Siefert  spent  the  days  of  his  childhood  in  his  parents'  home, 
and  to  the  common-school  system  of  the  neighborhood  he  is  indebted  for  the 
educational  privileges  which  he  enjoyed.  On  the  19th  of  October,  1854,  he 
started  out  upon  an  independent  business  career,  going  to  Eaton  Rapids, 
Michigan,  where  he  worked  in  a  hotel  until  the  23d  of  December  following, 
then  returning  to  his  home.  On  the  29th  of  January,  1856.  he  married  Miss 
Christine  Hofsisz,  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany,  who  was  born  August  12, 
1834,  and  came  to  America  in  1854  with  her  mother  and  step-father,  who 
settled  in  Crawford  county. 

After  their  marriage  our  subject  and  his  wife  took  up  their  abode  upon 
the  old  family  homestead,  which  he  cultivated  on  the  shares  until  the  death 
of  his  mother.  He  then  purchased  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  and  sub- 
sequently added  a  tract  of  twenty-five  acres.  Later  he  purchased  seven  other 
farms,  making  judicious  investments  in  real  estate  as  his  financial  resources 
were  increased.  However,  he  has  since  sold  all  of  this  with  the  exception  of 
a  tract  of  thirty  acres,  one  mile  east  of  New  Washington,  and  the  home 
farm.  In  1879  he  purchased  the  warehouse  at  New  Washington,  which  he 
still  owns,  and  he  also'  has  his  present  town  residence  and  three  other  dwellings 
here,  the  rental  from  which  materially  increases  his  income.  He  took  up  his 
abode  in  New  Washington  in  1882  and  his  attention  has  since  been  largely 
given  to  the  management  of  his  invested  interests. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Siefert  has  been  blessed  with  fourteen 
children,  of  whom  nine  are  yet  living,  namely:  Jacob,  a  resident  farmer  of 
Wyandot  county,  Ohio:  Caroline,  the  wife  of  John  Knodel,  of  New  Wash- 
ington, Ohio;  George,  of  New  Washington;  William,  who  operates  the  home 
farm;  Anna,  wife  of  Frederick  Michelfelder,  a  shoe  dealer  of  New  Wash- 
ington ;  John,  also  of  New  Washington ;  Clara,  wife  of  George  Sheets ;  Emma, 
who  married  Art  Donnenwirth,  a,  telegraph  operator  of  Waldo,  Ohio;  and 
Frederick,  with  his  parents  in  New  Washington. 

Mr.  Siefert  gives  his  political  support  to  the  Republican  party  and  keeps 
well  informed  on  the  issues  of  the  day,  but  has  never  sought  or  desired  office, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  73 

preferring  to  give  his  attention  to  his  business  affairs,  in  which  he  has  met 
with  very  creditable  success,  his  labors  bringing  to  him  a  handsome  com- 
petence, so  that  now  he  is  enabled  to  enjoy  an  honorable  retirement.  For 
more  than  sixty  years  he  has  been  a  witness  of  the  growth  of  the  county, 
having  watched  its  development  from  earl}'  pioneer  days. 

JACOB  SHEETZ. 

The  history  of  a  state,  as  well  as  that  of  a  nation,  is  chiefly  the  chronicles 
of  the  lives  and  deeds  of  those  who  have  conferred  honor  and  dignity  upon 
society.  The  world  judges  the  character  of  a  community  by  those  of  its 
representative  citizens,  and  yields  its  tribute  of  admiration  and  respect  for 
the  genius  or  learning  or  virtues  of  those  whose  works  and  actions  constitute 
the  record  of  a  state's  prosperity  and  pride,  and  it  is  this  record  that  offers 
for  our  consideration  the  history  of  men,  who  in  their  characters  for  probity 
and  benevolence  and  the  kindly  virtues,  as  well  as  for  integrity  in  the  affairs 
of  life,  arc  ever  affording  to  the  young  worthy  examples  for  their  regard  and 
emulation.  Therefore  it  is  proper  that  a  just  celebrity  be  given  to  those  men 
who  are  distinguished  in  their  day  and  generation,  that  the  living  may 
enjoy  the  approbation  of  their  contemporaries,  as  well  as  that  of  a  grateful 
posterity. 

Jacob  Sheetz  certainly  deserves  mention  among  the  representative  men 
of  Crawford  county.  He  stands  at  the  head  of  the  firm  of  Jacob  Sheetz  & 
Brother,  bankers  and  merchants,  and  the  influence  of  his  business  activity 
is  widely  and  beneficially  felt.  He  was  born  in  New  Washington  September 
23,  1843,  being  one  of  the  six  children  of  John  A.  and  Margaret  (Donnen- 
wirth  )  Sheetz.  As  the  name  indicates  the  family  is  of  German  lineage.  The 
father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  December  3,  1809, 
and  in  1824,  when  only  twenty-one  years  of  age,  crossed  the  Atlantic  to 
the  new  world  in  company  with  an  older  sister.  After  landing  in  New 
York  city  they  made  their  way  to  Ohio-,  locating  in  Columbiana  county, 
where  they  took  up  their  abode.  For  some  years  the  father  of  our  subject 
was  employed  as  a  farm  hand  and  at  various  occupations  which  would  yield 
him  an  honest  living,  receiving  but  six  dollars  per  month  in  the  first  capacity. 
His  sister  having  married  and  removed  to  Crawford  county,  he  determined 
to  go  to  Dayton,  where  he  secured  employment  in  a  livery  stable.  He  wa^ 
very  fond  of  horses  and  prospered  in  this  new  line  of  business.  About  1830 
he  came  to  Crawford  county  to  visit  his  sister,  and,  being  pleased  with  the 


74  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

locality,  determined  to  remain.  Therefore  lie  purchased  ninety  acres  of  land 
in  Auburn  township,  which  tract  includes  the  present  site  of  the  village  of 
Waynesburg.  He  erected  a  log  cabin,  planted  an  orchard  and  began  the  task 
of  clearing  his  land  and  cultivating  crops.  He  was  three  times  married. 
His  first  wife  was  Miss  Margaret  Weisenbacher,  whom  he  wedded  in  Day- 
ton, in  May.  1836;  but  after  a  short  married  life  she  died,  in  July  of  the  same 
year.  Subsequently  (October,  1837)  he  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Weaver,  of  Auburn  township,  Crawford  county,  and  this  union  was 
blesed  with  one  child,  Catherine  Agetta,  now  the  wife  of  William  H.  Don- 
nenwirth,  a  resident  farmer  of  Stark  county,  Ohio.  The  second  wife  lived 
but  a  little  more  than  a  year,  and  about  1842  John  A.  Sheetz  wedded  Mrs. 
Margaret  Hesse,  the  widow  of  Ehregott  Hesse  and  a  daughter  of  George 
Donnenwirth.  She  was  a  native  of  Alsace,  Germany.  Her  father  emigrated 
to  America  about  1820.  locating  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  whence  he  came  to 
Crawford  county,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Cranberry  township,  three  miles 
northwest  of  New  Washington,  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  In  early 
womanhood  his  daughter  Margaret  became  the  wife  of  Ehregott  Hesse,  a 
merchant  of  New  Washington,  and  after  the  death  of  her  first  husband  she 
carried  on  the  business  until  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Sheetz,  when  he  took  up 
his  abode  in  the  town  and  assumed  the  management  of  the  business,  conduct- 
ing the  same  until  his  death,  which  occurred  December  7,  1889.  The 
Democracy  received  his  political  support,  but  he  never  sought  office  as  a 
reward  for  public  service.  He  was,  however,  the  first  postmaster  of  New 
Washington,  and  for  several  years  prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  post- 
office  at  this  place  he  walked  once  each  week  to  a  point  four  miles  west  of 
the  town  in  order  to  meet  the  stage  and  get  the  mail  for  the  people  residing 
in  this  locality.  As  an  accommodation  for  his  business  patrons  and  his  fellow 
townsmen  residing  in  this  locality  he  continued  to  act  as  postmaster  for  many 
years.  By  his  third  marriage  Mr.  Sheetz  had  six  children,  four  of  whom  are 
yet  living,  namely  :  John  H.,  a  banker  and  merchant,  who  is  in  partnership 
with  his  brother:  Louisa  P.,  wife  of  John  M.  Guiss,  of  New  Washington; 
Jacob,  of  this  review:  and  Caroline,  now  the  wife  of  John  L.  Assenheimer, 
a  lumber  dealer  and  contractor  of  Bucyrus. 

Jacob  Sheetz  had  the  refining  influences  of  a  good  home  and  the  advan- 
tages of  educational  privileges  in  his  youth.  Having  pursued  his  education 
in  the  common  schools,  he  supplemented  his  preliminary  course  by  study  in 
the  Bucyrns  high  school,  in  DeKalb  College  and  in  a  private  institution  of 
learning  in  Cleveland.     From  his  sixteenth  year  he  worked  upon  his  father's 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  75 

farm  during  the  summer  months,  becoming'  familiar  with  all  of  the  duties 
that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist.  Later,  however,  his  father  insisted 
upon  his  entering  the  store,  and  when  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he  took 
his  place  behind  the  counters,  there  serving  as  a  clerk.  He  soon  manifested 
superior  aptitude  for  business,  and  six  months  later  he  had  complete  charge 
of  the  enterprise.  In  less  than  a  year  the  bills  were  made  out  in  the  name 
of  John  A.  Sheetz  &  Son,  although  this  was  unauthorized  by  a  business  part- 
nership. In  1866,  however,  our  subject  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the 
store,  and  in  1874  his  brother,  John  H.,  purchased  the  father's  interest,  and 
the  firm  of  Jacob  Sheetz  &  Brother  has  since  carried  on  operations.  Not 
long  afterward  our  subject  established  the  Farmers  Exchange  Bank,  under 
the  name  of  the  John  A.  Sheetz  Company.  Both  branches  of  his  business 
have  contributed  in  a  considerable  measure  to  the  general  prosperity  of  the 
community,  and  at  the  same  time  have  returned  an  excellent  revenue  to>  the 
partners. 

On  the  17th  of  October,  1867,  Mr.  Sheetz  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth A.  Guiss,  a  native  of  Cranberry  township  and  a  daughter  of  Abraham 
Guiss,  one  of  the  prominent  farmers  of  the  community,  now  deceased.  He 
was  a  native  of  Columbiana  county,  Ohio.  This  marriage  has  been  blessed 
with  three  children:-  Ada  M.,  the  eldest,  is  the  wife  of  John  Seifert,  pro- 
prietor of  an  elevator  at  Xew  Washington ;  George  W.,  who  is  a  graduate 
of  the  New  Washington  high  school  and  of  the  Spencerian  Business  College, 
of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  is  now  attending  the  Ohio  State  University,  preparing 
himself  for  the  practice  of  law;  and  Emma  L.,  the  youngest,  is  also  a  grad- 
uate of  the  high  school  of  New  Washington  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Martin 
L.  Belser,  D.  D.,  of  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan. 

In  his  political  affiliations  our  subject  is  a  Democrat,  and  for  ten  or  more 
vears  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  town  council,  exercising  his  official 
prerogatives  in  support  of  all  measures  for  the  public  good.  For  fifteen  years 
he  has  served  on  the  school  board  and  was  one  of  its  members  when  the 
present  school  building  was  erected.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  was  one  of  its  trustees,  serving  on  the  finance  committee  when  the 
present  church  edifice  was  built.  He  is  one  of  the  most  public-spirited  and 
progressive  citizens  of  the  county,  and  has  contributed  in  a  large  measure  to 
the  upbuilding  and  improvement  of  this  part  of  the  state.  When  he  became 
a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of  which  he  is  now  at  the  head  he  assumed 
an  indebtedness  of  three  thousand,  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  The 
year  following  he  erected  a  residence  and  thus  increased  his  indebtedness,  but 


76  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

in  a  short  time,  owing  to  his  capable  business  methods  and  management,  he  was 
enabled  to  pay  off  all  obligations  and  has  continually  added  to  his  wealth.  He 
is  a  man  of  whom  the  most  envious  can  scarcely  grudge  success,  so  well  has  he 
earned  it,  so  admirably  does  he  use  it,  so  entirely  does  he  lack  pride  of  purse. 
He  is  kind,  unaffected  and  approachable,  and  every  comer  has  a  claim  upon 
his  courteous  attention.  There  has  been  nothing  sensational  in  his  career, 
every  step  has  been  thoughtfully  and  deliberately  made  and  every  advance 
has  been  at  the  cost  of  hard  and  self-denying  labor.  Born  to  lead,  his  great 
experience  makes  him  a  safe  counselor  and  guide.  He  stands  to-day  in  his 
mature  years  a  strong  man,  strong  in  the  consciousness  of  well-spent  years, 
strong  to  plan  and  perform,  strong  in  his  credit  and  good  name  and  a  worthy 
example  for  young  men  to  pattern  after. 

THOMAS   H.   B.   CLUTTER.   M.   D. 

A  prominent  physician  and  the  oldest  practitioner  of  Crestline  in  years 
of  continuous  connection  with  the  medical  profession  in  this  place  is  Dr.  T. 
H.  B.  Clutter,  who  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  August 
2,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  J.  P.  Clutter,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the  same 
county.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  died  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty  years.  His  father,  John  Clutter, 
was  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  served  as  teamster  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  enlisting  for  service  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  The  paternal  great- 
grandfather, who  was  also  named  John  Clutter,  was  also  a  defender  of  the 
nation,  serving  in  the  army  for  seven  years  and  was  paid  for  his  services  in 
continental  money,  and  some  of  this  money  yet  remains  in  the  family. 

A  native  of  Germany,  he  came  to  America  when  a  young  man  and  took 
up  his  abode  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  his  being  the  first  family 
to  settle  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains.  Their  home  was  in  the  midst 
of  the  deep  forest.  The  settlements  were  afterward  made  and  these  early 
pioneers  were  frequently  called  upon  to  fight  with  the  Indians,  and  a  num- 
ber of  the  white  settlers  were  massacred  by  the  red  men.  John  Clutter,  the 
great-grandfather,  was  a  well  known  Indian  fighter  and  a  great  hunter,  and 
lived  to  be  ninety  years  of  age,  his  being  a  family  noted  for  longevity.  The 
maternal  ancestors  of  our  subject  were  of  German  and  French  blood.  The 
grandfather,  James  Andrews,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  but  was  of  Ger- 
man lineage,  and  his  people  had  located  in  Washington  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, among-  its  pioneer  settlers.     He  married  a  Miss  Van  Vorhees,  who 


^       '\     '-  v 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  79 

was  of  French  lineage.  She  was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  was  educated  in 
the  English  schools,  being  able  to  speak  both  English  and  French  fluently. 
The  maternal  great-grandmother  of  Mr.  Clutter  belonged  to  the  Blackburn 
family,  and  she,  too,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey.  The  Clutter  and  Andrews 
families  were  united  by  the  marriage  of  J.  P.  Clutter  and  Margaret  Andrews, 
a  native  of  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania.  They  became  the  parents 
of  seven  children, — five  sons  and  two  daughters.  All  of  the  sons  reached 
manhood  and  with  but  one  exception  are  yet  living;  but  the  daughters  died 
in  infancy.  The  mother  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  Her  son 
Samuel  is  now  living  in  Akron,  Ohio.  John  P.  resides  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,   and   Robert   M.   is  a  resident  of  Waynesburg,   Pennsylvania. 

The  Doctor,  who  was  the  second  son  and  third  in  order  of  birth  in  his 
parents'  family,  spent  his  youth  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  pursued  his  education  in  the  district  schools.  In  1861,  when  twenty  years 
of  age,  he  came  to  Crestline  and  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Drs.  A. 
and  A.  E.  Jenner,  under  whose  direction  he  continued  his  reading  for  five 
years.  In  the  meantime  he  attended  lectures  at  Starling  Medical  College, 
and  was  thus  well  equipped  by  broad  learning  for  his  professional  duties. 
He  began  practice  in  Leesville.  Crawford  county,  in  1867,  and  there  remained 
until  1888,  when  he  located  in  Crestline,  where  he  has  since  successfully  fol- 
lowed his  chosen  calling.  He  was  graduated  in  the  Columbus  Medical  Col- 
lege, with  the  class  of  1879,  and  has  always  continued  his  close  study  of  his 
profession,  his  reading  and  investigation  keeping  him  abreast  with  the  most 
advanced  thought  of  the  times.  In  addition  to  his  practice  he  is  interested  in 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Crestline,  of  which  he  is  a  director. 

The  Doctor  was  twice  married.  In  1867  he  married  Miss  Joanna  Day, 
a  native  of  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  born  June  15,  1842.  After 
her  death  he  was  again  married,  on  the  15th  of  November,  1896,  his  second 
union  being  with  Miss  Ida  Mapes,  of  Bucyrus,  who  came  to  Ohio  from 
Pennsylvania. 

The  Doctor  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  affiliations,  and  at  all  times 
takes  a  very  active  part  in  political  affairs,  attending  conventions  and  doing- 
all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  growth  and  success  of  his  part}'.  He  has 
also  served  in  the  city  council  and  on  the  school  board,  and  takes  a  deep  and 
abiding  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare,  progress  and  sub- 
stantial upbuilding  of  his  community.  Of  the  Masonic  fraternity  he  is  a 
very  prominent  member,  having  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the 
Scottish  Rite.     He  is  also  connected  with  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  the 


So  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  The  success  which  attends  his  efforts  is  but 
in  natural  sequence,  for  his  position  soon  became  assured  as  an  able  physician, 
a  man  of  sterling-  integrity  and  one  devoted  to-  his  profession  and  to  the  inter- 
ests and  welfare  of  those  to  whom  he  ministered.  He  possesses  marked 
judgment  and  discernment  in  the  diagnosing  of  disease,  and  is  peculiarly 
successful  in  anticipating  the  prognosis  of  complications,  seldom  making  a 
mistake  and  never  exaggerating  or  minifying-  the  disease  in  rendering  his 
decisions  in  regard  thereto.  He  is  a  physician  of  great  fraternal  delicacy, 
and  no  man  ever  observed  more  closely  the  ethics  of  the  unwritten  profes- 
sional code  or  showed  more  careful  courtesy  to  his  fellow  practitioners  than 
does  Dr.  Clutter. 

REV.  NATHANIEL  J.  HADLEY. 

Rev.  Nathaniel  J.  Hadley,  pastor  of  the  Christ  English  Lutheran  church, 
was  born  in  Mahoning  county,  just  south  of  the  Western  Reserve  line,  No- 
vember 17,  1866.  the  son  of  prosperous  parents  whose  home  was  on  a  farm. 
After  attending  the  district  schools  the  son  took  a  course  in  Poland  Union 
Seminary,  which  in  its  day  was  one  of  Ohio's  most  famous  preparatory  in- 
stitutions. Among  others  who  have  there  fitted  themselves  for  more  ad- 
vanced educational  work  is  President  William  McKinley.  Mr.  Hadley's 
course  was  an  intermittent  one,  and  in  the  intervals  between  the  periods  of 
study  he  engaged  in  teaching.  He  later  entered  the  Northeastern  Ohio  Normal 
College,  also  a  well  patronized  institution  in  the  Western  Reserve,  its  location 
being  Canfield,  Mahoning  county.  Subsequently  he  matriculated  in  Witten- 
berg College  and  was  graduated  at  that  institution  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts  in  1891.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  entered  Wittenberg 
Theological  Seminary  and  on  the  completion  of  the  three-years  course  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him.  The  same  year  his 
alma  mater  bestowed  upon  him  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts. 

Immediately  afterward,  in  the  fall  of  1894,  he  was  ordained  as  a  minister 
of  the  gospel  by  the  Wittenberg  synod  at  Bellefontaine,  having  been  licensed 
to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  same  religious  authority  the  previous  year.  In 
fact,  while  in  his  senior  year  he  had  been  called  upon  and  had  supplied 
several  pulpits  in  the  absence  of  the  regular  pastors,  one  of  which  he  supplied 
for  five  months.  In  May,  1894,  Rev.  Mr.  Hadley  took  charge  of  his  first 
congregation  at  West  Liberty,  Logan  county,  a  town  of  about  fifteen  hundred 
population.     There  he  remained  in  successful  and  harmonious  relations  with 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  81 

his  flock  until  called  to  the  broader  field  over  which  he  now  watches  in  Galion. 
This  was  on  March  15,  1898. 

Rev.  Mr.  Hadley's  work  in  Galion  has  been  of  a  nature  that  well  illus- 
trates the  force  of  character  of  the  man,  convincing  the  greatly  increased  con- 
gregation that  they  were  fortunate  in  choosing  him  as  their  spiritual  adviser 
and  pastor.  Young  and  energetic,  he  went  to  work  with  a  will,  wiped  out 
an  indebtedness  and  established  the  church  organization  on  a  basis  which 
has  added  to  its  power  and  influence.  In  numbers  the  congregation  has 
greatly  increased,  and  its  progress  and  development  has  been  so  marked 
as  to  attract  the  attention  of  churches  in  larger  cities.  When  in  Logan 
county  he  was  president  of  the  County  Christian  Endeavor  Union  and  during 
his  incumbency  in  the  office  the  county  had  the  distinction  of  winning  the 
banner  offered  by  the  State  Association  for  the  best  organization  and  for  the 
progress  and  work  of  the  year.  Since  accepting  his  pastorate  in  Galion  Rev. 
Hadley  has  served  for  one  term  at  the  head  of  the  Crawford  County 
Christian  Endeavor  Union.  Rev.  Hadley  has  been  president  of  the  Ministers' 
Union  of  Galion  and  at  present  is  the  secretary  of  the  Wittenberg  Synod. 
He  is  also  editing  an  eight-page  parish  paper  entitled  the  "Lutheran  Visitor." 

In  1895  he  was  united  in  the  holy  bonds  of  matrimony  to  Miss  Myrtle 
Bowsher,  who  had  taken  a  select  course  at  Wittenberg"  College  and  was 
previously  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Millersburg,  Ohio,  where  her 
parents  reside,  her  father  being  a  prominent  merchant  of  that  place.  Mrs. 
Hadley  is  a  lady  of  superior  intelligence  and  culture  and  is  of  great  assistance 
to  her  husband  in  the  exercise  of  the  high  functions  of  his  holy  calling. 

Christ's  English  Lutheran  church. 

Christ's  English  Lutheran  church  of  Galion,  Ohio,  had  its  beginning 
in  the  summer  of  1831  when  the  Rev.  John  Stough  on  the  invitation  of  some 
Lutheran  and  Reformed  church  families  came  to-  Galion.  He  at  once  organ- 
ized a  united  church,  composed  of  the  two  denominations  and  served  the 
congregation  as  pastor  for  five  years,  when  on  account  of  the  infirmities  of 
age  he  was  compelled  to  resign.  During  his  ministry  he  added  to  the  church 
through  instruction  and  confirmation  forty-three  members.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lower  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  then  followed 
three  pastors  of  the  German  Reformed  church  in  succession.  About  this 
time  the  united  congregation  built  a  church  edifice  on  the  southeast  corner 
of  Church  and  Union  streets.     During  the  existence  of  the  united  congrega- 


82  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

tion  the  Rev.  Solomon  Ritz,  George  Leiter  and  F.  J.  Ruth  of  the  Lutheran 
church  occasionally  preached -in  the  English  language.  About  1841  the  united 
church  separated,  the  German  Lutherans  and  the  German  Reformed  people 
each  building  a  church  of  their  own,  while  those  who  preferred  the  services 
in  the  English  language  bought  the  old  church  property,  organized  an  Eng- 
lish Lutheran  church  and  secured  as  their  pastor  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Hoffman. 
The  immediate  succeeding  pastors  were  Revs.  Andrew  Kuhn,  J.  Grouse,  E. 
Eastman  and  I.  Culler.  Of  these  pastorates  very  little  can  now  be  learned  save 
that  Rev.  Andrew  Kuhn  served  the  congregation  for  nearly  four  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  nearly  sixty-one  members  were  added  to  the  church.  The 
choice  of  a  successor  to  Rev.  Kuhn  resulted  in  a  division  of  the  church. 
There  were  two  candidates  for  the  position.  The  friends  of  the  defeated 
candidate  were  dissatisfied  and  a  number  withdrew  from  the  church  and 
united  with  other  denominations.  Rev.  Grouse  was  the  successful  candidate 
and  remained  as  pastor  for  two  years  and  nine  months,  during  which  time 
he  was  only  able  to  add  seven  members  owing  to  the  inharmonious  condition 
of  the  congregation.  In  September,  185 1,  Wittenberg  synod  in  its  session 
at  Bucyrus  arranged  the  church  of  the  synod  into  pastorates.  By  this  act 
the  Galion  pastorate  was  composed  of  the  following  named  churches :  Galion, 
New  Castle,  Leesville  and  Lost  Creek.  In  April,  1852,  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Ruth 
became  the  pastor  of  this  new  charge.  He  found  the  Galion  church  small  in 
membership  but  composed  of  faithful  and  pious  people.  This  congregation 
received  one  service  every  two  weeks.  Rev.  Ruth  continued  as  pastor  until 
April,  1 86 1.  During  the  nine  years  of  his  service  here  seventy-five  persons 
were  received  as  members  of  this  congregation. 

Rev.  Ruth  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  Stover,  whose  pastorate  continued 
two  years  and  nine  months,  during  which  time  the  membership  was  increased 
bv  twenty-one,  but  the  church  largely  felt  the  depressing  influences  of  the 
Civil  war.  In  March,  1864,  Rev.  J.  F.  Ruth  was  recalled  to  Galion  and 
served  this  charge  until  1870.  The  old  church  edifice  had  become  dangerous 
and  for  nearly  two  years  the  congregation  worshipped  in  the  Baptist  church. 
During  this  time  an  effort  was  made  to  buy  a  lot  and  erect  a  new  house  of 
worship.  The  work  progressed  and  the  new  church  was  dedicated  in  Febru- 
ary, 1869.  The  indebtedness  of  the  church  was  fully  covered  by  subscriptions 
but  as  there  was  a  shrinkage  in  the  collection  the  church  was  left  in  debt. 
The  membership  was  increased  by  thirty-eight  during  the  second  pastorate  of 
Rev.  Ruth. 

During  the  fall  of  1869  some  of  the  members,  enjoying  their  new  church 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  83 

home  and  recognizing  a  good  opportunity  for  building  up  a  strong  English 
Lutheran  church  in  this  growing  city,  desired  to  be  separated  from  the  rest  of 
the  charge  and  employ  a  pastor  to  devote  his  entire  time  to  the  congregation. 
This  was  accomplished  during  the  following  year.  Rev.  Ruth  continued  as 
the  pastor  of  the  remainder  of  the  charge  and  the  Rev.  H.  B.  Miller  was 
invited  to  become  the  pastor  of  Christ's  English  Lutheran  church. 

On  the  1  st  of  January,  1871,  Rev.  Miller  took  charge  of  the  congregation 
and  on  the  29th  of  the  same  month  organized  it  under  the  name  of  Christ's 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church  of  Galion.  There  were  about  fifty-six  mem- 
bers. Rev.  Miller  continued  as  pastor  until  1876,  during  which  time  he  re- 
ceived one  hundred  and  seventeen  members  into  the  church,  but  lost  by  letter, 
removal  and  excommunications  fifty-three,  thus  leaving  a  net  gain  of  sixty- 
four.  At  the  end  of  his  pastorate  the  church  membership  was  one  hundred 
and  twenty.  His  successor,  the  Rev.  E.  W.  Souders,  served  the  congregation 
from  Jul}',  1876,  until  July,  188 1,  and  at  the  close  of  this  pastorate  the  church 
had  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  members.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev. 
C.  S.  Ernsberger,  who  took  charge  November  13,  1881,  and  continued  as 
pastor  until  January  1,  1891,  during  which  time  there  were  two  hundred 
and  forty-seven  new  members  received,  but  by  letter  and  otherwise  one 
hundred  and  forty-three  left  the  church,  its  membership  being  two  hundred 
and  fifty-seven  at  the  close  of  his  pastoral  service  here.  By  the  1st  of 
October,  1882,  he  had  also  liquidated  a  debt  of  ten  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
and  during  1884  and  1885  the  church  was  repaired  at  a  cost  of  fifty-seven 
hundred  dollars,  the  repairs  consisting  of  the  building  of  a  Sunday-school 
annex  and  the  remodeling  of  the  auditorium.  The  church  also  made  great 
advancement  along  all  the  lines  of  church  work. 

FivHi  the  1st  of  April,  189 1,  until  September  1,  1893,  the  Rev.  James 
K.  Argo  was  pastor,  and  during  that  time  the  church  membership  was  in- 
creased by  sixty-six,  though  death,  removal  and  other  causes  reduced  the  net 
gain  to  thirty-nine,  and  the  church  indebtedness  was  decreased  from  ten  hun- 
dred and  seventy  dollars  to  three  hundred  and  twenty-five.  On  the  1st  of 
December,  1893,  Rev.  M.  Colver  became  pastor  of  the  church,  then  number- 
ing three  hundred  and  seventeen  members,  but  though  eighty-eight  people 
were  received  into  the  church  by  him  the  net  gain  was  only  twenty-eight. 
He  remained  until  December  1.  1897. 

The  present  pastor  Rev.  N.  J.  Hadley,  assumed  charge  March  15,  1898, 
at  which  time  there  were  found  by  careful  examination  only  three  hundred 
and  eighteen  names  upon  the  church  record.     There  have  been  received  up  to 


84  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  present  time  (October  i,  190 1)  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  new  members, 
but  lost  by  death,  letter  and  otherwise  forty-seven,  leaving  a  net  gain  of  eighty- 
four,  thus  making  the  present  membership  four  hundred  and  two.  The  aver- 
age attendance  at  the  Sunday-school  in  the  beginning  of  this  pastorate  was 
eighty-seven  and  at  the  present  time  is  one  hundred  and  sixty;  the  Christian 
Endeavor  society  has  thirty  members  and  the  Women's  Home  and  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  is  meeting  every  demand  made  upon  it  by  the  general 
societv.  The  indebtedness  of  the  church,  which  was  composed  of  the  deficit 
mi  the  current  expenses,  was  one  thousand  dollars.  This  amount  was  can- 
celed during  the  first  year  of  his  pastorate.  The  church  has  been  repaired, 
including  repainting,  papering  and  carpentering  at  a  cost  of  between  four 
and  five  hundred  dollars,  all  of  which  has  been  paid  for  and  the  church  is 
free  from  debt.  Thus  far  during  this  pastorate  there  have  been  fifty-three 
funerals  conducted,  fifty  children  baptized  and  thirty-one  marriages  solem- 
nized. 

CHARLES  VOLLRATH. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native  of  Saxony,  Germany,  born  May  16, 
1835,  a  son  of  Gottlieb  and  Fredericke  (Meissner)  Vollrath.  He  attended 
the  schools  of  his  native  land  seven  years,  and  came  to  this  country  with  his 
father's  family,  which  lived  the  first  year  in  Rochester,  New  York,  and  in 
May  of  1849  came  to  Bucyrus.  Here  Charles  Vollrath  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade  and  followed  it  till  1855,  when  he  became  interested  in  a  planing- 
mill,  a  business  in  which  he  prospered  for  years. 

March  23,  1858,  he  married  Elizabeth  Hocker,  a  native  of  Baden,  Ger- 
many, born  in  June  of  1831. 

JAMES  R.  HOMER. 

In  the  following  record  will  be  given  the  history  o<f  the  busy  and  useful 
career  of  a  distinguished  resident  of  Gallon,  who  as  a  citizen,  a  leading  busi- 
ness man  and  a  soldier  has  ever  done  his  duty  without  fear  and  without 
reproach,  with  an  eye  single  to  the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number. 
He  has  been  honored  by  election  to  public  office  and  is  now  filling  the  posi- 
tion of  mayor  in  a  most  acceptable  manner.  He  is  a  man  of  keen  discrimina- 
tion, sound  judgment,  and  his  executive  ability  and  excellent  management 
have  been  a  great  benefit  to  the  city  of  which  he  is  now  the  municipal  head. 


./P   ^Ar>^i 


£S* 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  87 

He  has  made  his  home  in  Gallon  since  1854,  and  throughout  this  long  period 
he  has  been  the  promoter  of  many  movements  and  measures  for  the  general 
welfare  and  advancement  of  the  material  progress  of  the  community. 

James  Rodolphus  Homer  is  a  native  of  the  Pine  Tree  state,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  in  Monson,  Maine,  on  the  7th  of  April,  1833.  His  father, 
William  Hoar,  was  a  native  of  Monson,  Massachusetts,  and  died  in  the  year 
1870,  when  more  than  sixty  years  of  age.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Betsy  Goodel  and  she,  too,  was  born  in  Monson,  Massachusetts,  but  died 
in  Monson,  Maine,  in  1897,  when  she  had  almost  attained  the  age  of  ninety 
years.  Their  son,  James  R.  Homer,  spent  the  period  of  his  boyhood  and 
youth  in  his  father's  home  and  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  city,  also  spending  one  winter  in  the  city  of  Monson,  Massachusetts. 
He  had  but  one  brother  and  no  sisters.  His  brother,  Henry  Homer,  died 
at  Monson,  Maine,  leaving  two  sons,  who  reside  at  the  old  homestead,  from 
which  place  is  taken  the  famous  Monson  slate.  The  subject  of  this  review 
was  about  eighteen  years  of  ag"e  when,  in  1851,  he  left  home  and  started  out 
to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  In  185-).  he  emigrated  westward  and 
became  identified  with  the  interests  of  Crawford  county  as  a  resident  of 
Gabon.  Here  he  secured  employment  in  a  foundry,  being  thus  engaged  until 
after  the  inauguration  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  put  aside  all  personal  and 
business  interests  in  order  to  aid  his  country  in  the  preservation  of  the 
Union.  His  patriotic  spirit  was  aroused,  and  in  August,  1862,  he  joined 
Company  E,  of  the  One  Hundred  and  First  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  which 
company  was  organized  at  Galion.  He  entered  the  service  as  a  private,  but 
was  promoted  from  time  to  time  until  he  was  made  first  lieutenant,  and  as 
such  had  command  of  his  company.  The  regiment  was  attached  to  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland,  and  with  that  great  military  force  he  participated  in  the 
engagements  at  Perryville,  Stone  River  and  Chickamauga,  the  last  named 
being  a  continuous  engagement  of  many  clays.  Subsequently  he  took  part 
in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  though  tinder  tire  for  one  hundred  days  he 
was  never  wounded  or  injured  in  the  slightest  degree.  Always  found  at 
the  post  of  duty,  he  was  brave  and  loyal  in  his  efforts  to-  protect  the  old  flag 
and  with  a  most  honorable  military  record  he  returned  to  his  home,  the  blue 
uniform  being  a  badge  of  honor. 

In  Galion  Mr.  Homer  worked  at  his  trade,  and  in  1869  he  embarked  in 

business  on  his  own  account,  purchasing  a  half  interest  in  the  foundry  owned 

by  A.  C.  Squier,  the  relationship  being  continued  almost  without  a  break  for 

about  twenty-nine  years,  and  was  then  terminated  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Squier,. 

5 


88  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

who  passed  away  on  the  4th  of  April,  1896.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Homer 
has  been  alone  in  business,  and  is  now  sole  proprietor  of  the  enterprise  with 
which  he  has  been  so  long  identified.  That  it  has  been  attended  with  success 
is  indicated  by  its  long  continuance  as  an  active  factor  in  the  industrial  circles 
.  f  I  rali  >n.  Its  patronage  has  steadily  increased  in  volume  and  importance, 
and  as  a  result  Mr.  Homer  has  acquired  a  good  income. 

In  18^7  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Air.  Homer  and  Miss  Jane  E: 
Nave,  of  Galion,  who  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  Crawford  county  with 
her  parents,  both  of  whom  died  here.  The  Naves  were  pioneer  farmers  of 
Polk  township.  Her  brother,  Sol  P.  Nave,  was  one  of  the  first  postmasters 
of  Galion.  and  his  son,  the  Rev.  Orvill  Nave,  is  now  a  chaplain  in  the  regular 
armv.  He  spent  fourteen  years  in  producing  a  topical  Bible,  which  has 
recently  been  published  and  which  is  now  meeting  with  an  excellent  sale. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Homer  have  been  born  two  children,  the  son,  Charles 
O.,  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  of  Galion,  and  is  now  interested  in  the 
Building  &  Loan  Association.  Pie  married  Miss  Lewis,  of  Galion,  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  George  F.  Lewis,  who  died  in  this  city  in  1897.  Charles  O.  and 
Minnie  Homer  now  have  two  children :  James  Lewis  and  Lucile,  aged, 
respectively,  five  and  two  years.  The  daughter  of  the  family,  Lulu  Belle, 
is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school,  and  for  seven  years  successfully  taught  in 
the  public   schools  of  this  city. 

Mr.  Plomer  has  ever  taken  a  deep  and  commendable  interest  in  every- 
thing pertaining  to<  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his  adopted  town,  and  has 
been  honored  with  several  positions  of  public  trust.  On  his  forty-sixth 
birthday  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Galion,  which  at  that  time  contained  a 
population  oi  about  three  thousand,  he  being  the  first  mayor  chosen  under 
the  new  city  charter,  which  was  obtained  in  1879.  He  served  for  one  term, 
and  then,  after  an  interval  of  twenty  years,  he  was  again  elected  to  the  same 
position,  taking  the  office  April  7,  1899,  on  the  sixty-sixth  anniversarv  of 
his  birth.  Pie  is  now  the  present  incumbent  and  capably  handles  the  reins 
of  the  city  government.  He  exercises  his  official  prerogatives  in  support 
of  many  movements  of  reform  and  improvement.  For  four  terms  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  city  council,  having  first  been  elected  to  that  office  in 
1862,  while  his  last  term  was  in  1896.  For  eight  years  he  was  a  member 
■of  the  school  board  and  labored  earnestly  for  the  advancement  of  the  edu- 
cational interests.  He  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  the  principles 
of  which  he  warmly  advocates  and  is  untiring  in  his  labors  for  the  promotion 
of  its  success. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  89 

Mr.  Homer  is  prominent  in  social  circles,  being  identified  with  various 
fraternal  organizations.  He  became  the  first  commander  of  Dick  Morris 
Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Galion,  and  has  ever  manifested  an  abiding  interest  in 
the  organization  whereby  he  retains  a  pleasant  relationship  with  his  old 
army  comrades.  A  prominent  Mason,  he  belongs  to  the  blue  lodge,  chapter, 
council  and  commandery,  and  has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the 
Scottish  Rite,  in  the  consistory  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  has  passed  all  of 
the  chairs  in  the  blue  lodge  and  has  served  as  worthy  master.  In  his  life 
he  has  exemplified  the  benevolent  spirit  of  the  fraternity,  which  inculcates 
among  its  members  principles  of  mutual  helpfulness.  The  family  attend  the 
services  of  the  Episcopal  church.  In  all  life's  relations  Mr.  Homer  has  won 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  fellow  townsmen.  He  is  public  spirited  to 
a  degree  that  renders  him  a  very  helpful  citizen  and  he  is  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  by  people  of  all  classes  and  of  all  shades  of  political  and  religious 
belief. 

DAVID  E.  NEFF. 

As  a  thorough  and  successful  farmer,  an  excellent  neighbor  and  a  highly 
respected  citizen  David  E.  Neff  enjoys  the  esteem  of  the  community  in  which 
he  lives,  and  is  regarded  as  a  representative  citizen  of  Liberty  township. 
His  birth  was  in  Hepburn  township,  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  Sep- 
tember 17,  1825,  a  son  of  John  Michael  and  Christina  (Wagner)  Neff,  and 
he  was  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  the  three  survivors  being  David  E. ; 
Christina,  a  maiden  lady  living  with  her  brother  Joseph ;  and  Joseph,  a 
farmer  in  Holmes  township. 

John  Michael  Neff,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Mahrenjen,  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  in  1783,  a  son  of  Michael  and  Catherine 
(Graff)  Neff,  both  of  whom  died  in  Germany,  after  rearing  a  family  of  six 
sons  and  one  daughter.  These  sons  were  all  of  fine  physique,  all  of  them 
except  John  Michael  being  over  six  feet  in  stature.  Two  of  them,  Lorentz 
and  Frederick,  during  the  German  war  with  France  were  chosen,  on  account 
of  their  fine  appearance,  as  members  of  the  king's  body  guard  at  the  battle 
of  Leipsic.  In  1818  our  subject's  father,  with  his  own  family  and  three 
brothers,  Lorentz,  Abraham  and  John,  emigrated  to  America.  At  that  time 
the  trip  was  a  long  and  wearisome  one.  They  took  a  flatboat  from  their 
home  and  came  down  the  river  Rhine  on  it  to  Amsterdam,  and  there  embarked 
on  a  sailing  vessel,  the  Susan,  and  added  their  number  to  the  three  hundred 


90  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

passengers  already  on  board.  Before  sailing  two  deaths  occurred,  but  there 
were  none  later  on  the  voyage :  on  the  contrary  there  were  two  births,  one 
of  these  being  a  son  born  to  our  subject's  parents,  when  in  sight  of  land,  and 
he  was  piously  named  Gottlobe,  the  meaning  of  the  name  being  Praise  God. 
As  the  voyage  had  consumed  eighty-six  days,  seventy-six  of  these  being  with- 
out sight  of  land,  the  joy  and  thankfulness  over  its  ending  was  universal, 
and  perhaps  no  one  rejoiced  more  than  did  John,  who  had  been  hidden  in  a 
barrel  of  household  effects. 

Idie  destination  of  the  family  was  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
there  they  settled.  The  father  was  thrice  married,  his  first  wife  and  her 
infant  died  together.  It  was  the  wife  of  the  second  marriage  that  made  the 
voyage  with  him,  and  she  bore  four  children,  all  of  whom  are  deceased.  The 
mother  of  our  subject,  Christina  Wagner,  was  the  third  wife.  She  was  born 
in  the  same  locality  as  the  father,  and  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Christina 
(Herdtneck)  Wagner.  The  paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  NefT  came  to 
America  on  the  same  vessel  with  Mr.  NefT,  and  were  in  very  limited  cir- 
cumstances. Having  a  family  of  seven  children,  Christina  and  her  sister 
Dorothy  were  bound  out,  after  landing,  to  a  family  in  Philadelphia,  to  work 
out  their  passage,  and  at  the  expiration  of  three  years  Christina  was  mar- 
ried to  our  subject's  father  and  became  the  former's  estimable  mother.  An 
uncle  of  Mrs.  Neff  occupied  the  position  of  veterinary  surgeon  to  the  king  of 
Wurtemberg.  In  Germany  the  Wagner  family  at  one  time  had  been  pros- 
perous, but  unfortunate  limes  came  and  they  also  came  to  America  to  repair 
their  fortunes  and  settled  in  Lycoming-  count}'. 

With  his  brother  Abraham,  John  Michael  NefT  bought  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  in  Hepburn  township,  each  taking  sixty  acres,  and  both 
added  to  their  estates  in  later  years,  the  father  owning  at  one  time  one  hun- 
dred and  twelve  acres.  After  the  death  of  his  second  wife  he  walked  to 
Philadelphia  to  bring  back  with  him  the  bright  girl  he  remembered  so  well, 
and  with  her  as  his  bride  returned  to  the  farm,  through  ten  inches  of  snow. 
By  trade  he  was  a  potter,  and  he  established  a  [lottery  on  his  estate,  but  the 
country  was  too  sparsely  settled  to  make  this  pay.  Here  he  lived,  and  died 
on  April  2T.  1841. 

Our  subject  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm  in  Pennsylvania  and  received 

his  education  in  the  common  schools,  in  the  German  language,  and  for  six 

weeks  received  instruction  in  English,  after  lie  was  twenty-one  years  of  age. 

\1  the  age  of  eighteen  he  apprenticed  himself  to  the  cabinet-making  trade,  in 

Wiliiamsix.rt,  Pennsylvania,  and  remained  until  he  was  a  finished  workman. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  91 

In  April,  1848,  he  took  passage  on  a  canal  boat  to  Philadelphia,  being  able  to 
work  for  his  passage,  as  the  owner  of  the  boat  was  a  friend,  and  he  soon 
found  employment  in  Philadelphia,  at  his  trade,  following  it  there  for  fifteen 
months,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he  returned  to  Williamsport. 

In  185 1  Mr.  Neff  took  a  trip  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  with  his  brother 
John,  who  was  returning  to  Ohio  with  his  bride,  this  being  a  pleasant  excursion 
of  sixteen  days  in  an  old  prairie  schooner.  He  spent  the  winter  in  Crawford 
county,  returning  to  Williamsport  in  the  following  June,  but  in  rhe  spring 
of  1858,  as  his  health  seemed  impaired,  he  removed  with  his  wife  and  two 
children  to  Crawford  county,  in  order  to  be  again  with  other  members  of 
liis  family.  His  mother,  with  his  brothers  Jonathan  and  Joseph,  with  three 
sisters,  had  moved  to  this  locality  the  previous  year.  Our  subject  lived  with 
the  family  eight  years.  They  had  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of  land  and 
our  subject  worked  with  them  in  Holmes  township  and  assisted  in  paying  for 
it.  In  the  spring  of  1866  he  purchased  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  and  removed  to  it,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided,  engaged  in 
developing  and  operating  this  fine  property. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Neff  was  on  September  7,  1854,  to  Miss  Mary  Wise, 
a  native  of  Lycoming  county  and  the  daughter  of  Jacob  Wise,  also  a  native 
•of  Pennsylvania,  who  with  his  wife,  Mary  Magdalene  (Ott)  Wise,  were  of 
German  extraction.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neff  numbered  four, 
these  being  Henry  E.,  living  at  Ada,  Ohio;  Ellen  M.,  deceased;  Charles  J., 
the  farmer  on  the  home  farm ;  and  Louisa,  deceased. 

In  politics  Mr.  Neff  has  been  for  many  years  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party,  although  his  first  vote  was  cast  for  a  Democratic  candidate. 
His  family  belongs  to  the  English  Lutheran  church,  which  he  also  attends 
and  to  which  he  gives  liberal  support.  The  social  standing  of  the  family  in 
Liberty  township  is  high,  and  Mr.  Neff  is  well  known  as  a  liberal-minded 
and  most  estimable  citizen  who  enjoys  the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  has 
either  business  or  other  relations. 

WILLIAM  A.  BLICKE. 

The  history  of  a  community  as  well  as  that  of  a  nation  is  chiefly  the 
chronicle  of  the  lives  and  deeds  of  those  who  have  conferred  honor  and  dignity 
upon  society.  The  world  judges  the  character  of  a  community  by  that  of  its 
representative  citizens,  and  yields  its  tribute  of  admiration  and  respect  for  the 
genius,  learning  or  virtues  of  those  whose  works  and  actions  constitute  the 


92  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

record  of  a  state's  prosperity  and  pride;  and  it  is  in  their  character,  as  exempli- 
fied in  probity  and  benevolence,  kindly  virtues  and  integrity  in  the  affairs  of 
life,  they  are  ever  affording  worthy  examples  for  emulation  and  valuable 
lessons  of  incentive. 

Air.  Blicke,  who  is  now  acting  as  cashier  of  the  Bucyrus  City  Bank  and 
who  through  almost  two  decades  has  been  connected  with  this  institution,  was 
born  in  Bucyrus,  April  4,  1866,  his  parents  being  Frank  and  Theressa  (Voll- 
rath)  Blicke.  The  father  was  born  May  6,  1836,  in  the  town  of  Nice,  Ger- 
man}-, and  between  the  ages  of  seven  and  sixteen  years  pursued  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  there,  receiving  good  mental  discipline.  In  the  year  i860 
he  determined  to  try  his  fortune  in  America  and  crossed  the  briny  deep  to 
the  new  world.  After  landing  in  New  York  he  made  his  way  westward  to 
Bucyrus,  where  he  began  merchandising,  conducting  a  store  for  twenty-five 
years  with  signal  success.  His  trade  grew  with  the  increase  of  population 
and  his  business  brought  to  him  an  excellent  financial  return.  He  carried  on 
operations  along  that  line  until  1898,  when,  with  a  handsome  competence. 
he  retired  to  private  life  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil.  He  is  now  living 
in  his  adopted  city,  surrounded  by  many  of  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  life, 
and  enjoying  the  esteem  of  many  warm  friends.  His  fellow  townsmen, 
recognizing  his  worth  and  ability,  have  called  him  to  public  office,  and  from 
1888  until  1892  he  served  as  county  treasurer.  He  was  also  the  treasurer  of 
Bucyrus  township  for  several  terms,  was  city  treasurer  for  four  years  and 
for  a  number  of  terms  was  a  member  of  the  city  council.  His  public  duties 
have  ever  been  discharged  with  promptness  and  fidelity,  and  the  record  of  his 
service  is  one  worthy  of  the  highest  commendation.  His  wife  resides  with 
him  in  their  pleasant  home  in  Bucyrus,  and  they  have  two  daughters, — Carry 
M.  and  Lulu  M.,  who  are  still  under  the  parental  roof. 

The  boyhood  days  of  William  A.  Blicke  were  spent  in  a  manner  usual  to 
lads  of  the  period.  He  enjoyed  the  pleasures  of  the  play-ground  and  devoted 
considerable  time  to  the  duties  of  the  schoolroom.  In  1879  he  entered  the 
county  recorder's  office,  where  he  served  as  deputy  for  a  year  and  a  half,  and 
on  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  entered  the  Monnett  Bank,  now  the 
Bucyrus  City  Bank,  in  the  capacity  of  bookkeeper  and  assistant  cashier,  filling 
the  dual  position  in  a  most  acceptable  manner.  On  the  1st  of  January.  1901, 
he  was  elected  cashier,  and  is  now  acting  in  that  capacity.  He  is  thoroughly 
familiar  with  banking,  and  his  close  application,  energy  and  creditable  business 
methods  have  been  potent  factors  in  securing  the  success  of  the  institution 
which  he  represents.     His  labors  have  not  been  confined  to  one  line,  for  in 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  95 

1884  he  organized  the  W.  A.  Blicke  Fire,  Life  &  Accident  Insurance  Agency, 
which  is  still  one  of  the  leading  insurance  organizations  in  the  county.  He 
has  been  auditor  of  the  People's  Savings  Loan  &  Building  Company  since  its 
organization  in  1889,  and  has  capably  controlled  these  various  interests. 

The  marriage  of  Air.  Blicke  was  celebrated  in  1889,  Miss  Antonia  L. 
Mader,  of  Bucyrus,  becoming  his  wife.  The  lady  was  a  daughter  of  J.  G. 
Mader,  a  director  of  the  Bucyrus  City  Bank.  She  died  in  1891.  leaving  one 
son,  Frederick  F..  who  is  now  in  school.     In  1901  Mr.  Blicke  married  Nelle 

A.  Hall,  daughter  of  Joseph  Hall,  postmaster  of  Bucyrus.  Mr.  Blicke  is 
connected  with  Demas  Lodge,  No.  108,  K.  P.,  and  Bucyrus  Lodge,  No.  156, 

B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  of  the  latter  is  trustee.  He  also  belongs  to  the  German 
Lutheran  church.  In  1888  he  was  elected  city  clerk  of  Bucyrus  and  filled  the 
position  for  a  term  of  twelve  years.  His  entire  life  has  been  passed  in  the 
city  which  is  yet  his  home,  and  the  fact  that  those  who  have  known  him  from 
boyhood  are  numbered  among  his  warmest  friends  is  an  indication  of  an  up- 
right and  honorable  career.  He  has  ever  won  the  respect  of  his  fellow  men 
by  his  fidelity  to  duty  and  his  worth  as  an  individual  is  indicated  by  the 
warm  esteem  in  which  he  is  uni  formal  v  held. 

CHARLES  LAKE. 

The  history  of  Charles  Lake  forms  an  integral  part  of  the  annals  of  Craw- 
ford county,  for  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  jewelry  business  in  Bucyrus  for 
fifty  years  and  is  one  of  the  most  successful  and  enterprising  merchants  of 
the  city.  His  life  has  been  an  evidence  of  the  fact  that  ambition,  enterprise 
and  diligence  can  cope  with  an  adverse  fate  and  ultimately  reach  the  goal 
of  prosperity.  He  arrived  in  Bucyrus  in  1852,  and  since  that  time  he  has 
advanced  steadily  toward  prosperity  and  is  to-day  accounted  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive, respected  and  well-to-do  merchants  of  this  portion  of  Ohio. 

Mr.  Lake  was  born  April  20,  1838,  in  Chester,  which  was  then  the 
county  seat  of  Meigs  county,  Ohio.  His  father,  Joseph  Lake,  removed  from 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  to  the  Buckeye  state  in  1800.  Fie  was  then  a  young 
man  desiring  of  improving  his  financial  condition  in  the  west.  He  secured  a 
tract  of  land,  cleared  and  improved  it  and  developed  it  into  a  fine  farm.  He 
married  Eliza  Cassell,  who  was  of  Scotch  descent  and  came  to  the  Buckeye 
state  from  Hartford,  Connecticut.  Their  son,  Charles,  was  reared  in  the 
county  of  his  nativity,  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  there  and 
learned  the  jeweler's  trade  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.     He  came  to  Crawford  county 


94  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

from  the  vicinity  of  Pomeroy,  Meigs  county.  On  arriving  in  Bucyrus  he 
opened  a  jewelry  store,  and  his  close  attention  to  business  and  honorable 
methods  have  enabled  him  to  command  a  liberal  share  of  the  public  patronage 
and  therefore  enjoys  a  large  and  constantly  increasing  trade  and  a  good  in- 
come. He  carries  a  well  selected  stock  of  goods  and  his  splendidly  equipped 
store  would  be  a  credit  to  a  city  of  much1  greater  size  than  Bucyrus. 

Mr.  Lake  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Appalie  Seiser,  of  Bucyrus, 
a  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Salome  (Lozier)  Seiser.  The  father  came  to 
Ohio  from  Germany  with  the  Zoar  colony.  One  daughter  was  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lake,  Helen,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  James  Aylward,  of  Toledo, 
Ohio.  They  also  lost  a  daughter,  Fanny,  and  one  son,  Edwin,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  eight  years.  The  mother  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in  December, 
1890,  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Lake 
is  a  Republican,  earnestly  advocating  all  measures  of  his  party,  believing  that 
it  contains  the  best  element  of  good  government.  He  is  an  attendant  on  the 
services  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  is  a  gentleman  of  scholarly 
attainments,  his  library  being  one  of  the  important  features  of  his  pleasant 
home.  From  an  early  age  his  life  has  been  one  of  ceaseless  activity,  and  all 
that  he  has  acquired  is  the  reward  of  his  own  labors.  He  is  a  man  of  strong 
purpose  and  resolution  and  brooks  no  obstacles  that  can  be  overcome  by  deter- 
mined and  honorable  effort,  and  it  is  these  laudable  qualities  that  led  to  his 
success.  He  justly  merits  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  held  and  his  example 
should  serve  as  a  source  of  encouragement  to  others. 


DANIEL  W.  LOCKE. 

Holding  marked  prestige  among  the  prominent  members  of  the  Bucyrus 
bar  is  Daniel  Wheeler  Locke,  who  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  the  legal  profession  since  the  1st  of  October,  1879.  There  are  few 
men  whose  lives  are  crowned  with  the  honor  and  respect  which  is  universally 
accorded  him,  and  through  twenty-one  years'  connection  with  the  legal  inter- 
ests of  the  county  his  has  been  an  unblemished  character.  With  him  success 
in  life  has  been  reached  by  sterling  qualities  of  mind  and  a  heart  true  to  every 
manly  principle.  In  his  varied  business  interests  his  reputation  has  been 
unassailable,  and  in  offices  of  public  trust  he  has  displayed  a  loyalty  that  has 
classed  him  among  the  valued  citizens  of  the  commonwealth.     In  the  courts 


tr<s>4& 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  97 

of  his  district  he  displays  strong  mentality  and  a  power  of  argument  that 
has  won  for  him  many  notable  forensic  victories. 

Daniel  W.  Locke  was  born  in  Bucyrus  September  25,  1858,  his  parents 
being  Daniel  Wheeler  and  Martina  (Bodine)  Locke.  His  paternal  grand- 
parents were  John  and  Ruth  (Saxon)  Locke.  The  former  was  born  in 
Woburn.  Massachusetts,  June  10.  1752,  and  died  March  31,  1834,  in  Choco- 
nut,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  one  of  fifty  men  who,  disguised  as  Indians, 
threw  the  tea  into  the  Boston  harbor  on  the  16th  of  December,  1773,  an  act 
which  has  since  become  historic  under  the  name  of  the  Boston  Tea  Party. 
Opposed  to  the  policy  which  Great  Britain  was  pursuing  toward  her  American 
colonies,  he  joined  the  Colonial  army  and  was  mustered  into  the  service 
March  19,  1777,  as  a  member  of  Captain  Blodgett's  Company  and  Colonel 
Enoch  Poore's  Regiment  of  New  Hampshire  troops.  He  marched  with  the 
company  of  Captain  Melwich  to  the  relief  of  Ticonderoga.  In  1775  he 
had  served  as  a  minute  man  in  Captain  Parson's  Company,  and  this  proved 
an  excellent  training  school  for  his  later  military  service.  In  1781  he  was 
a  member  of  a  company  commanded  by  Captain  Thomas  and  attached  to  the 
New  Hampshire  Militia  Regiment  commanded  by  Colonel  Renal.  He  was 
a  loyal  defender  oi  the  colonies,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  secure  independence 
for  the  republic. 

Nathaniel  Reed  Locke,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  at  Deer- 
field,  Connecticut,  in  1792,  and  after  arriving  at  years  of  maturity  he  wedded 
Llester  Ross,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  William  and  Sophia  (Merceran)  Ross.  Her 
mother  was  a  daug'hter  of  Joshua  Merceran,  who  served  as  aide-de-camp 
on  the  staff  of  General  Washington  on  Long  Island.  Daniel  Wheeler  Locke, 
Sr.,  father  of  our  subject,  and  a  son  of  Nathaniel  R.  and  Hester  (Ross) 
Locke,  was  born  in  New  York  and  came  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  when  a 
young  man  about  twenty  years  of  age..  Here  he  joined  his  brother,  David 
R.  Locke,  in  the  publication  of  the  Bucyrus  Journal.  The  latter  went  from 
Crawford  county  to  Findlay,  Ohio,  and  thence  to  Toledo.  He  became  famous 
under  the  nom  do  plume  of  Petroleum  V.  Nasby,  of  the  Kentucky  Cross  Roads. 
His  first  article  written  under  this  name  was  due  to  a  remark  of  a  German 
minister  named  Vail,  who,  while  attending  a  funeral  of  a  Union  soldier  at 
Wingerts  Corners,  in  Crawford  county,  in  his  prayer  asked  God  "to  havre 
mercy  on  another  victim  of  this  God-damned  abolition  war."  This  appeared 
to  David  Locke  as  very  ridiculous  in  a  minister  of  the  gospel  and  inspired  his 
first  article  on  the  slavery  question.     The  preacher's  name  was  Peter  Vail, 


98  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

and  Mr.  Locke  changed  this  to  Petroleum  Vail,  adding  the  name  of  Nasby, 
which  was  that  of  a  quaint,  humorous  and  original  character  who  lived  near 
Benton,  Crawford  county,  named  Nasby  Wilcox. 

Daniel  Wheeler  Locke,  the  father  of  our  subject,  abandoned  the  journal- 
istic and  printing  business  on  account  of  trouble  with  his  eyes,  and  then 
began  dealing  in  stone.  He  died  in  Crawford  county  in  1858,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-eight  years,  from  injuries  sustained  in  a  runaway.  He  had  mar- 
ried Miss  Martina  Bodine,  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Susan  (Ervin)  Bodine. 
Her  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Peter  Ervin,  who  served  as  a  colonel  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  The  Bodines  resided  in  Cayuga  county.  New  York. 
Mr.  Locke  died  very  suddenly  at  a  time  when  his  wife  was  ill  in  bed.  She 
was  left  with  no  patrimony  and  with  three  small  children  to*  support.  She 
borrowed  money  at  ten  per  cent,  interest,  purchasing  a  sewing  machine,  and 
by  doing  work  as  a  seamstress  began  to  provide  for  the  support  of  herself 
and  her  children,  Daniel  W.  and  Ross,  the  latter  now  in  the  newspaper 
business  in  Tiffin,  Ohio.  Another  brother,  Mathew  Bodine  Locke,  the  twin 
of  our  subject,  had  died  in  childhood.  After  a  time  Mrs.  Locke  had  savecl 
enough  money  to  purchase  a  home  for  her  little  family.  She  gave  to  her 
children  good  educational  advantages  and  did  everything  in  her  power  for 
them.  There  was  something  heroic  in  the  sacrifice  which  she  made  for  her 
sons,  putting  aside  every  personal  interest  in  order  to  provide  for  them  and 
gain  for  them  a  good  start  in  life.  She  is  still  living,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
nine  years,  and  has  the  gratitude,  respect  and  unbounded  love  of  the  two 
children  for  whom  she  cared  and  who  have  now  attained  to  man's  estate,, 
being  numbered  among  the  respected  citizens  of  the  communities  in  which 
they  reside. 

Daniel  W.  Locke,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  began  to  assist  his 
mother  as  early  as  possible,  and  when  only  fourteen  years  of  age  engaged 
in  teaching.  He  also  sold  books  and  did  everything  else  he  could  in  order  to 
make  an  honest  living-.  Llis  preliminary  education,  acquired  in  the  public 
schools,  was  supplemented  by  study  in  the  high  school  of  Bucyrus  and  in 
Wooster  University.  Desiring-  to-  engage  in  the  practice  of  law,  he  began 
reading  under  the  direction  of  the  well  known  firm  of  Scott  &  Harris,  of 
Bucyrus,  and  when  he  had  mastered  many  of  the  principles  of  jurisprudence 
he  passed  an  examination  before  the  supreme  court  at  Columbus  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  on  the  1st  of  October,  1879.  His  success  in  a  profes- 
sional way  affords  the  best  evidence  of  his  capabilities  in  this  line.  He  is  a 
strong  advocate  before  the  jury  and  concise  in  his  appeals  to  the  courts. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  99 

He  is  also  remarkable  for  his  wide  research  and  the  provident  care  with 
which  he  prepares  his  cases.  In  no  instance  has  his  reading-  ever  been  con- 
fined to  the  limitations  of  the  questions  at  issue;  it  has  gone  beyond  and 
compassed  every  contingency  and  provided  not  alone  for  the  expected,  but 
for  the  unexpected,  which  happens  in  the  courts  quite  as  frequently  as  out 
of  them.  His  logical  grasp  of  facts  and  principles  and  of  the  law  applicable 
to  them  has  been  another  potent  element  in  his  success;  and  a  remarkable 
clearness  of  expression,  an  adequate  and  precise  diction,  which  enables  him  to 
make  others  understand  not  only  the  salient  points  of  his  argument  but  his 
every  fine  gradation  of  meaning,  may  be  accounted  among  his  most  con- 
spicuous gifts  and  accomplishments.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Bucyrus  Loan  &  Building  Company,  in  February,  1887,  and  since  that  time 
has  been  its  secretary. 

In  Bucyrus,  in   1887,  Mr.  Locke  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Eva 
Kerr,  a  daughter  of  John  Kerr  and  a  granddaughter  of  Robert  Kerr,  who  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  Crawford  county  and  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  this 
portion  of  Ohio.     Her  mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Alice  Chambers, 
and  in  early  life  resided  in  Carey,  Ohio.     Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Locke  have 
been  born  two  sons, — John  George  Gormley  and  Daniel  Wayne.     Mr.  Locke 
is  identified  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity,  has  served  as  past  chan- 
cellor in  the  local  lodge  and  is  now  a  representative  to  the  grand  lodge.     In 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  he  is  serving  as  chaplain,  is 
past  chancellor  in  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and  past  councilor 
in  the  Junior  Order  of  American  Mechanics.     He  also  belongs  to  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Foresters  and  to  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  in  the  latter 
he   is   now   serving  as   trustee.     His   political    support   has   been    given   the 
Republican  party  and  he  is  an  enthusiastic  advocate  of  its  principles  and 
policy.     He  does  all  in  his  power  to  promote  its  growth  and  success  and  has 
several  times  been  honored  with  nominations  for  office.     He  was  a  candidate 
for  congress  in  the  thirteenth  district  in  1900,  and,  although  the  district  has 
a  Democratic  majority  of  seven  thousand,  he  made  a  strong  race  and  suc- 
ceeded in  largely  reducing  the  vote  given  to  the  Democratic  candidate.     He  is 
a  man  whose  life  experiences  have  been  broad  and  varied,  and  as  the  years 
have  passed  he   has   learned   the  lessons   of  life  and   become   imbued   with 
humanitarian  principles.     His  strong  individuality,  his  generous  sympathy 
and  marked  intellectuality  have  rendered  him  one  of  the  honored  and  valued 
citizens  of  his  native  state,  and  his  record  now  forms  an  important  chapter 
in  the  history  of  Crawford  county. 


ioo  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

WILLIAM  H.  HISE. 

One  of  the  most  widely  known  and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Liberty 
township,  Crawford  comity,  is  William  Hise,  who  for  forty  years  was  an 
eminent  justice  of  the  peace  and  for  a  period  of  four  years  the  careful  and 
efficient  treasurer  of  Liberty  township.  By  birth  Mr.  Hise  is  a  Pennsylvanian, 
being  born  in  York  county,  on  July  25,  181 8.  His  parents  were  John  and 
Eve  E.  (  Knuckle)  Hise.  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
fathers  of  both  were  born  in  Hesse,  Germany.  They  came  to  America  as 
soldiers  in  the  British  army  during  the  Revolutionary  war  and  b<  >th  the  grand- 
fathers participated  in  one  engagement,  but  after  it  was  over  both  of  them 
deserted  from  the  British  army,  joined  the  troops  under  General  Washington 
and  continued  their  services  in  the  Patriot  army  until  the  close  of  the  struggle. 
Many  of  their  Hessian  acquaintances  who  were  taken  prisoners  at  the  battle 
of  Stillwater  did  likewise.  After  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Hise  and  Mr. 
Kunckle  made  their  way  to  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  they  settled  and 
turned  their  attention  to  farming,  literally  turning  their  swords  into  plough- 
shares.    There  both  lived  to  advanced  age. 

This  Hise,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  reared  four  sons,  and  one  of  them, 
John,  became  the  father  of  our  subject.  He  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker, 
married  in  York  county  and  then  lived  for  a  time  in  Adams  county,  coming  to 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  in  1824.  Here  he  entered  eight}-  acres  of  land  in 
Jefferson  township,  built  his  log  cabin  and  established  a  shoe  shop.  His  land 
was  cleared  by  hired  help,  as  he  was  able  to  earn  enough  by  his  trade  to  pay 
for  having  it  done.  Here  he  prospered  until  he  removed  to  Bucyrus,  in  1832, 
and  to  Circleville  in  1836. 

William  H.  Hise  learned  the  shoe  trade  of  his  father  and  worked  with  him 
in  Crawford  county  until  the  latter's  removal.  He  then  opened  a  shoe  shop 
at  Parcher's  Corners,  in  1844.  The  following  year,  on  March  13,  1845,  ne 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Isabella  Ridgely,  a  native  of  Wayne  county, 
Ohio,  who  was  born  on  July  15,  1818.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Wesley 
Ridgely.  who  came  to  Crawford  county  either  in  1818  or  18 19  and  settled  in 
Jefferson  township.  Later  he  sold  his  first  farm  and  located  on  another  two 
miles  east  of  Bucyrus.  and  in  1844  removed  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  where 
he  died  in  the  following  year. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hise  had  seven  children,  the  six  survivors  being:  Sarah 
C,  the  widow  of  Nelson  Smith,  of  Bucyrus,  Ohio;  John  W..  of  this  township; 
Andrew  H.,  of  Carrollton,  Ohio;  Samuel  L.,  of  this  township;  Nora  B.,  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  101 

wife  of  O.  E.  DeWitt,  of  Bucyrus ;  and  Rebecca,  at  home.  Mrs.  Hise,  the  de- 
voted wife  and  mother,  passed  out  of  life  on  March  10,  1895. 

Following  his  marriage  Mr.  Hise  removed  to  Liberty  township  and 
bought  an  acre  of  land  upon  which  was  a  house  and  shop  and  began  work  at 
his  trade,  which  he  followed  industriously  and  continuously  until  about  1887, 
a  period  of  nearly  forty-two  years.  Then  he  gave  up  work  and  since  that  time 
has  devoted  his  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  his  farm  of  eighty  acres,  which 
he  purchased  about  1865,  and  removed  to  this  property  in  1876,  his  sons 
managing  the  farm  while  he  continued  his  work  at  his  trade,  which  always 
was  pressing-. 

Mr.  Hise  has  been  very  active  in  Democratic  circles  in  the  county  and  has 
been  held  in  such  high  esteem  that  his  selection  as  township  treasurer  met  with 
approval  from  both  partieo.  Four  years  of  service  were  faithfully  given,  and 
also  several  years  as  township  trustee.  For  forty  years  his  decisions  as 
justice  of  the  peace  were  upheld  by  the  superior  courts  and  he  then  declined  to 
serve  longer.  Although  Mr.  Hise  has  reached  his  eighty-third  year  he  is  a 
man  of  much  younger  years  in  appearance,  rides  a  bicycle  with  pleasure  and 
during  the  past  year  not  only  seeded  but  cultivated  seven  acres  of  corn  and 
seven  of  oats  by  his  own  labor !  Through  this  section  of  the  county  no  one 
is  better  or  more  favorably  known  than  William  H.  Hise. 

FRANK  DICK. 

Close  application  to  business,  aptitude  for  earnest  labor  and  indefatigable 
enterprise  have  been  the  salient  features  in  the  success  which  has  crowned  the 
efforts  of  Frank  Dick,  the  well  known  proprietor  of  the  Dick  Brewery  and 
Artificial  Ice  Factory,  of  Bucyrus.  He  has  carried  on  business  here  since 
July,  1889,  his  trade  constantly  increasing. 

Mr.  Dick  was  born  in  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  in  the  year  1861,  but  his 
parents  were  both  natives  of  Baden,  German)',  whence  they  crossed  the  At- 
lantic to  the  new  world.  Under  the  parental  roof  he  was  reared,  and  in  early 
life  he  became  associated  in  business  with  his  father,  who  owned  and  operated 
a  brewery  in  La  Porte,  Indiana.  He  was  admitted  to  a  partnership  in  the 
enterprise,  but  in  1889  he  sold  his  interest  and  came  to  Bucyrus,  establishing 
the  brewery  of  which  he  has  since  been  proprietor.  In  1890  he  erected  a  large 
brick  and  stone  building,  a  model,  and  in  connection  with  the  brewery  business 
added  the  manufacturing  of  artificial  ice,  and  in  both  lines  of  business  he  has 
enjoyed  a  constantly  increasing  trade.     He  confines  his  sales  to  this  section  of 


io2  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Ohio,  having  a  large  patronage  from  surrounding  towns.  He  gives  close 
attention  to  his  business  affairs,  allowing  no  outside  interest  to  interfere  with 
the  duties  that  come  to  him  in  this  relation.  Each  year  he  overhauls  and 
equips  his  plants,  which  are  supplied  with  the  latest  improved  machinery 
and  all  modern  conveniences  and  accessories.  He  now  employs  a  large  force 
of  workmen,  and  he  is  familiar  with  his  business  in  every  detail.  He  per- 
sonally conducts  all  transactions  with  patrons  and  is  in  full  control  of  the 
business,  being  acquainted  with  the  work  done  in  every  department. 

In  1893  Mr.  Dick  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Bertha  Aichner,  of 
Chicago,  Illinois,  and  they  have  a  pleasant  home  in  Bucyrus.  He  takes  an 
active  interest  in  political  affairs  as  a  supporter  of  Democratic  principles,  and 
does  everything  in  his  power  to  advance  the  growth  and  insure  the  success  of 
the  party.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  county  and  other  committees 
and  is  a  recognized  leader  in  Democratic  ranks.  He  belongs  to  the  Benevo- 
lent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  but  his  time  and  attention  are  largely  given 
to  his  business  affairs,  which  are  constantly  growing  in  volume  and  importance, 
and  are  therefore  annually  augmenting  his  income. 

AARON  J.  QUAINTANCE. 

Aaron  J.  Quaintance  is  one  of  the  highly  esteemed  and  public-spirited 
men  of  Crawford  county.  His  birth  was  in  Holmes  township,  on  March  4, 
1834,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Hannah  (  Hale)  Quaintance,  and  was  one  of  a  fam- 
ily of  ten  children,  five  of  whom  survive,  namely :  Aaron,  of  this  sketch ; 
Samuel,  of  Todd  township;  Angeline,  the  wife  of  Edward  Smith,  of  Todd 
township;  Lucetta,  the  wife  of  Valentine  Underwood,  of  Todd  township;  and 
Fisher,  of  Todd  township.  The  father  was  born  in  the  state  of  Xew  York, 
a  son  of  Samuel  Quaintance,  who  came  to  Crawford  county,  at  an  early  day, 
settling  in  Holmes  township,  on  the  Tiffin  road  about  two  miles  north  of 
Bucyrus,  where  he  entered  eighty  acres  of  land  and  built  a  log  cabin  in  the 
forest,  passing  the  rest  of  his  life  there.  After  Joseph  Quaintance  married 
he  settled  on  a  tract  of  forty  acres  given  him  by  his  father,  on  the  east  of  the 
home  farm,  on  which  he  built  a  cabin,  cleared  the  land  and  lived  there  some 
years  and  then  sold  it  to  buy  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Liberty  township, 
where  he  spent  the  remaining  years  of  his  life.  In  his  political  life  he  was  an 
active  Whig  and  for  very  many  years  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Methodist 
church. 

Our  subject  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  acquired  but  a  limited  education 


CEXTEXXIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  103 

in  the  common  schools,  as  his  services  were  so  often  needed  in  the  manage- 
ment and  clearing  of  the  land.  About  the  age  of  sixteen  the  death  of  his 
father  threw  upon  him  the  responsibility  and  care  of  the  family,  as  he  was  the 
eldest  son.  Most  worthily  did  he  perform  this  duty,  taking  the  place  of  his 
father  with  a  judgment  far  beyond  his  years  and  earning  the  affection  and 
gratitude  of  the  other  members  of  the  family. 

In  1857  Mr.  Quaintance  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Heller,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  the  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Catherine  (Gingery) 
Heller,  who  came  to  Crawford  county  about  1839,  settling  in  Liberty  township 
for  one  year  and  later  permanently  settling  in  Holmes  township,  where  they 
died.  When  the  home  farm  was  sold,  one  hundred  and  three  acres  of  our  sub- 
ject's present  farm  was  purchased,  and  our  subject's  mother  lived  with  him 
some  years,  when  he  bought  the  estate  from  her  and  she  passed  her  last  days  in 
Todd  township.  Some  years  later  Air.  Quaintance  purchased  an  additional 
fifty-seven  acres,  making  the  amount  in  his  possession  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  a  fine  and  valuable  estate. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Quaintance  numbered  twelve,  and 
ten  of  these  survive,  namely:  Joseph,  of  this  township;  Leroy,  of  Bucyrus 
Ohio;  Martha  E.,  the  wife  of  William  Dobbins,  of  Sandusky  township,' 
Daniel,  of  Johnson  county,  Kansas  ;  Oscar,  of  Whetstone  township,  Crawford 
county,  Ohio;  Blanche,  the  wife  of  D.  S.  Kimble,  of  the  same  township  ;  James, 
of  Bucyrus;  Olive  E.,  at  home;  Orland  J.,  and  Onie  M.,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Albert  Brown,  of  Bucyrus,  the  latter  two  being  twins.  Israel  and  Hannah 
are  dead.  The  political  affiliations  of  Air.  Quaintance  is  with'  the  Repub- 
lican party,  while  religiously  all  the  family  are  connected  with  the  United 
Brethren  church,  where  they  are  highly  esteemed. 

PETER  HELFRICH. 

Peter  Helfrich  is  the  ancestral  head  in  America  of  one  branch  of  the 
family  of  that  name  that  has  helped  Crawford  county  to  a  citizenship  which 
has  always  proven  a  credit  and  a  substantial  support.  He  came  from  Ger- 
many to  this  country  in  1830.  His  birth  occurred  in  the  fatherland  and  he 
was  the  son  of  parents  who  were  well-to-do  and  prominent  people.  His  father 
served  as  burgomaster,  an  office  equivalent  to  that  of  mayor  in  this  country, 
and  was  also  public  administrator,  in  which  position  his  duties  were  similar  to 
those  performed  by  the  sheriff  in  the  United  States.  Peter  Helfrich  acquired 
a  good  common-school  education  which  he  broadened  by  study  at  home  and  his 


io4  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

appreciation  of  education  was  indicated  by  the  liberal  advantages  which  he 
afforded  his  children,  a  large  family  of  farmer's  children  seldom  receiving  such 
good  opportunities  as  he  gave  to  his  sons  and  daughters. 

Ere  leaving  his  native  country,  Peter  Helfrich  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Margaret  Burmuth,  and  when  they  came  to  the  United  States  they 
brought  with  them  their  daughter,  Margaret,  then  two  years  of  age.  The 
voyage  across  the  Atlantic  was  made  on  a  sailing  vessel  and  consumed  eighty- 
five  days,  while  to-day  the  same  trip  can  be  made  in  one-fourteenth  of  that 
time.  Mr,  Helfrich  first  settled  in  Pennsylvania  and  in  1835  he  came  with  his 
family  to  Crawford  county,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Whetstone  township. 
Here  he  entered  land  from  the  government,  built  a  house  and  established  the 
Helfrich  family,  which,  grown  very  numerous,  celebrated  a  reunion  on  July 
4,  1 901. 

Unto  Air.  and  Airs.  Peter  Helfrich  were  born  the  following  named: 
Jacob,  now  a  prominent  farmer  of  Missouri ;  Nicholas  C,  who  for  thirty-three 
years  has  been  a  representative  of  the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
is  now  located  in  Columbus,  Ohio ;  Catharine,  the  wife  of  John  C.  Sherer ;  and 
Elizabeth.  The  Helfrichs,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  were  identified  with 
the  Lutheran  church.  The  death  of  Peter  Helfrich  occurred  in  1862,  but  he  is 
still  remembered  and  honored  by  those  in  Crawford  county  who  knew  him 
and  yet  survive  him. 

H.  S.  Z.  MATTHIAS. 

The  press  lias  not  only  recorded  the  history  of  advancement,  but  has 
also  ever  been  the  leader  in  the  work  of  progress  and  improvement, — the 
vanguard  of  civilization.  The  philosopher  of  some  centuries  ago>  proclaimed 
the  truth  that  '"the  pen  is  mightier  than  the  sword,"  and  the  statement  is 
continually  being  verified  in  the  affairs  of  life.  In  molding  public  opinion 
the  power  of  the  newspaper  cannot  be  estimated,  but  at  all  events  its  influ- 
ence is  greater  than  any  other  single  agency.  In  the  history  of  Crawford 
c<  nutty  therefore  an  account  of  the  Galion  Inquirer  should  form  an  important 
factor,  and  as  the  paper  is  the  mirror  of  the  thought,  effort  and  labor  of  its 
editor,  the  history  of  Mr.  Matthias  well  deserves  place  in  the  annals  of  his 
native  county. 

He  was  born  in  Sandusky  township  May  21.  1844,  on  what  is  now 
known  as  the  "Old  Biddle  Farm,"  east  of  Kinsely  Springs.  His  father,  the 
late  M.  Matthias,  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  at 


i*^ 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  107 

an  early  age  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Ohio,  the  family 
taking  up  their  abode  upon  a  farm  in  Stark  county,  where  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
five  years  Mr.  Matthias  was  married  to  Miss  Frances  Bryfogle,  of  the  same 
comity,  who  had  removed  to  this  state  from  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
with  her  parents.  For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Matthias  resided  in 
Stark  count}',  but  in  1837  came  to  Crawford  county,  accompanied  by  four 
children,  who  had  been  born  to  them  in  their  first  home.  While  residing' 
on  the  Biddle  farm  three  children  were  added  to  the  family,  one  of  whom  was 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  At  ( i-alion  two  more  children  were  born,  making 
nine  in  all.     The  parents  both  died  a  number  of  years  ago. 

Mr.  Matthias,  of  this  review,  was  about  three  and  a  half  years  of  age 
when  his  parents  sold  their  farm  to  the  late  Rev.  Alexander  Biddle  and 
removed  to  a  farm  on  the  Columbus  and  Portland  state  road,  one  mile  north- 
west of  Galion,  where,  at  the  age  of  about  five  years  H.  S.  Z.  Matthias  lost 
the  use  of  his  lower  limbs  from  the  effects  of  scarlet  fever.  A  year  later 
his  parents  sold  their  farm  and  removed  to  Galion,  where  they  purchased 
and  conducted  the  Franklin  House,  and  old-time  tavern.  This  move  was 
made  principally  for  the  purpose  of  securing  better  educational  facilities 
for  the  cripple  boy,  and  there  in  the  private  and  public  schools  he  received 
the  mental  discipline  and  training  which  fitted  him  for  his  life  work.  With 
great  ambition  and  an  indomitable  will  the  boy  grew  to  young-  manhood,  and 
on  the  7th  of  January,  1864,  he  purchased  the  only  printing  office  in  Galion, 
entering  the  field  of  journalism  as  the  youngest  editor  in  Ohio.  He  success- 
fully conducted  the  Galion  District  Democrat  and  several  other  newspapers,. 
and  for  the  past  twenty-four  years  he  has  been  part  owner  and  editor  of 
the  Galion  Inquirer,  a  weekly  Democratic  paper,  and  for  nine  years  the 
editor  of  the  Evening  Inquirer,  which  is  the  daily  issue  of  the  journal.  He 
has  always  been  devoted  to  his  work  and  starting  out  in  a  modest  way  he 
has  steadily  improved  his  papers  until  to-day  they  are  among  the  brightest 
and  best  journals  published  in  the  state,  being  gems  in  mechanical  and  typo- 
graphical appearance. 

On  the  26th  of  November.  1868.  Mr.  Matthias  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Delia  French,  at  Mount  Vernon,  Knox  county,  and  they  now  have 
two  children,  Verna,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  B.  A.  Baker,  and  George  G..  who 
is  his  father's  assistant  in  the  recorder's  office.  Mr.  Matthias  has  never  held 
any  public  position  except  that  of  recorder,  although  he  was  elected  justice  of 
the  peace  in  1893.  He  refused  to  serve,  however,  on  account  of  the  duties' 
of  the  office  interfering  with  his  business.     In  the  spring  of   1896  he  was, 

6 


ioS  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

nominated  on  the  Democratic  ticket  for  the  position  of  county  recorder  and 
was  elected  to  that  office  the  following-  November  by  a  plurality  of  two  thou- 
sand, seven  hundred  and  eighty-seven  votes,  leading  the  ticket  by  forty-nine 
more  than  were  cast  for  William  J.  Bryan.  He  assumed  the  duties  of  the 
office  September  6,  1897,  and  in  the  spring  of  1898  he  was  nominated  for 
a  second  term,  being  re-elected  the  following  fall.  In  his  official  duties  he 
has  been  punctual,  careful  and  obliging,  and  has  given  the  best  of  satisfaction 
in  every  respect. 

Fraternallv  Air.  Matthias  is  a  member  of  Gabon  Lodge,  No.  215,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  and  of  Lebanon  Encampment,  Xo.  123.  While  he  has  always  been 
a  very  busy  man,  he  has  found  time  to  devote  to  literary  pursuits  outside 
of  his  newspaper  work.  He  has  written  a  number  of  very  creditable  poems. 
He  reads  widely,  is  a  deep  thinker  and  carefully  digests  what  he  reads. 
Through  the  columns  of  his  paper  he  has  had  marked  influence  in  promoting 
public  interests  in  Crawford  county,  and  has  ever  been  found  the  champion 
of  reform,  improvement  and  advancement. 

HENRY  SCHIEBER. 

Among  the  successful  farmers  and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Liberty 
township,  Crawford  county,  Henry  Schieber  takes  a  leading  position.  He 
was  born  in  this  township  on  May  24,  i860,  and  was  the  second  son  of  Jacob 
and  Eva  (Mauer)  Schieber,  to  whom  nine  children  were  born.  The  survivors 
are:  John,  Jr.,  of  Bucyrus,  Ohio;  Henry,  of  this  sketch;  David  S.,  of  Bucy- 
rus;  Emanuel,  of  Liberty  township;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Frederick  Hieber,  of 
Libert)-  township;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John  Hieber,  of  Liberty  township;  and 
Samuel  Abraham,  of  Holmes  township.  The  father  was  born  in  \\  urtem- 
berg,  Germany,  on  May  19,  183 1,  a  son  of  Gottleib  and  Magdalena  (Brose) 
Schieber,  who  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1832,  settling  in  Liberty  town- 
ship. The  father  of  our  subject  was  only  one  year  old  when  brought  by  his 
parents  to  America ;  and  as  he  was  the  youngest  son  who  grew  to  maturity  he 
remained  with  his  parents  until  his  twenty-fourth  year,  assisting  in  clearing 
the  land.  On  June  14.  1855.  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Eva  Mauer, 
and  he  continued  to  farm  on  his  father's  land  during  the  following-  year.  In 
1856  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Liberty  township,  twenty  of  which 
had  been  cleared,  on  which  stood  a  log  cabin,  and  here  Mr.  Schieber  moved 
his  family,  both  he  and  wife  energetically  laboring  to  make  this  a  comfortable 
home.      Prosperity  rewarded  their  efforts,  and  later  they  added  thirty-seven 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  109 

and  one-half  acres  and  eighty  more  purchased  in  Liberty  township.  Grad- 
ually additions  made  to  the  farm  increased  it  to  two  hundred  and  eighty-seven 
acres ;  and  as  time  went  on,  each  year  saw  improvements  added,  in  the  way  of 
excellent  buildings,  fences,  and  planting  of  orchards,  the  estate  being  finally 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  desirable  in  the  township.  In  the  meantime  Mr. 
Schieber  had  made  himself  well  known  and  had  gained  the  confidence  of  his 
fellow-citizens  to  such  a  degree  that  he  was  made  township  trustee  for  a 
period  of  two  years,  faithfully  performing  the  duties.  He  was  long  a  valued 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church.     His  death  occurred  November  4,  1883. 

The  estimable  widow  of  the  late  Jacob  Schieber,  Martha  Mauer  Schieber, 
was  born  on  June  21,  1835,  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  and  was  but  two  weeks  old 
when  her  parents  removed  to  Crawford  county.  Her  father,  Jacob  Mauer, 
emigrated  from  Germany,  with  his  wife  and  one  child,  settling  in  Stark 
county,  subsequently  removing  to  this  county,  where  he  died,  leaving  a  widow 
who  later  married  Simeon  Price.  Mrs.  Schieber  now  makes  her  home  with 
Mrs.  John  Hieber,  of  this  township,  one  of  her  daughters.  She  is  the  only 
survivor  of  a  family  of  six  children. 

Henry  Schieber,  our  immediate  subject,  grew  up  to  honest  labor  on  the 
home  farm  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  common  schools,  remaining  at 
home  until  his  twenty-first  year  and  then  was  given  regular  wages.  On  Feb- 
ruary 29,  1884,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  S.  Plieiderer,  a  daughter  of 
Daniel  Pfleiderer,  who  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Pfleiderer ;  a  sketch  of  the  last  men- 
tioned appears  in  another  part  of  this  volume.  After  marriage  Air.  Schieber 
and  his  bride  removed  to  Holmes  township,  where  he  rented  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres,  and  upon  that  they  lived  for  eighteen  months,  and  there  his  young  wife 
died  and  he  returned  to  Liberty  township  and  took  charge  of  the  home  farm 
and  remained  there  a  number  of  months. 

On  October  3,  1900,  our  subject  contracted  a  second  marriage,  this  time 
with  Mrs.  William  O.  Steen,  formerly  Miss  Clara  C.  Pfleiderer,  a  daughter 
of  David  Pfleiderer,  and  then  Mr.  Schieber  purchased  his  present  home  farm, 
which  consists  of  eighty  acres,  and  has  carried  on  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising  ever  since.  Mrs.  Schieber's  first  husband  was  a  son  of  William 
Steen,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Crawford  county.  One  child  was  born  to 
this  marriage,  Rufus  D.  Steen,  May  1,  1892. 

Politically  Mr.  Schieber  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Democratic  ranks. 
Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  are  valued  and  consistent  members  of  the 
Evangelical  church,  where  they  are  known  to  be  kind,  charitable  and  devoted 


no  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Christians.  Mr.  Schieber  has  a  tine  farm,  is  esteemed  in  the  community,. 
happy  in  domestic  life,  a  valued  member  of  the  church,  and  thus  represents  the 
best  class  of  citizens. 

TILGHMAN  GEORGE. 

An  eminently  successful  and  thoroughly  representative  farmer  of  Holmes 
township,  Crawford  county,  is  Tilghman  George,  who  was  born  in  North- 
ampton county,  Pennsylvania,  on  May  12,  1834,  and  was  a  son  of  Jacob  G. 
and  Elizabeth  (Houpt)  George.  Jacob  G.  George  was  born  in  Northampton 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  learned  the  trade  of 
shoemaker.  In  1852  he  emigrated  to  Ohio,  settling  in  McCutchenville  in 
Wyandot  county,  where  he  remained  but  a  short  time,  going  then  to  Lykens 
township,  in  Crawford  county,  where  he  rented  a  farm,  placed  his  sons  in 
charge  of  it  while  he  continued  to  work  at  his  trade.  About  1858  he  re- 
moved to  Seneca  county  and  here  rented  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  continuing  to  engage  in  farming  and  shoemaking.  About  seven  years 
after  his  last  removal  his  first  wife  died,  and  some  time  later  he  married  a  Mrs. 
Trombold,  formerly  a  Miss  Elizabeth  Yeager,  who  was  a  native  of  Lehigh 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Shortly  after  this  marriage  he  removed  to  Tiffin, 
Ohio,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  many  years.  After  the  death  of  his 
second  wife  he  made  his  home  with  our  subject  and  his  other  son,  William, 
until  the  time  of  his  decease,  in  his  eighty-second  year.  He  was  always  an 
ardent  Democrat,  and  a  consistent  member  of  the  German  Reformed  church. 
His  first  marriage  had  been  to  Elizabeth  Houpt,  and  they  became  the  parents- 
of  eight  children.  Those  living  are  Tilghman,  our  subject;  William,  of  this 
township;  James,  of  Tiffin,  Ohio;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Julius  Deal,  also  of 
Tiffin,  Ohio ;  and  Stephen,  of  the  same  place,  while  the  three  deceased  are 
Apecena,  who  married  a  Mr.  Sloat,  and  died  in  Indiana;  and  two  daughters 
died  in  girlhood. 

Our  subject  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  had  but  limited  opportunities  for 
acquiring  an  education.  In  May,  1852,  he  left  his  parental  home  and  came 
to  Ohio,  reaching  McCutchenville  on  May  5th,  and  during  the  following  sum- 
mer worked  as  a  farm  hand  ;  but  when  his  father  arrived,  five  months  later,  he 
assisted  him  in  the  shoe  shop,  accompanying  the  family  in  its  removal  to 
Lvkens  township.  The  following  summer  was  spent  in  work  on  the  farm, 
and  the  winter  in  work  at  shoemaking.  In  November,  1857,  our  subject  was 
married  to  Miss  Sarah  Miller,  who  was  a  native  of  Holmes  township  and  was 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  in 

were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Holmes  township. 

the  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Anna  (Shupp)   Miller.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller 

The  winter  following  his  marriage  was  spent  by  Mr.  George  in  hauling 
cord  wood  for  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  with  an  ox  team  which  he  had 
purchased,  but  in  the  following  spring  he  removed  to  Wyandot  county,  where 
he  conducted  a  shoe  shop  through  the  summer,  and  returned  to  Crawford 
county  in  the  autumn.  He  again  opened  up  a  shoe  shop,  and  conducted  it  in 
Lykens  township  for  a  period  of  eighteen  months,  removing  then  to  Seneca 
r.oi.mtv.  where  he  rented  a  small  farm  and  began  to  operate  it.  Here  he 
farmed  for  some  twelve  years  as  a  renter,  continuously,  with  the  exception 
of  one  summer  spent  in  Holmes  township.  At  the  expiration  of  his  ten  years 
as  a  renter,  Mr.  George  purchased  a  farm  of  fifty-five  acres  and  operated  this 
for  two  years,  selling  it  then  to  locate  in  Crawford  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased seventy-one  and  one-half  acres,  his  present  home  farm.  During  his 
earlv  farming  experiences,  Mr.  George  operated  a  threshing  machine,  with 
success,  for  several  years.  His  land  has  been  well  cultivated  and  his  methods 
•of  farming  meet  with  the  commendation  of  his  neighbors  who  in  friendly 
spirit  rejoice  in  his  prosperity. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  were  born  seven  children,  six  of  whom  sur- 
vive, as  follows  :  William,  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio;  Wesley,  a  baggagemaster 
for  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad,  at  Chicago;  John,  of  Holmes  township; 
Anna,  the  wife  of  Reuben  R.  McBride,  of  Van  Wert,  Ohio;  Raleieh,  of 
Wyandot  county,  Ohio;  and  Rosetta,  the  wife  of  Abraham  Schaal,  of  Mar- 
shall county,  Indiana.  Mr.  George  has  been  a  life-long  Democrat,  but  is  lib- 
eral in  his  views.  For  two  terms  he  faithfully  served  the  township  as  trustee, 
and  he  is  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Evangelical  church,  having  held 
.almost  all  of  its  lay  offices,  discharging  the  duties  most  efficientlv. 

AXDREW  J.  HARVEY. 

Andrew  Jackson  Harvey  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania, 
August  14,  1817,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Frances  (Bartley)  Harvey,  who 
were  also  natives  of  the  same  county  and  there  the  father  died  in  1830  at  the 
age  of  fifty-three  years.  He  was  a  son  of  Thomas  Harvey,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  from  Ireland  at  an  early  period  in  the  development  of  our  coun- 
try's history.     On  the  maternal  side,  our  subject  is  also  of  Irish  lineage. 

Andrew  J.  Harvey  is  one  of  a  family  of  fourteen  children,  eleven  of 
whom  reached  mature  years.     He  was  reared  upon  a  farm  and  pursued  his 


H2  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

education  in  the  common  schools  in  a  log  school  house.  He  was  only  four- 
teen years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death.  The  mother  and  her  chil- 
dren came  to  Ohio  in  1835  and  settled  in  Crawford  county,  where  Mrs.  Harvey 
died  when  about  sixty-seven  years  of  age.  Here  our  subject  has  since  resided, 
and  throughout  his  entire  business  career  he  has  carried  on  agricultural  pur- 
suits. For  about  eighteen  years  he  also  operated  a  threshing  machine  and 
owned  the  second  thresher  ever  used  in  the  county.  Until  1846  he  resided  in 
Whetstone  township,  but  has  since  made  his  home  in  Bucyrus  township,  where 
he  owns  two  hundred  and  eleven  acres  of  fine  land. 

When  thirty-six  years  of  age  Mr.  Harvey  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Maria  McCracken,  but  she  lived  only  a  year  afterward,  and  three  years 
later  he  wedded  Elizabeth  Price,  by  whom  he  had  six  children  now  living, 
namely :  Olive,  Lawrence  Lincoln,  Minnie  May,  Ulysses  Grant,  Clay  Mc- 
Cracken and  Ida  Annetta.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Harvey  is  a  stalwart 
Republican,  but  has  never  sought  office,  preferring  to  give  his  time  and  atten- 
tion to  his  business  affairs.  In  his  work  he  has  prospered,  and  as  the  years 
have  passed,  he  has  added  continually  to  his  income  so  that  he  is  to-day  the 
possessor  of  a  handsome  competence.  He  has  now  reached  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years — a  venerable  old  gentleman,  honored  and  esteemed  by  all  who 
know  him. 

.  JOHN  G.  MYERS. 

Prominent  among  the  progressive,  intelligent  and  broad-minded  citizens 
of  Holmes  township,  is  John  G.  Myers,  who*  is  well  and  favorably  known 
through  Crawford  county,  having  been  for  many  years  one  of  its  most  popular 
teachers.  Mr.  Myers  was  born  in  Berkeley  county,  Virginia,  which  is  now  in- 
cluded in  West  Virginia,  on  February  6,  1826,  a  son  of  John  L.  and  Margaret 
(Fiser)  Myers,  and  was  a  member  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  the  survivors 
of  whom  are:  Susan  L.,  the  widow  of  Nathaniel  Heaton,  now  a  resident  of 
Seneca  county,  Ohio;  John  G.,  of  this  biography;  and  Isaiah  and  Margaret 
P.,  both  members  of  our  subject's  household.  The  father,  John  L.  Myers, 
was  born  in  Berkeley  county,  Virginia,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Susan  Myers, 
natives  of  the  same  place,  the  former  being  a  veteran  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 
In  the  fall  of  1832,  John  L.  Myers,  with  his  family  of  six  children,  his  parents 
and  one  sister,  emigrated  to  Ohio,  settling  in  Richland  county,  where  they  spent 
the  succeeding  winter,  in  the  spring  of  1833  locating  near  Melmore,  in  what 
was  then  a  part  of  Crawford  county  but  now  is  included  in  Seneca  county.. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  113 

There  Mr.  Myers  bought  eighty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  was  a  hewed-log 
cabin  and  a  recently  erected  log  barn,  paying  for  it  five  hundred  dollars. 
Some  four  acres  of  the  land  had  been  cleared,  but  the  balance  was  still  virgin 
forest.  Here  the  father  of  our  subject  passed  his  life,  showing  his  aged  parents 
a  most  filial  regard  and  caring  for  them  until  their  lives  ended,  when  at  ad- 
vanced age.  John  L.  Myers  died  about  1846.  His  life  had  been  a  busy  and 
useful  one.  Reared  in  a  slave  state,  he  always  adhered  to  the  belief  that  the 
negro  could  never  learn  self-government,  and  continued  all  his  life  a  pro- 
slavery  man.  His  religious  connection  was  with  the  Methodist  church.  The 
mother,  a  daughter  of  Michael  Fiser,  also  was  born  in  Berkeley  county. 

John  G.  Myers  grew  up  in  his  pleasant  home,  with  a  decidedly  studious 
bent  of  mind.  After  completing  the  common-school  course  he  was  given  edu- 
cational advantages  at  the  Ashland  Academy,  and  at  Republic,  where  he  was 
under  the  instruction  of  Professor  Harvey  and  also  his  assistant,  Professor 
Schuyler,  the  author  of  Schuyler's  Arithmetic.  A  short  time  was  spent  at 
Delaware,  but  sickness  compelled  his  return  home.  Prior  to  his  twenty-first 
year  Mr.  Myers  began  teaching  school  and  continued  with  marked  success  in 
this  profession  for  fifteen  or  twenty  years,  teaching  in  every  school  in  Holmes 
township  except  the  one  in  district  No.  3. 

In  1855  Mr.  Myers  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  30,  Holmes 
township,  where  he  resided  from  1856  to  1858,  in  the  latter  year  selling  this 
farm  and  buying  sixty  acres  of  the  present  home  farm.  Some  years  later  he 
purchased  forty  acres  across  the  road  from  his  other  possessions,  making  his 
present  ownership  of  land  about  one  hundred  acres. 

In  politics  Mr.  Myers  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  has  twice  efncientlv 
served  as  assessor  of  the  township  and  several  terms  as  a  member  of  the  election 
board.  He  is  held  in  high  esteem  in  this  section  and  has  a  wide  circle  of 
friends,  both  in  public  and  private  life. 

ROBERT  WILLIAM  KERR. 

Among  the  prosperous  young  agriculturists  of  Bucyrus  township  is 
Robert  William  Kerr,  who  is  successfully  cultivating  a  fine  farm  of  ninety 
acres.  Air.  Kerr  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  Wyandot  county  on  Septem- 
ber 22,  1872,  a  son  of  John  and  Alice  (Chambers)  Kerr,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Marion  county  and  the  latter  in  Wyandot  county.  For 
many  years  John  Kerr  was  a  successful  and  extensive  farmer,  but  is  now 
one  of  the  respected  retired  citizens  of  Bucvrus. 


ii4  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Robert  W.  Kerr  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  his  primary  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools,  supplementing  this  with  a  period  at  a  military 
school  in  Orchard  Lake.  Michigan,  and  later  by  a  course  in  a  business  col- 
lege in  Poughkeepsie,  New  York.  For  several  years  Mr.  Kerr  was  variously 
employed,  undecided  as  to  the  choice  of  a  career.  He  was  a  member  of  Com- 
pany A,  Eighth  Ohio  National  Guards,  and  when  this  company  was  called 
into  service  in  1898,  in  the  war  of  the  United  States  with  Spain,  he  went  with 
his  company  to  Cuba  as  a  corporal.  His  command  landed  at  Sibona,  but  it 
saw  no  active  service.  Corporal  Kerr  was  very  fortunate,  as  his  excellent 
constitution  prevented  him  from  falling  ill  of  Cuban  fever;  nevertheless  he 
returned  with  his  company  with  a  well  nigh  broken  constitution,  reaching 
home  in  September,  1898,  and  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  in  November, 
1898. 

In  the  spring  of  1899  ^r-  Kerr  rented  a  fine  and  productive  farm  from  his 
father,  which  he  has  successfully  operated  ever  since.  On  March  20,  1900, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie  Strawbridge,  a  most  estimable  young  lady,  who 
ably  assists  him  in  dispensing  the  hospitality  of  their  pleasant  country  home. 
Unto  the  marriage  a  son,  John  Milton,  has  been  born. 

JOHN  A.  CHESNEY,  M.  D. 

One  of  the  exacting  of  all  the  higher  lines  of  occupation  to  which  a  man 
may  lend  his  energies  is  that  of  the  physician.  A  most  scrupulous  preliminary 
training  is  demanded,  and  a  nicety  of  judgment  little  understood  by  the  laity. 
Then,  again,  the  profession  firings  one  of  its  devotees  into  almost  constant 
association  with  the  sadder  side  of  life, — that  of  pain  and  sufferings, — so  that 
a  mind  capable  of  great  self  control  and  a  heart  responsive  and  sympathetic 
are  essential  attributes  of  him  who  would  essay  the  practice  of  the  healing 
art.  Thus  when  professional  success  is  attained  in  any  instance  it  may  be 
taken  as  certain  that  such  measure  of  success  has  been  thoroughlv  merited. 

Dr.  Chesney  was  born  in  Marseilles,  Wyandot  county,  Ohio,  November 
10,  1857,  and  is  of  Scotch  lineage.  His  parents  were  John  M.  and  Jumelia 
(Thompson)  Cbesnev.  His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Chesney,  was  a 
native  of  Scotland  and  became  the  founder  of  the  family  in  America.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Mahon,  and  unto  them,  in  Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania, 
on  the  31st  of  May,  1825,  was  born  a  son,  to  whom  they  gave  the  name  of 
John  M.  The  latter  was  educated  in  an  academy  at  Jamestown,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  studied  medicine  under  the  direction  of  his  brother,  Dr.  Robert 


&  .u<?L~-~-^  JkfxQ 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  117 

Chesnev,  of  Shelocta.  From  1853  until  1876  he  was  engaged  in  practice  in 
Marseilles,  Ohio,  and  prior  to  that  time  had  been  a  member  of  the  medical 
fraternity  in  Kenton  and  in  Huntersville,  Ohio.  In  1876  he  came  to  Bucyrus 
and  established  a  drug  store,  which  he  conducted  up  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
in  1883.  He  wedded  Jumelia  Thompson,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Eliza- 
beth Thompson,  who  came  from  Lynchburg',  Virginia,  and  settled  in  Marion, 
Ohio,  where  Mrs.  Chesney  was  born.  Her  father  was  a  colonel  in  a  Vir- 
ginia regiment  during  the  Mexican  war.  In  Marion  he  took  quite  an  active 
part  in  public  affairs,  and  at  one  time  served  as  sheriff  of  his  county.  His 
death  occurred  a  number  of  years  ago. 

Dr.  Chesney.  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  pursued  his  literary 
education  in  Wooster  University,  of  Wooster.  Ohio,  and,  determining  to 
make  the  practice  of  medicine  his  life  work,  he  then  began  study  in  the  office 
and  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Cuvkendall,  in  1876.  Subsequently  he  entered 
the  Columbus  Medical  College  and  was  graduated  at  that  institution  with  the 
class  of  1879.  In  1880  he  became  connected  in  practice  with  Dr.  J.  N. 
Richie,  of  Oceola.  their  relation  being  maintained  until  1881,  when  Dr. 
Chesnev  completed  his  medical  studies  in  Xew  York,  in  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons,  where  he  graduated  in  1882.  He  then  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Dr.  Thrift,  of  Lima.  Ohio,  at  that  time  a  leading  physician  in  that 
city  and  a  professor  in  the  Fort  Wayne  Medical  College.  Owing  to  his 
father  s  death  Dr.  Chesney  came  to  Bucyrus  and  has  since  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  this  city  with  excellent  success.  His  reputation  is  not  limited 
by  the  confines  of  the  county  and  his  practice  has  extended  into  adjoining 
counties.  He  has  very  superior  ability  as  a  surgeon,  and  the  fraternity  as 
well  as  the  public,  accord  him  a  foremost  place  as  a  representative  of  the 
medical  science.  In  1883  he  declined  the  chair  of  physiology  in  the  Fort 
Wayne  Medical  College.  In  connection  with  his  private  practice  he  has 
served  as  division  Aurgeon  for  the  Toledo  &  Ohio  Central  Railroad  for 
the  past  sixteen  years,  is  local  surgeon  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  also 
for  the  Columbus,  Sandusky  &  Flocking  Railroad.  He  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  National  Association  of  Surgeons,  and  as  a  student  he  is  contin- 
ually carrying  his  investigations  into  broader  realms  of  medical  knowledge. 
Each  year  finds  him  further  advanced  on  the  road  to  perfection  in  his  pro- 
fession. He  is  also  identified  with  other  lines  of  business  activity,  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Caledonia  Deposit  Bank,  of  Marion  county,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
director  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Bucyrus.  He  is  also  president  of  the 
Broken  Sword  Stone  Company. 


n8  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

In  T887  Dr.  Chesney  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Cora  Rouse,  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Catherine  Rouse.  Her  death  occurred  in  1892, 
and  a  daughter,  Edith,  was  left  to  mourn  her  loss.  In  1898  the  Doctor  was 
again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Mrs.  Celia  B.  Mulford,  of  Han- 
over, New  Jersey.  In  the  summer  of  1900  the  Doctor  and  his  wife  visited 
Europe,  traveling  over  a  portion  of  the  continent  and  visiting"  many  places  of 
Historic  and  modern  interest.  Theirs  ;is  one  of  the  tasteful  and  finely 
appointed  homes  of  Bucyrus,  and  he  also  has  a  splendidly  equipped  office, 
supplied  with  all  modern  accessories  that  prove  of  aid  and  value  in  the  line 
of  his  profession.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks  and  of  the  Masonic  and  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternities.  A  man  of 
scholarly  attainments  and  broad  general  information,  he  is  not  only  a  leader 
in  professional  circles  but  is  held  in  high  esteem  in  fraternal  and  social  circles,. 
and  enjoys  the  warm  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  is  associated. 

CHRISTIAN  F.  BIRK. 

To  achieve  renown  in  the  political  field  there  must  be  something  sub- 
stantial on  which  to  base  aspirations  and  something  more  than  the  desire  to 
attain  prominence.  A  man  must  possess  a  strict  sense  of  honor,  a  firm  con- 
viction that  he  is  capable  of  performing  the  duties  to  which  he  is  assigned  and 
1:  st  have  the  welfare  of  his  community  and  constituents  at  heart,  sacrificin  * 
his  personal  interests  \,  those  of  the  people.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century  Mr.  Birk  has  been  identified  with  the  Democracy  and  has  labored  untir- 
ingly to  promote  its  growth  and  to  secure  the  adoption  of  its  platform.  Many 
times  has  he  been  honored  with  positions  of  public  trust  and  responsibility, 
and  in  these  he  has  ever  been  found  faithful  to  his  duty.  He  is  now  serving  as 
mayor  of  Bucyrus  and  handles  the  reins  of  city  government  in  a  manner  that 
has  promoted  the  welfare  and  progress  of  the  municipality. 

One  of  the  native  sons  of  Bucyrus,  Christian  F.  Birk  was  born  April  29, 
1852,  a  son  of  John  G.  Birk,  who  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  anct 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1845.  After  living  for  a  time  in  Albany,  New 
York,  he  went  to  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio.  In  1847  ne  came  to  Bucyrus,  and 
here  followed'  harness-making  many  years.  From  1874  to  1876  he  served 
as  treasurer  of  Crawford  county.  His  death  occurred  November  10,  1888. 
In  1851  he  married  Miss  Joanna  Kuhn,  also  a  native  of  Germany  and  a  rep- 
resentative of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Crawford  county,  her  people 
having  come  to  this  section  of  Ohio  in  1836.     Her  death  occurred  in  October, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  119 

1893,  when  she  had  attained  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  In  their  family  were 
the  following  named :  Christian  F.,  of  this  review ;  George  M.,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  drug  business  with  his  brother;  Christian  F. ;  Emanuel  R.,  who  is 
now  proprietor  of  the  harness  shop  established  by  his  father  and  is  doing  a 
very  extensive  business,  making  sales  in  various  portions  of  the  state  and  even 
beyond  its  borders;  Lewis  C,  who  is  foreman  in  the  harness  store;  and  Eliza- 
beth, the  wife  of  F.  P.  Donnenwirth,  a  retired  citizen  of  Bucyrus. 

Christian  F.  Birk,  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  review,  acquired 
a  common-school  education  in  Bucyrus,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  began 
assisting  his  father  in  the  harness  shop,  where  he  mastered  the  business  both  in 
principle  and  detail.  For  several  years  he  was  a  partner  with  his  father  in 
the  enterprise,  under  the  firm  name  of  J.  G.  Birk  &  Son.  For  fifty-three  years 
the  business  has  been  continued  as  the  Birks  Harness  Store  and  is  one  of  the 
most  successful  commercial  institutions  of  the  city,  being  now  conducted  by 
two  of  the  sons  of  the  former.  In  1892  our  subject  and  his  younger 
brother,  G.  M.  Birk,  established  a  drug  store,  which  they  are  still  conducting. 
They  carry  a  large  and  well  selected  stock  of  goods  and  their  business  methods 
are  such  that  those  who  once  become  their  customers  remain  as  regular  patrons. 
Their  sales  are  constantly  increasing  and  the  proprietors  therefore  enjoy  a 
good  income.  Our  subject  is  also  connected  with  the  Board  of  Trade.  In 
Bucyrus,  in  1873,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Christian  F.  Birk  and  Miss 
Bertha  S.  Volk,  a  daughter  of  William  F.  Volk,  who  came  to  Crawford  county 
about  sixty  years  ago.  They  now  have  three  children  :  John  W.,  a  graduate  of 
a  commercial  course  in  Chicago,  was  the  first  lieutenant  in  Company  A,  of 
the  Eighth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  during  the  Spanish-American  war  and 
served  at  Santiago,  being  present  at  the  time  of  the  surrender  of  the  city; 
Carry  Elizabeth  is  now  the  wife  of  G.  W.  Kerr,  of  Wrightsville,  Pennsylvania ; 
and  Edna  T.  is  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Bucyrus.  The  mother  died  August 
10,  1898,  a  month  after  her  son  sailed  for  Cuba,  and  while  he  was  still  on  the 
Island.  Socially  Mr.  Birk  is  connected  with  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity, 
and  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
German  Lutheran  church  and  in  his  political  affiliations  is  a  stalwart  Demo- 
crat, unswerving  in  his  support  of  the  party.  When  only  twenty-three  years  of 
age  he  was  elected  to  the  city  council  and  after  an  interval  he  was  chosen,  in 
1896,  for  a  second  term  of  two  years.  He  served  as  city  marshal  from  1884 
until  1890,  and  in  the  latter  year  entered  upon  a  four  years'  term  as  county 
sheriff.  His  fellow  townsmen  conferred  upon  him  the  highest  honor  within 
their  power  when,  in  1898,  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Bucyrus,  and  two  years 


120  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

later  they  again  called  him  to  the  same  position,  a  fact  which  indicates  how 
faithfully  he  had  served  them,  his  administration  being  practical,  progressive 
and  beneficial.  Public  spirited,  he  has  withheld  his  support  from  no  measure 
that  he  believes  will  promote  the  welfare  and'  substantial  advancement  of 
Bucyrus,  and  his  discriminating  mind  enables  him  to  judge  correctly  of  the 
value  to  the  city  of  any  measure  introduced.  Over  the  record  of  his  public 
life  and  private  career  there  falls  no  shadow  of  wrong  or  suspicion  of  evil, 
and  he  is  rich  in  those  qualities  which  win  and  retain  personal  friendships. 

FREMONT  F.  STURTZ. 

Fremont  F.  Sturtz  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
August  8,  1857,  an(l  ^s  tne  youngest  of  five  children  of  Solomon  and  Elizabeth 
(Kennel)  Sturtz.  His  father  was  born  in  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania,  near 
Harrisburg,  August  22,  1821,  and  his  youth  was  spent  upon  the  old  home 
farm  there.  He  afterward  went  to  Westmoreland  county  when  a  young  man, 
and  was  there  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Kennel.  Their  children  were  Joseph, 
of  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania;  Susan,  the  wife  of  Peter  Stoner,  of  Scott- 
dale,  Fayette  county;  Samuel,  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio;  Elizabeth,  the  wife 
Emanuel  Hess,  of  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania ;  and  Freeman  F.  For 
some  years  after  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sturtz  resided  upon  a  rented 
farm.  In  1857  tne  wife  and  mother  died,  and  in  1859  the  father  married  Mrs. 
Barbara  Davis,  the  widow  of  Solomon  Davis.  Her  maiden  name  was  Bar- 
bara Brooks.  By  the  second  marriage  there  are  three  children:  Malinda, 
the  widow  of  James  Bodley,  of  Plymouth,  Ohio;  Dolly  A.,  who  married  Henry 
Morton,  of  Shelby,  Ohio;  and  George  B.,  of  Bucyrus.  Soon  after  his  second 
marriage  Solomon  Sturtz  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
in  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  continued  its  cultivation  until  1865,  when 
he  came  to  Crawford  county,  locating  in  Liberty  township.  Here  he  rented 
land  until  1887,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  retired  in  Whetstone  township. 
In  early  life  he  was  a  Republican,  but  since  coming  to  Ohio  has  joined  the 
Democratic  ranks.      Religiously  he  is  connected  with  the  Evangelical  church. 

When  only  eight  years  of  age  Fremont  F.  Sturtz  was  bound  out  to  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Jehu  Davis,  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
with  him  our  subject  remained  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  entered 
upon  an  independent  business  career.  For  three  years  he  was  employed  as 
a  farm  hand  by  Mr.  Laucks,  of  Westmoreland  county,  and  in  December,  1878, 
lie  came  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio.     During  the  three  succeeding  years  he 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  121 

worked  by  the  month  for  his  brother.  On  the  17th  of  February,  1881,  he  was 
joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Ella  J.  Charlton,  a  daughter  of  John  E.  and  Laura 
E.  (  Lones)  Charlton.  Her  father  was  born  on  the  farm  where  our  subject  now 
resides,  December  18,  1830,  and  was  a  son  of  John  Charlton,  who  came  to 
Crawford  count}-  among  its  first  settlers,  making  the  journey  hither  from 
Maryland.  He  entered  eighty  acres  of  government  land,  upon  which  Mr. 
Sturtz  now  resides.  After  his  death  this  farm  was  purchased  by  John  E. 
Charlton,  who  afterward  bought  an  adjoining  forty  acres,  so  that  the  farm 
comprised  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  It  remained  his  place  of  residence 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  and  he  also  purchased  another  farm  of  ninety  acres 
on  the  Bucyrus  road.  He  voted  with  the  Republican  party  and  in  religion  was 
a  stanch  member  of  the  Evangelical  church,  in  which  he  "held  different  offices 
for  many  years.  His  death  occurred  July  12,  1897.  He  had  three  children: 
Ella  J.;  Joseph  E„  of  North  Enid,  Oklahoma;  and  Wilbur  ].,  who  is  in  the 
employ  of  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Sturtz  took  charge  of  his  father-in-law's 
farm,  which  he  operated  up  to  the  time  of  the  latter's  death,  when  J.  E.  Charl- 
ton was  appointed  administrator  of  the  estate.  When  the  business  was  settled 
up  our  subject  purchased  the  old  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  now  thereon  rearing-  their  children,  namely :  Melvin 
Roy,  Florence  E.  and  Milton  Clare. 

Mr.  Sturtz  votes  the  Republican  ticket  and  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  the  party.  He,  too,  belongs  to  the  Evangelical  church,  in  which 
he  has  served  as  trustee,  and  socially  he  is  connected  with  Sulphur  Springs 
Tent,  No.  298,  K.  O.  T.  M.  At  the  tender  age  of  eight  years  he  started  out 
to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world  and  has  since  depended  entirely  upon  his 
own  resources.  Whatever  success  he  has  achieved  has  resulted  from  his 
labors  and  his  energy,  guided  by  sound  judgment.  His  career  has  ever  been 
upright  and  honorable,  winning-  him  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  those  with 
whom  he  has  been  brought  in  contact. 

SAMUEL  SPONSELLER. 

Samuel  Sponseller  is  one  of  the  influential  and  esteemed  citizens  of  Craw- 
ford county,  where  he  owns  and  operates  a  well  cultivated  and  productive  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  acres  of  land,  in  Liberty  township.  His  birth 
was  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  on  December  31,  1836,  a  son  of 
Michael  and  Susanna  (  Mentzer)  Sponseller,  and  is  one  of  a  family  of  eleven 


122  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

children  born  to  his  parents,  ten  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  and  rive  of  whom 
still  survive,  viz. :  Susanna,  the  widow  of  Martin  Brown,  resides  near  Dixon, 
Indiana;  Emanuel  is  a  farmer  of  Hancock  county,  Ohio;  Henry  is  a  farmer  of 
Kosciusko  county,  Indiana;  Reuben  is  a  farmer  of  Defiance  county,  Ohio;  and 
Samuel,  of  this  sketch. 

The  father,  Michael  Sponseller,  came  to  Crawford  county  from  Colum- 
biana county  about  183 1,  having  been  married  there,  and  eight  of  the  children 
were  born  there.  Upon  his  arrival  in  this  county  he  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  land,  where  our  subject  now  resides.  This  was  owned  by  his  brother-in- 
law,  John  Mentzer.  Then  he  entered  the  eighty  acres  adjoining  this  on  the 
west,  and  soon  after  purchased  another  eighty  acres  on  the  south,  making  his 
farm  one  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  In  1858  he  built  a  commodious 
farm  residence  and  the  year  following  he  erected  a  substantial  and  sightly 
barn,  making  his  property  one  of  the  best  improved  in  this  locality.  The 
mother  died  in  1858  and  the  father  contracted  a  second  marriage,  with  Mrs. 
Maria  Hatton,  who  survived  him  some  seven  years.  The  father  died  in  1874, 
having  been  one  of  the  thoroughly  respected  citizens  of  the  township.  In 
his  early  days  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  cast  his  first  Republican  vote  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  and  ever  after  voted  and  worked  for  that  pari)-. 

Our  subject,  Samuel  Sponseller,  grew  up  and  spent  his  boyhood  on  the 
old  farm,  gaining  his  education  in  the  schools  of  the  locality,  with  one  summer 
at  the  Haysville  Academy,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  took  charge  and 
managed  the  home  farm  for  his  father.  In  i860,  on  the  18th  of  April,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  one  of  the  fair  daughters  of  this  county,  Miss  Sarah 
A.  Kling,  a  native  of  Cranberry  township,  the  daughter  of  Moses  Kling,  who 
for  fifteen  years  was  -a  well  known  justice  of  the  peace  in  his  township.  After 
his  marriage  our  subject  remained  on  the  home  place  and  continued  to  manage 
it  successfully,  but  about  1870  he  bought  forty  acres  of  the  home  farm,  which 
he  cultivated  until  his  father's  death,  when  he  purchased  the  old  place  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  from  the  other  heirs,  the  father  having  previously 
disposed  of  eighty  acres  to  his  son  Emanuel,  and  still  later  our  subject  bought 
of  his  brother  eighteen  and  one-half  acres,  and  also  seventeen  and  one-half  of 
the  Daniel  Chambers  farm,  making  his  acreage  one  hundred  and  ninety-six 
acres,  which  is  desirably  located  in  section  20. 

Mr.  Sponseller  has  displayed  great  energy,  judgment  and  industry  in  the 
acquisition  of  so  large  a  farm,  but  he  thoroughly  understands  the  management 
and  care  of  it  and  enjoys  the  ownership  of  not  only  one  of  the  most  productive 
but  also  one  of  the  most  attractive  farms  of  the  countv. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  123 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sponseller  have  been  born  three  children,  two  of  whom, 
Sylvanus  E.  and  James,  are  deceased,  the  survivor  being  William  H.,  a  farmer 
of  Bucyrus  township.  Although  not  a  member,  Mr.  Sponseller  is  a  liberal 
supporter  of  the  German  Baptist  church,  of  which  his  estimable  wife  is  a  con- 
sistent member  and  he  is  an  attendant  on  the  services.  A  life-long  Republican, 
he  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party  and  its  men  an 
plans,  believing  the  principles  advocated  by  it  to  be  the  best  for  the  country  at 
large.  Several  years  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  safe  and  reliable  advisers  in  educational  matters.  The 
esteem  in  which  he  is  held  is  general,  and  he  may  be  justly  regarded  as  a 
representative  man  of  Crawford  county. 

WILLIAM  A.  ECKERT. 

Among  the  successful  and  highly  esteemed  farmer  citizens  of  Dallas 
township,  Crawford  county,  is  William  A.  Eckert,  who  was  born  in  Wyandot 
county,  Ohio,  on  August  1,  185 1,  a  son  of  the  late  Nathaniel  H.  and  Emeline 
(Decker)  Eckert. 

Nathaniel  H.  Eckert  was  born  in  Syracuse,  New  York,  on  August  4, 
1 8 19,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  state.  When  about  thirty 
years  of  age  he  came  to  Ohio  and  bought  forty  acres  of  land  in  Wryandot 
county,  near  Nevada,  and  upon  that  farmed  for  some  nine  or  ten  years. 
Selling  that  tract  he  bought  fifty-five  acres  just  east  of  Nevada  and  here  he 
farmed  until  1867,  when  he  came  to  Dallas  township  and  bought  ninety-five 
acres  in  section  24  and  later  fifty-five  acres  in  section  25.  For  several  years 
he  lived  on  the  former  tract  and  about  twenty-five  years  ago  built  a  residence 
on  the  south  side  of  the  road,  on  the  other  tract,  and  lived  upon  it  until  his 
death,  with  the  exception  of  about  two. years'  residence  in  Nevada. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Eckert  was  to  Emeline  Decker,  who  was  born  in 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  her  parents  being  pioneer  settlers  of  the  county. 
Her  death  took  place  on  September  3,  1892,  her  husband  surviving  until 
April  25,  1900.  Their  children  were  William  A.,  Marietta,  Caroline,  Delia 
Jane,  Sarah  Loetta  and  George  E.,  the  latter  a  farmer  of  Bucyrus  township. 
Only  William  A.  and  George  survive. 

Although  Mr.  Eckert  began  life  with  limited  means,  by  industry  and 
good  business  management  he  became  a  substantial  farmer  and  stock-raiser. 
Before  his  death  he  added  still  another  fifty-acre  tract  to  his  estate  and  was 
thus  one  of  the  large  land  owners  of  the  county.     In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 


i24  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

publican  and  for  many  years  was  a  leading  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
church,  and  was  a  man  who  enjoyed  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  whole 
neighborhood. 

William  A.  Eckert,  the  most  worthy  son  of  this  estimable  father,  was 
reared  on  the  farm,  and  was  educated  at  the  State  Deaf  and  Mute  Institute 
at  Columbus,  Ohio.  His  home  has  always  been  in  Dallas  township  since  his 
parents  came  to  Crawford  county. 

Mr.  Eckert  was  married  on  December  y,  1880,  to  Bertha  O.  Sohlke, 
who  was  born  in  Germany,  a  daughter  of  Christian  and  Emma  Sohlke,  who 
emigrated  to  America  when  Bertha  was  four  years  old.  They  settled  in 
New  York,  but  later  removed  to  London,  Ohio,  later  to  Putnam  county, 
where  thev  died.  Mrs.  Eckert  was  also  educated  in  the  hue  institution  for 
the  mutes  at  Columbus,  and  there  formed  the  acquaintance  of  her  husband. 
Three  bright,  entertaining  and  well  educated  children  form  the  home  circle 
for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eckert, — Callie,  Victoria  and  Robert  Ray.  Mr.  Eckert 
has  been  a  successful  farmer,  is  a  Republican  voter  and  is  one  of  the  most 
highly  respected  citizens  of  the  township. 

TARLINGTON  B.  CARSON. 

Tarlington  B.  Carson  is  now  serving  as  postmaster  of  New  Washington 
and  is  one  of  the  honored  pioneer  settlers  of  Crawford  county,  whose  growth 
and  progress  he  has  witnessed  from  an  early  period,  having  located  within 
its  borders  when  civilization  had  hardly  gained  a  foothold,  much  of  the  land 
being  in  its  primitive  condition,  while  the  work  of  development  and  improve- 
ment lay  in  the  future.  A  wonderful  transformation  has  since  occurred, 
and  the  forests  have  been  replaced  by  waving  fields  of  grain,  giving  evidence 
oi  the  care  of  enterprising  agriculturists ;  towns  and  villages  have  also  been 
founded  and  have  been  supplied  with  all  of  the  accessories  known  to  the 
older  east. 

Mr.  Carson  was  born  in  Venus  township,  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  June  7, 
1837,  his  parents  being"  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Willoughby)  Carson,  both  of 
whom  are  of  German-Irish  descent,  and  were  natives  of  Virginia,  but  were 
married  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  in  18 14.  In  1835  they  removed  to  Seneca 
countv,  locating  in  Venus  township.  The  father  entered  a  section  of  land 
and  erected  thereon  a  double  log  house,  which  served  as  the  family  residence 
for  several  years  and  was  also  used  as  a  place  of  religious  worship.  Later 
a  log  schoolhouse  was  built  in  the  neighborhood  and  it  was  used  for  church 


U^AJ^^^^^.ySTt^^n^. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  127 

as  well  as  school  purposes.  Samuel  Carson  was  a  distant  relative  of  the 
celebrated  trapper  and  Indian  fighter,  Kit  Carson.  A  man  of  very  decided 
views  and  excellent  judgment,  he  was  in  his  day  considered  one  of  the  most 
prominent  "and  intelligent  residents  of  northern  Ohio.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat  until  the  election  of  Buchanan  to  the  presidency.  Entertaining 
strong  abolition  views  and  not  being  pleased  with  Buchanan's  administra- 
tion, he  enlisted  under  the  banner  of  the  new  Republican  party  which  was 
formed  to  prevent  the  further  extension  of  slavery,  and  was  identified  with  that 
organization  from  the  early  days  of  its  history  until  his  death.  His  fellow 
townsmen,  recognizing  his  ability,  frequently  called  him  to  positions  of  public 
trust,  yet  he  was  never  an  office-seeker.  He  had  the  high  regard  of  his 
neighbors  and  friends  and  he  left  the  impress  of  his  individuality  upon  public 
thought,  feeling,  progress  and  advancement.  His  wife  died  in  February, 
1866.  She  was  very  devoted  and  considerate  in  her  relations  with  her  hus- 
band and  children  and  won  the  love  of  all.  Her  husband  survived  her  until 
June  of  the  following  year,  when  he,  too,  passed  away  and  was  laid  to  rest 
by  the  side  of  the  woman  who  had  been  to  him  a  faithful  companion  and 
helpmeet  on  life's  journey.  They  were  both  active  and  consistent  members 
of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church,  Mrs.  Carson  being  most  influential  in 
carrying  forward  all  church  and  charitable  work.  They  became  the  parents 
of  eleven  children,  namely:  Robert,  Jackson  W.,  Annie,  Harrison  H.,  George, 
Margaret,  Sarah,  Hannah,  Eliza,  Samuel  and  Tarlington  B. 

The  last  named  is  the  immediate  subject  of  this  review,  and  is  one  of 
the  well  known  citizens  of  Crawford  county.  His  school  privileges  in  youth 
were  very  meager,  for  he  probably  never  attended  more  than  forty  days 
in  any  one  year.  At  the  time  of  his  birth  there  were  but  five  families  in  the 
school  district,  the  country  round  about  being  a  vast  wilderness.  He,  however, 
mastered  the  common  branches  of  the  English  course,  and  when  twenty 
years  of  age  he  began  teaching,  which  profession  he  followed  for  four  years. 
Desiring  to  still  further  perfect  his  own  knowledge,  he  then  entered  the 
Seneca  Academy  and  he  was  also  materially  assisted  in  his  studies  by  his  two 
older  brothers,  who  were  teachers,  and  by  his  brother-in-law,  Alanson  Cory. 
who  at  that  time  was  one  of  the  ablest  educators  of  this  portion  of  the  state. 
He  had  two  brothers,  Elarrison  H.  and  George  W.,  who  were  ministers  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  and  Freewill  Baptist  churches,  respectively,  and  four 
of  his  sisters  and  three  of  his  brothers  were  teachers.  Mr.  Carson  eagerly 
continued  his  pursuit  of  knowledge,  often  studying  far  into  the  night,  and  by 
this  means  he  acquired  an  excellent  education.     On  the  breaking  out  of  the 


128  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Civil  war  he  responded  to  his  country's  call  and  joined  the  boys  in  blue  of 
Company  H,  Fourteenth  Regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  being  mus- 
tered into  the  service  on  the  5th  of  September,  1861.  Not  long  afterward 
the  regiment  joined  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  he  served  his  country 
faithfully  throughout  the  war  and  participated  in  many  engagements,  among 
the  most  prominent  of  which  were  the  battles  of  Chickamauga,  Lookout 
Mountain,  Missionary  Ridge,  Jonesboro,  Wild  Cat,  Spring  Mills  and  many 
others  of  lesser  importance.  He  was  also  in  the  skirmishes  around  Pitts- 
burg Landing-  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Tuscumbia,  Alabama.  He  sustained 
two  flesh  wounds,  one  at  Missionary  Ridge  and  the  other  at  Chickamauga, 
and  on  the  close  of  his  three  years  term  of  service  was  honorably  discharged 
September  9,  1864,  returning  home  with  a  most  commendable  record  for 
valor  and  loyalty. 

After  again  reaching  Ohio  Mr.  Carson  purchased  eighty  acres  of  the 
farm  upon  which  he  was  born,  but  in  1868  sold  that  property  and  for  a  year 
resided  upon  what  was  known  as  the  Joseph  Summerland  farm.  Later  he 
removed  to  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  now  owned  by  Samuel  Willford,  having 
purchased  this  property  at  the  time  he  sold  his  first  farm.  He  cleared  and 
improved  it,  making  it  his  home  for  seven  years,  when  he  found  a  purchaser 
for  the  property,  and  having  disposed  of  it  invested  his  money  in  another 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Cranberry  township,  which  he  still 
owns.  During-  the  ten  years  of  his  residence  thereon  he  cleared  eighty  acres, 
placing  the  tract  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  but  in  March,  1886,  he 
rented  his  land  and  removed  to  New  Washington,  taking  up  his  abode  in  his 
present  residence,  which  he  rented  for  a  year  and  then  purchased. 

On  the  2d  of  May,  1861,  Mr.  Carson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Sarah  R.  Smith,  a  native  of  Venus  township,  Seneca  county,  and  a  daughter 
of  Jonathan  and  Elizabeth  (Bigam)  Smith.  By  this  marriage  were  born 
seven  children,  of  whom  three  are  yet  living.  During  the  earlier  years  of 
his  business  career  Mr.  Carson  also  engaged  in  teaching-  in  the  public  schools 
for  twelve  years  in  connection  with  his  farming  operations,  and  many  of 
the  prominent  men  of  New  Washington  and  vicinity  were  among  his  pupils. 
On  the  15th  of  May,  1889,  without  solicitation  on  his  part  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  New  Washington,  and  occupied  the  position  until  October  1, 
1893.  On  the  1  st  of  September,  1897,  he  was  again  appointed  to  the  office 
and  is  the  present  incumbent.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
unswerving  in  his  advocacy  of  the  party  which  upheld  the  Union  cause  during 
the  Civil  war,  and  has  ever  been  found  on  the  side  of  progress  and  reform. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  129 

In  1894  he  was  solicited  by  many  of  his  friends  to  become  a  candidate  for 
the  office  of  township  trustee.  At  length  he  consented,  and  although  the 
township  is  strongly  Democratic  he  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  fifty-five 
votes.  His  party  would  have  again  given  him  the  nomination,  but  he  refused 
uncompromisingly  to  become  a  candidate.  A  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  he  is  an  earnest  Christian  gentleman,  whose  business 
record,  public  career  and  private  life  are  likewise  above  reproach  or  con- 
demnation. To  the  duties  of  the  home,  in  commercial  circles  and  when  in  office 
he  is  as  true  and  loyal  as  when  he  was  a  Union  soldier  upon  the  battle-fields 
of  the  south. 

JACOB  DENZER. 

Jacob  Denzer,  who  has  passed  the  eightieth  milestone  on  life's  journey,  is 
one  of  the  oldest  citizens  and  most  honored  pioneers  of  Crawford  county.  He 
was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  May  13,  1821,  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Hester  A. 
(Finfgelt)  Denzer.  The  father  also  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Baden 
and  served  as  a  soldier  under  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  going  with  that  general 
on  the  ill-fated  expedition  to  Moscow,  where  thousands  of  his  comrades  fell. 
Unto  him  and  his  wife  were  born  four  sons  and  a  daughter,  namely  :  Andrew, 
Georg'e,  Jacob,  Mary  and  Simon.  Two  of  the  number  died  in  fatherland  and 
were  buried  in  Upfingen,  Baden.  The  father  died  about  1840,  seven  years 
after  coming  to  this  country,  but  the  mother  lived  many  years,  passing  away  in 
1876,  at  the  age  of  ninety- four  years. 

It  was  in  the  autumn  of  1833  that  Jacob  Denzer,  then  a  lad  of  thirteen 
years,  came  with  his  parents  and  their  family  to-  the  new  world.  Not  long 
after  their  arrival  the)'  became  residents  of  Crawford  county  and  the  father 
purchased  fifteen  acres  of  timber  land  in  Liberty  township.  This  tract  was 
then  cleared  and  a  log  cabin  was  built  the  following-  spring.  Jacob  Denzer 
began  to  earn  his  own  living  that  spring  by  working  as  a  farm  hand,  receiv- 
ing three  and  four  dollars  per  month  for  his  services.  He  was  employed  in 
that  capacity  until  twenty-five  years  of  age  and  gave  his  wages  to  Ins  parents 
until  he  had  attained  his  majority.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  began  farm- 
ing on  rented  land,  which  he  operated  for  three  years. 

As  a  further  preparation  for  a  home  of  his  own  Mr.  Denzer  secured  as  a 
companion  and  helpmate  for  the  journey  of  life  Miss  Matilda  McNeal,  of 
Crawford  county,  their  marriage  being  celebrated  on  the  13th  of  March,  1850. 
The  lady  was  born  in  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  December  6,  1826, 


13©  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

and  proved  of  great  assistance  to  her  husband  in  his  work.  After  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  Denzer  rented  one  farm  for  six  years,  and  in  the  meantime  he  pur- 
chased thirty-eight  acres  of  land.  In  1863  he  bought  his  present  homestead 
— one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  county,  the  purchase  being  made  possible 
through  the  enterprise  and  energy  of  Mr.  Denzer,  who  has  labored  consecu- 
tively and  industriously,  thus  working  his  way  upward  to  a  position  of 
affluence.  For  ten  years  he  operated  a  sawmill,  working  the  fields  in  the  day 
time  and  running  the  mill  by  night  and  through  the  seasons  in  which  he  was 
not  cultivating  his  crops.  He  thus  prospered  and  became  one  of  the  exten- 
sive and  representative  farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  the  county.  He  made 
ma..y  improvements  on  his  place,  adding  thereto  all  the  accessories  and  con- 
veniences of  the  model  farm. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Denzer  were  born  the  following  children:  Mary  L., 
Jennie,  Andrew,  Esther,  Simon  J.,  Anson  J.,  Ella,  Alexander,  Maggie,  Lewis 
I.  and  Electa  V.  Two  died  in  childhood — Florence  and  an  infant  son.  In 
rearing  their  children  Mr.  Denzer  and  his  wife  brought  up  a  family  of  sons  and 
daughters  who  are  a  credit  to  their  name,  being  valued  and  influential  citizens 
of  the  respective  communities  in  which  they  make  their  homes.  Mr.  Denzer 
cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Martin  Van  Buren  and  since  that  time  has 
been  a  stalwart  Democrat  in  his  political  views.  For  several  years  he  has 
loved  a  retired  life,  owing  to  impaired  health,  and  well  he  deserves  his  rest  for 
he  has  passed  the  eightieth  milestone  on  life's  journey  and  his  honorable,  active 
and  useful  career  descerves  to  be  crowned  with  a  period  of  rest.  He  is 
respected  by  all  who  know  him,  and  his  acquaintance  has  been  a  wide  one 
through  his  residence  of  more  than  six  decades  in  the  county,  which  he  has 
seen  developed  from  a  wild  region  into  a  splendidly  developed  tract  of  country, 
which  has  become  the  abiding  place  of  a  contented  and  prosperous  people. 

LEWIS  I.  DENZER. 

Lewis  I.  Denzer  is  one  of  the  native  sons  of  Crawford  county  and  is 
widely  known  among  its  citizens,  where  his  educational  work  and  his  personal 
characteristics  have  made  him  popular  and  respected.  He  is  a  son  of  Jacob 
Denzer,  an  honored  pioneer,  whose  sketch  appears  above.  His  birth  occurred 
May  i  2,  i8(>/,  on  the  old  family  homestead  in  Bucyrus  township,  where  his  fa- 
ther is  still  living.  There  our  subject  early  became  familiar  with  the  duties 
and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist.  He  assisted  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  fields,  the  planting  and  harvesting  of  crops  and  in  the  winter  season 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  131 

he  pursued  his  education  in  the  common  schools.  His  preliminary  course  was 
supplemented  by  study  in  the  Ohio  Normal  University,  at  Ada.  He  has  fol- 
lowed his  chosen  vocation  with  success  and  for  several  years  has  been  widely 
known  as  one  of  the  most  competent  and  popular  teachers  in  the  county.  He 
is  a  follower  of  the  Democracy,  earnest  and  enthusiastic  in  support  of  the 
principles  of  his  party,  and  on  its  ticket  he  has  been  elected  for  the  second  time 
to  the  office  of  township  assessor  of  Bucyrus  township,  in  which  position  he 
discharges  his  duties  with  promptness  and  fidelity.  He  still  resides  on  the  old 
family  homestead,  which  is  endeared  to  him  through  the  associations  of  youth 
as  well  as  those  of  his  manhood.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Junior  Order  of 
United  American  Mechanics.  His  acquaintance  is  extensive,  his  friends 
many,  and  among  the  young  men  of  the  county  he  holds  a  high  place  in  public 
regard. 

Mrs.  LOUISA  MILLER. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  more  highly  esteemed  resident  of  Holmes  township 
than  the  most  estimable  lady  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch.  Born  in 
Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania,  February  24,  1825,  she  has  lived  a  long  life 
filled  with  worthy  deeds  and  has  exerted  an  influence  for  good  through  the  com- 
munity. Her  parents  were  Cyrus  and  Margaret  (Warner)  Hacker,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Dauphin  county  who  emigrated  with  their  family  to 
Ohio,  in  1835.  Father  Hacker  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Liberty 
township,  and  settled  down  to  make  a  living  for  his  family.  The  soil  was 
fertile,  but  it  required  hard  work  to  clear  the  land,  and  only  a  portion  of  it  was 
ready  for  cultivation  when  his  death  occurred,  in  1848,  when  he  was  but 
forty-seven  years  old.  His  widow  was  left  with  a  family  of  seven  children 
to  rear,  under  circumstances  which  would  have  completely  crushed  many  a 
woman ;  but  Mrs.  Hacker  was  made  of  strong  nerve,  took  up  her  burden,  man- 
aged her  farm,  reared  her  children  to  be  capable  and  self-supporting  and  self- 
respecting  men  and  women,  and  in  her  later  years  found  a  peaceful  home  with 
one  of  her  excellent  daughters  in  Indiana. 

Our  subject  grew  up  at  her  mother's  side  and  was  taught  all  the  house- 
hold duties  of  the  time,  and  the  art  of  spinning  and  weaving  she  put  into 
practice  in  later  life,  after  marriage,  when  she  wove  all  the  cloth  for  family  use, 
working  frequently  by  firelight,  and  to  those  early  efforts  much  of  the  success 
of  Mr.  Miller  was  due.  In  1848  occurred  the  marriage  of  Louisa  Hacker  to 
Joseph  Miller,  and  during  the  succeeding  ten  years  he  farmed  for  his  father, 


132  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

on  shares;  but  in  1858  he  came  to  Crawford  county  and  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  land,  in  Holmes  township,  where  the  present  Miller  residence  is  located. 
The  years  that  followed  were  years  of  hard  work,  but  diligence  and  persever- 
ance had  their  final  reward.  The  land  was  unimproved,  and  for  eleven  years 
a  pioneer  log  cabin  was  the  family  home.  In  1867  Mr.  Miller  erected  a  sub- 
stantial barn  and  two  years  later  one  of  the  best  residences  in  the  township. 
As  he  prospered  he  added  eighty  adjoining  acres  to  his  farm  on  the  south, 
eighty  more  on  the  north  and  fifty  a  short  distance  east  of  his  home  farm, 
making  his  farming  lands  comprise  about  two  hundred  and  ninety  acres. 
During  all  these  years,  while  life  for  Mrs.  Miller  was  at  its  busiest  and  most 
demanding  stages,  for  she  was  rearing  her  son  and  assisting  in  every  way 
possible  the  business  interests  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Miller  was  making  a 
happy  home  and  becoming  a  beloved  neighbor  in  the  rapidly  growing  com- 
munity. Mr.  Miller  died  on  January  28,  1897,  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  with 
a  name  which  was  ever  recognized  as  good  as  his  bond,  and  one  of  the  leading 
members  of  the  United  Brethren  church  which  he  had  faithfully  served  as  trus- 
tee, class-leader  and  Sunday-school  superintendent  for  many  years.  His 
early  education  was  neglected  because  of  the  demands  made  upon  him  when 
a  child  when  he  should  have  been  at  school. 

Joseph  Miller  was  born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  September  16,  1816,. 
a  son  of  Israel  and  Rachina  (Kitch)  Miller,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  which  he  followed  in  connection  with 
farming.  His  marriage  was  in  his  native  state  and  there  his  three  children 
were  born  ;  but  Joseph,  who  was  the  fourth  child,  was  born  in  Richland  county. 
Some  time  about  181 6,  Israel  Miller  removed  to  Richland  county,  Ohio,  and 
entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  in  Franklin  township,  building 
upon  it  a  cabin  and  making  other  improvements,  residing  upon  it  until  i860, 
when  he  sold  this  farm  and  removed  into  Todd  township,  Crawford  county, 
where  he  bought  a  small  place  of  forty  acres,  and  had  his  children  settled  com- 
fortably around  him.  Here  he  remained  a  number  of  years,  but  late  in  life 
removed  to  Osceola  and  spent  his  last  days  in  retirement,  dying  on  April  30, 
1872,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years  and  six  months.  The  separation  was 
too  great  a  blow  to  his  devoted  wife,  and  twenty-four  hours  later  she  also 
passed  away,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years. 

During  life  Joseph  Miller  voted  with  the  Democratic  party,  having  been 
reared  in  that  faith.  Since  his  death  Mrs.  Miller  has  continued  to  reside  on 
the  farm,  her  son,  Ceno  P..  living  with  her  and  managing  the  estate  with 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  133 

ability.  Many  changes  have  taken  place  since  this  -estimable  lady  first  made 
this  her  home,  and  it  is  with  satisfaction  that  she  can  look  back  and  realize 
how  much  of  the  improvement  is  dne  to  her  own  efforts. 


COXRAD  HASSEL. 

The  life  of  a  man  who  gives  his  years  and  his  energies  to  evangelical, 
educational  and  charitable  work  is  always  interesting  and  valuable  as  show- 
ing men  what  a  fellow  man  has  done  for  mankind.  Rev.  Conrad  Hassel,  one 
of  the  most  prominent  preachers  and  workers  in  the  field  of  Christian  charity, 
living  at  Galion,  Ohio,  was  born  two  miles  southeast  of  Sharon.  Mercer 
county,  Pennsylvania,  January  26,  1863.  When  he  was  six  years  old  his 
parents  removed  to  a  point  two  and  a  half  miles  southwest  of  Sharon,  Trum- 
bull county,  Ohio,  where  he  passed  his  boyhood  and  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  district  school  near  his  home  and  at  a  night  school  taug'ht  in  that 
neighborhood  in  which  special  attention  was  given  to  arithmetic.  He  was 
instructed  in  the  German  language  at  his  home  by  his  parents  and  attended 
several  winter  terms  of  a  German  night  school  at  Sharon,  where  he  devoted 
himself  to  German,  grammar  and  writing.  In  his  boyhood  he  became  a  mem- 
ber and  regular  attendant  of  the  Reformed  church  at  Sharon.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  taught  a  class  in  the  Sunday-school  of  that  church  and  was  a 
regular  attendant  at  another  Sunday-school  in  that  neighborhood,  the  sessions 
of  which  were  held  on  Sunday  afternoons.  The  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day-school last  mentioned  had  a  happy  faculty  for  simple  narration  of  the 
deeds  and  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  his  presentation  of  the  Savior's  career  and 
mission  was  so  effective  that  it  powerfully  impressed  young  Hassel,  who  has 
no  recollection  as  to  when  he  first  conceived  a  desire  to  enter  the  ministry  of 
the  gospel.  As  long  ago  as  he  can  remember,  he  felt  such  a  desire.  Even  at 
the  age  of  seven,  while  reading"  the  simple  narratives  of  the  Bible,  he  was 
strongly  impressed  by  the  Gospels  and  the  Acts  to  preach  Christ  and  Him 
crucified. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  young  Hassel  entered  Calvin  Colleg'e  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  where  under  the  competent  direction  of  the  Rev.  H.  J.  Ruetenik,  D.  D., 
LL.  D.,  he  took  a  full  collegiate  course  and  won  a  gold  medal  which  was 
offered  as  a  prize  to  the  student  taking  first  rank  in  the  German  language. 
After  graduating,  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.,  he  took  a  seminary  course  at 
Heidelberg  University,  Tiffin,  Ohio,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree 


i34  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

of  B.   D.,   and  seven  years  later  his   alma  mater  conferred  upon  him   the 
degree  of  A.  M. 

Rev.  Hassel's  first  pastorate  was  composed  of  the  Reformed  church  at 
Ashland  and  a  country  congregation  near  West  Point,  Ohio.  That  pastorate 
continued  for  two  years  and  nine  months,  during'  which  time  the  membership, 
especially  in  the  country  church,  was  greatly  improved,  and  in  many  ways 
it  was  crowned  with  the  reward  of  blessed  work  well  done.  Having  accepted 
a  call  from  the  First  Reformed  church  of  Galion,  Ohio,  Rev.  Hassel  entered 
upon  his  second  pastorate  April  i,  1891.  The  tenth  anniversary  <~>f  his  con- 
nection with  the  Galion  church  was  made  the  occasion  of  an  interesting  cele- 
bration.     His  church  has  a  membership  of  over  six  hundred. 

In  addition  to  his  work  in  the  ministry  Rev.  Hassel  has  distinguished  him- 
self in  connection  with  the  Crawford  Count}'  Historical  Society.  He  began 
historical  researches  local  in  character  in  1893  which  attracted  so  much  at- 
tention and  prompted  so  much  interest  in  the  matters  in  question  that  the  so- 
ciety was  duly  organized  May  18,  1896,  with  Conrad  Hassel  as  president.  In 
the  same  year  a  monument  was  erected  by  the  society  on  the  site  of  the 
Olentangy  battle-field,  where  on  June  6,  1782,  Colonel  Crawford's  retreating- 
army  faced  about  and  had  a  battle  with  the  pursuing  Indian  warriors  from 
Sandusky  and  Buttler's  Rangers  from  Fort  Detroit.  Though  hard  pressed 
the  Americans  gained  the  victory.  Rev.  Hassel's  familiarity  with  the  open- 
in:;  oi  the  Northwest  Territory  gave  him  intimate  knowledge  concerning  its 
early  settlement  and  the  trials  and  successes  of  such  pioneers  as  Boone  and  his 
contemporaries,  as  well  as  the  subsequent  brave  pathfinders  of  the  wilderness. 
Rev.  Hassel  has  been  president  of  the  Heidelberg  Classis,  president  of  the 
Central  Synod,  delegate  to  the  General  Synod  and  treasurer  of  the  Home 
Mission  board  and  is  at  this  time  president  of  the  board  just  mentioned. 

Rev.  Hassel  married  Lydia  Forwick,  of  Vermillion,  Ohio,  August  26, 
1889,  and  their  union  was  blessed  with  six  children, — three  boys  and  three 
girls,  named  as  follows :  Frieda,  Alma,  Otto,  Irene,  Carl  and  Ira.  Mrs. 
Hassel  is  a  daughter  of  a  well  known  minister  of  the  Reformed  church,  now 
deceased. 

JAMES  B.  GORMLY. 

The  unostentatious  routine  of  private  life,  although  of  vast  importance 
to  the  welfare  of  the  community,  has  not  figured  to  any  great  extent  in  the 
pages  of  history.     But  the  names  of  men  who  have  distinguished  themselves. 


^ 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  137 

by  the  possession  of  those  qualities  of  character  which  mainly  contribute  to 
the  success  of  private  life  and  to  the  public  stability  and  who  have  enjoyed 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  those  around  them  should  not  be  permitted 
to  perish.  Their  example  is  more  valuable  to  the  majority  of  readers  than 
that  of  heroes,  statesmen  and  writers,  as  they  furnish  means  of  subsistence 
for  the  multitude  whom  they  in  their  useful  careers  have  employed. 

Such  are  the  thoughts  that  involuntarily  come  to  our  minds  when  we 
consider  the  life  of  him  whose  name  initiates  this  sketch.  He  is  one  of  the 
most  prominent  representatives  of  the  banking"  interests  of  this  section  of 
Ohio.  A  man  of  sterling  worth,  his  ability  in  business  and  reliable  methods 
have  won  for  the  institution  with  which  he  is  connected  a  foremost  posi- 
tion in  money  circles. 

Mr.  Gormly  was  born  in  Bucyrus  November  23,  1836,  and  is  the  eldest 
son  of  John  A.  Gormly,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania, 
July  19,  1804.  His  paternal  grandparents  were  John  and  Elizabeth  (Gill) 
Gormly.  The  former  was  born  in  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  in  1776.  and 
about  1790  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world,  locating  in  Pittsburg, 
where  he  entered  the  milling  business.  He  wedded  Elizabeth  Gill,  a  daughter 
of  John  Gill,  who  was  born  in  Scotland  and  took  up  his  abode  in  the  Key- 
stone state  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war.  When  the  colonies  attempted 
to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  British  oppression  he  joined  the  army  and  valiantly 
assisted  in  obtaining  independence.  About  1830  John  A.  Gormly  removed 
to  Brownsville.  Pennsylvania,  where  he  engaged  in  the  dry-goods  business, 
and  while  residing  there  became  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  In 
1833  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Louisa  Bowman,  and  in  1836  they 
came  to  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  where  he  conducted  a  small  general  store  on  Sandusky 
avenue,  having  purchased  property  there.  By  close  attention  to  business  and 
careful  management  on  the  part  of  himself  and  wife  he  became  one  of  the 
wealthy  men  of  the  county.  He  judiciously  invested  a  part  of  his  capital 
in  realty,  becoming  the  owner  of  valuable  city  property  and  one  thousand 
acres  of  rich  farming  land.  In  1859  he  turned  his  attention  to>  the  banking 
business,  establishing  the  People's  Deposit  Bank,  which  he  successfully  con- 
ducted until  18C4,  when  he  organized  the  First  National  Bank  of  Bucyrus 
and  was  chosen  its  president,  acting  in  that  capacity  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  May  8.  1878,  when  he  was  in  his  seventy-fifth  year.  To  his  man- 
agement, fair  dealing  and  integrity  the  bank  owes  its  high  reputation,  which 
lias  not  been  lessened  under  the  management  of  his  son,  James  B.  Gormly, 
who  is  now  president.     In  church  work  he  always  took  an  active  interest, 


138  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  cause  of  Christianity.  In  1838  he 
was  elected  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  and  in  1868  was  made 
a  lay  delegate  of  the  presbytery  from  Bellfontaine  to  the  general  assembly 
in  Brooklyn,  New  York.  His  wife  passed  away  prior  to  his  death,  being 
called  to  her  final  rest  May  6,  1872.  In  their  family  were  three  children, 
James  B..  George  C.  and  Mary  L..  the  daughter  being  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
James  G.  D.  Findley,  of  Newburg.  New  York. 

Mr.  Gormly,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  pursued  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Bucvrus  until  his  seventeenth  year,  when  he  entered  the- 
store  of  his  uncle,  James  P.  Bowman,  with  whom  he  remained  for  a  year. 
In  1856  he  was  graduated  in  Bartlett's  Commercial  College,  of  Cincinnati, 
and  then  entered  the  Exchange  Bank,  of  Bucvrus,  as  teller  and  bookkeeper 
there,  remaining  until  1859.  In  that  year  he  and  his  father  organized  and 
became  sole  proprietors  of  the  People's  Deposit  Bank,  which  ceased  to  do 
business  on  the  organization  in  1864  of  the  First  National  Bank,  of  which  the 
father  became  president,  while  Mr.  Gormly  was  made  cashier,  serving  in 
that  capacity  until  1878,  when  he  succeeded  his  father  to  the  presidency.  For 
almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  occupied  the  position,  and  the  safe,  con- 
servative policy  which  he  has  followed  has  annually  increased  the  business 
transacted  over  the  counters  of  that  institution. 

A  man  of  splendid  executive  force,  of  keen  discrimination  and  of  splendid 
powers  as  an  organizer,  he  has  been  an  active  factor  in  the  control  of  many 
important  business  concerns  in  this  section  of  the  state.  From  1871  until 
1  Ky^  he  was  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Ohio  Central  Railroad  Company 
and  was  treasurer  of  the  Crawford  County  Agricultural  Association  from 
1867  until  1878.  He-was  for  several  years  the  president  of  the  Gas  &  Electric- 
Light  Company  and  is  now  president  of  the  Bucyrus  Water  Works  Company. 
Of  the  former  he  served  as  president  until  its  sale  in  1901.  In  1893  he  was 
made  assignee  of  the  estate  of  ex-Governor  Foster,  of  Fostoria,  Ohio,  the 
business  of  which  he  has  just  brought  to  a  conclusion.  In  connection  with 
Colonel  W.  C.  Lemert,  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Fry-Sheckler 
Company,  now  the  American  Clay  Working  Machinery  Company,  of  which 
he  was  treasurer  for  several  years.  This  is  the  largest  enterprise  of  the 
kind  in  the  world.  In  1859  Mr.  Gormly  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
E.  Virginia  Swingly,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Frederick  and  Mary  (Denman) 
Swingly.  Their  children  are:  Ella  K.,  now  the  wife  of  F.  S.  Monnett, 
ex-attorney  general  of  Ohio  and  now  a  resident  of  Columbus;  Susie  E.,  wife 
of  W.  H.  Picking,  a  hardware  merchant  of  Bucyrus;  and  James  B.     The 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  139 

son  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Bucyrus,  and  in  1890  entered  the  First 
National  Bank,  where  he  is  now  acting  as  assistant  cashier.  The  family  is 
one  of  prominence  in  the  community  and  attends  services  at  the  Presbyterian 
church,  of  which  Mr.  Gormly  is  an  elder.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
There  are  few  men  whose  lives  are  crowned  with  the  honor  and  respect  which 
is  uniformally  accorded  him,  and  through  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century's 
connection  with  the  business  interests  of  Ohio  his  has  been  an  unblemished 
character.  With  him  success  in  life  has  been  reached  by  his  sterling  qualities 
of  mind  and  a  heart  true  to  every  manly  principle. 


FREDERICK  SWINGLY,  M.  D. 

No  representative  of  the  medical  fraternity  in  Crawford  county  has  had 
a  more  extended  patronage  or  a  higher  reputation  in  the  line  of  his  profession 
than  Dr.  Swingly,  late  of  Bucyrus.  He  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Maryland.  November  22,  1809,  and  was  a  son  of  Leonard  and  Prudence 
(Brentlinger)  Swingly.  At  the  usual  age  he  entered  school  and  continued 
his  studies  in  the  schools  of  Hagerstown.  Maryland,  until  eighteen  years 
of  age.  Subsequently  he  determined  to  make  the  practice  of  medicine  his 
life  work  and  became  a  student  in  the  office  and  under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
Russell,  of  Mt.  Vernon,  Ohio,  who  planned  his  reading  until  he  matriculated 
in  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  of  Philadelphia.  In  1840  he  was  graduated 
in  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  of  Cincinnati,  and  immediately  afterward 
began  practice  in  Chesterville,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  seven  years. 
Subsequently  he  spent  one  year  in  Mt.  Gilead.  His  success  in  his  profession 
was  so  pronounced  that  his  reputation  extended  to  surrounding  counties  and 
he  became  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  medical  fraternity 
in  this  part  of  the  state.  In  1843  lie  came  to  Bucyrus,  where  he  was 
already  known  by  reputation,  and  at  once  secured  a  lucrative  practice.  The 
Doctor  spent  many  years  in  his  profession.  Flis  work  was  arduous,  for  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  those  days  involved  long  and  dreary  rides  by  day 
or  night,  in  storm  or  sunshine,  and  he  often  had  to  make  his  way  over  almost 
impassable  roads  or  through  stretches  of  forest,  but  he  never  failed  to  respond 
to  the  call  of  the  sick  and  suffering.  Often  times  he  knew  that  no  pecuniary 
remuneration  would  be  received,  but  his  generous  spirit  and  broad  humani- 
tarianism  prompted  him  to  relieve  those  in  need  of  professional  service.  On 
the  2 1  st  of  June,  1836,  Mr.  Swingly  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary, 


Ho  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Trobridge)  Denman,  of  Knox  county, 
Ohio.  Their  children  are :  Edith  V.,  now  the  wife  of  J.  B.  Gormly,  a 
banker  of  Bucyrus;  Ellen  M.,  who  for  several  years  was  principal  of  the 
schools  of  Bucyrus,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Major  E.  C.  Moderwell,  of 
Chicago.  Illinois;  John  R. ;  Frederick;  Mary  D.,  wife  of  Colonel  C.  W. 
Fisher,  of  Bucyrus;  and  Kate  M.,  the  wife  of  H.  M.  Fulton,  also  of  Bucyrus. 
The  mother  of  this  family  died  February  28,  1874,  and  on  the  5th  of  June, 
1889,  the  Doctor  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Mrs. 
Barbara  Van  Vorhees,  widow  of  Isaac  Van  Vorhees,  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of    Crawford   county. 

Dr.  Swingly  passed  away  June  13,  1900,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one 
years.  His  was  a  long,  useful  and  honorable  career,  and  his  life  history 
forms  an  integral  part  of  the  annals  of  Crawford  county.  Probably  no-  man 
in  the  community  was  more  widely  known  than  this  loved  family  physician 
in  many  a  household.  His  work  brought  him  into  close  contact  with  a 
large  majority  of  citizens,  and  his  sterling  worth  gained  him  very  warm 
regard. 

SYLVANUS  CHARLES  CHANEY. 

A  good  name  is  a  priceless  legacy  and  one  of  which  the  children  of  an 
ordinary  man  should  be  more  proud  than  the  children  of  a  great  financier  who 
had  died  and  left  millions  smirched  with  dishonor.  Sylvanus  Charles  Chaney, 
in  his  time  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  left  such  a 
priceless  legacy  to  his  descendants  and  to  his  children,  property  of  considerable 
value  which  he  won  by  hard  work  and  honest  dealing  with  his  fellow  men. 

Sylvanus  Charles  Chaney  was  born  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  July  5, 
1830,  a  son  of  Johnson  and  Mary  (Brooks)  Chaney,  who  had  six  sons  and 
two  daughters,  only  two  of  whom — James  Chaney  of  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana, 
and  Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  Elija  Moore,  of  Columbiana  county,  Ohio, — 
survive.  His  parents  were  both  of  Irish  blood  and  his  grandfather  died  when 
Johnson  Chaney  was  only  a  lad,  leaving  his  widow  with  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren and  without  means  adequate  for  their  support.  When  our  subject's 
father  was  only  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  old,  he  began  to  work  out  by  the 
month  to  assist  in  the  maintenance  of  the  family.  After  his  brothers  and 
sisters  had  become  old  enough  to  be  self-supporting,  he  married  and  took  up 
the  career  of  a  farmer  in  Columbiana  count)-,  Ohio,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death  which  occurred  in  1875  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three  years  . 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  141 

Sylvanus  Chaney  was  one  of  six  brothers,  five  of  whom,  including  himself, 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  one  of  whom  became  one  of  the  most  skill- 
ful workmen  in  his  line  in  the  country.  After  he  finished  his  apprenticeship, 
he  took  up  the  work  of  his  trade  and  in  connection  with  farming-  he  contin- 
ued it  until  the  spring  of  i860.  In  September,  1858,  he  had  come  to  Crawford 
county  for  his  bride,  whom  he  took  to  Columbiana  county  where  they  lived 
about  a  year  and  a  half.  In  the  spring  of  i860  he  returned  to  Crawford 
county  where  he  took  up  his  residence  and  in  connection  with  Eli  O.  Lones, 
his  brother-in-law.  rented  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  acres,  which 
belonged  to  his  father-in-law,  which  they  worked  together  for  three  years 
under  lease.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time,  they  bought  the  farm  and  owned 
it  in  partnership,  Eli  O.  Lones  living  in  Mr.  Chaney's  family,  until  1876,  when 
Mr.  Lones  married  and  the  property  was  divided  and  Mr.  Chaney  became 
owner  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres  of  the  original  farm.  Later  he  pur- 
chased of  the  Lones  heirs  seventy  acres  of  land,  which  is  now  the  home  of  his 
son,  Lambert.  As  a  farmer  he  was  thoroughly  enterprising  and  his  splendidly 
improved  property  and  everything  upon  it  afforded  ample  evidence  of  his 
thrift  and  of  the  excellence  of  his  business  management. 

Mr.  Chaney's  educational  advantages  were  limited  to  those  afforded  by 
the  public  schools  of  his  day,  but  he  possessed  an  active  mind  that  was  in- 
clined to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  and  by  reading  he  became  well  in- 
formed in  a  general  way,  and  by  careful  attention  to  business  and  a  constant 
study  of  economic  conditions  and  influences  became  one  of  the  ablest  busi- 
ness men  in  his  part  of  the  county.  One  of  his  marked  traits  was  caution 
and  he  brought  it  into  use  often  with  most  gratifying  results.  Eminently  fair 
in  all  of  his  dealings,  his  integrity  and  probity  were  never  questioned  and  he 
is  remembered  as  one  who  in  all  his  relations  with  his  fellow  men  was  fair 
and  honorable.  Of  keen  perception  and  liberal  views,  his  grasp  of  all  ques- 
tions was  certain  and  comprehensive  and  his  gift  of  language  was  such  that 
he  was  noted  for  the  clearness  and  force  with  which  he  presented  his  views 
of  any  question,  that  he  discussed,  and  he  was  no<  less  convincing  in  argument 
than  entertaining  in  conversation. 

Though  not  a  member  of  any  church  Mr,  Chaney  attended  religious 
services  frequently  and,  with  a  leaning  toward  Presbyterianism,  was  a  liberal 
supporter  of  churches  of  various  denominations.  An  advocate  of  popular 
education,  his  influence  upon -schools  in  his  neighborhood  was  very  marked 
and  his  public  spirit  was  so  great  that  it  may  be  said  of  him  that  during 
all  his  active  vears  he  withheld  his  encouragement  and  financial  support  from 


142  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

no  measure  that  promised  good  to  the  general  public.  In  politics  he  was  an 
uncompromising"  Republican  and  as  such  he  was  elected  to  numerous  local 
offices,  and  in  the  capacity  of  township  trustee  he  served  his  fellow  citizens 
with  noteworthy  ability  and  fidelity.  A  man  of  deep  conviction,  he  possessed 
courage  and  force  of  character  to  maintain  any  position  to  which  he  was 
brought  by  his  view  of  any  question.  He  was  a  true  and  faithful  friend  and 
nobly  filled  his  obligations  to  his  fellow  men,  and  as  a  husband  and  father 
he  was  loving',  generous  and  in  every  way  helpful,  a  blessing  to  those  who 
depended  upon  him  and  who  mourn  him  with  tender  affection  and  reverence. 

In  September,  1858,  Mr.  Chaney  married  Mary  J.  Lones,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Jane  (Bowman)  Lones.  Mrs.  Chaney's  father  was  born  in  Berke- 
ley county,  Virginia  (now  West  Virginia),  March  17,  1801,  a  son  of  John 
and  Mary  (Spahr)  Lones.  It  is  a  singular  historical  fact  that  he  was  born  in 
the  same  house  in  which  his  mother  was  born.  John  Lones,  also  a  native 
of  Virginia,  was  a  son  of  one  of  three  brothers  who  early  came  from  Ger- 
many to  America,  and,  locating  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  lost  knowl- 
edge of  one  another's  whereabouts  and  fortunes.  John  Lones'  father  served 
his  adopted  country  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  was  killed  in  battle.  John, 
who  was  at  that  time  but  ten  years  old  and  spoke  only  in  the  German 
language,  was  bound  out  to  an  English  speaking  family,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained until  he  attained  mature  years,  entirely  forgetting  his  mother  tongue. 

In  1 810,  when  Joseph  Lones  was  nine  years  old,  his  father  moved  to 
Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  and  settled  about  six  miles  from  the  Ohio  river. 
Upon  Joseph,  who  was  the  oldest  of  eleven  children  of  parents  who  were 
comparatively  poor,  much  farm  work  devolved  early  in  his  life  and  he  aided 
his  father  very  materially  in  improving  and  cultivating  his  farm  and  in  rear- 
ing his  large  family.  In  1828,  Joseph  Lones  removed  from  Columbiana 
county,  Ohio,  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  with  John  Bowman,  his  father-in- 
law,  and  settled  in  Holmes  township.  There  is  a  tradition  in  the  family  that 
the  journey  consumed  eleven  days,  John  Bowman  and  his  family  coming  to 
the  county  in  a  large  wagon  drawn  by  five  horses,  while  Mr.  Lones  drove  a 
sixth  horse  attached  to  a  small  Dearborn  wagon.  This  journey  was  made  in 
the  month  of  March,  through  a  wild  country  so  nearly  impassable  that  on 
some  days  not  more  than  ten  miles  were  traveled. 

Mr.  Lones  built  a  cabin  of  poles,  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet  inside,  in  a 
locality  near  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  known  as  Ludwig's  bottoms.  There  he  spent 
the  summer,  entering  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  adjoining  the 
Quaintance  farm  in  Holmes  township.     Having  only  twenty-five  dollars  in 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  143 

cash,  he  worked  on  the  streets  in  Bucyrus  at  twenty-five  cents  a  day  to  earn 
money  with  which  to  pay  for  his  farm.  Later  he  worked  on  the  canal  in  Co- 
lumbiana county  and  from  time  to  time  at  whatever  his  hands  found  to 
do.  In  the  fall  succeeding  his  arrival  in  the  county  he  penetrated  the  dense 
forest  which  included  his  land  to  a  point  where  he  made  a  small  clearing, 
in  which  he  intended  to  erect  a  cabin.  Attempting  to  return  to  the  place  a  few 
days  later,  he  was  utterly  unable  to  find  it  and  accordingly  made  a  new  clear- 
ing, in  which  he  built  a  home  for  himself  and  family,  and  it  was  not  until 
years  afterward  that  one  day  he  came  unexpectedly  to  his  original  clearing. 
For  some  years  he  lived  there  in  a  primitive  way  until  he  replaced  his  log  cabin 
with  a  more  modern  frame  residence.  After  a  time  he  bought  sixty-six  acres 
of  the  old  Eli  Ouaintance  farm,  which  extended  his  holdings  to  the  road  on 
the  west  side;  and  not  long  afterward  he  bought  sixty  acres  more  of  the 
Ouaintance  farm,  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  and  where  he  erected  a  resi- 
dence and  good  farm  buildings  and  lived  out  the  remainder  of  his  days. 

A  few  years  after  Mr.  Lones  came  to  Crawford  county  he  entered  eighty 
acres  of  land  north  of  his  home  farm  for  his  father,  who  soon  came  to  the 
county,  of  which  he  was  a  citizen  until  his  death.  To  enter  the  tract  of  land 
just  mentioned  Mr.  Lones  was  obliged  to  walk  to  the  land  office  at  Tiffin,  twen- 
ty-seven miles  distant.  He  had  completed  his  business  and  had  covered  seven 
miles  of  the  return  journey  by  dinner  time  of  the  day  on  which  he  had  left 
his  home,  and  by  the  time  he  had  eaten  dinner  the  muscles  of  his  legs  were 
so  badly  swollen  that  he  was  unable  to  resume  his  journey  until  the  following 
day  and  he  remained  over  night  at  Melmore,  Seneca  county,  Ohio.  He  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-six,  in  the  year  of  1886.     He  was  married  three  times. 

Mr.  Lones  was  a  man  of  remarkable  constitution,  but  the  strenuous  life 
of  his  earlier  years  told  upon  him  and  in  his  later  years  he  suffered  much  from 
rheumatism.  His  early  political  affiliation  was  with  the  Whigs,  for  he  Avas  a 
strong  anti-slavery  man,  and  from  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party 
until  his  death  he  was  a  member  of  that  virile  and  influential  political  party.  His 
interest  in  public  education  was  such  that,  though  he  was  not  an  office  seeker, 
he  was  repeatedly  elected  a  member  of  the  local  school  board,  and  his  ad- 
vocacy of  road  improvements  made  him  SO'  popular  with  his  fellow  citizens 
that  he  was  several  times  elected  supervisor,  in  which  office  he  served  most 
willingly  and  efficiently.  For  many  years  he  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Protestant  Methodist  church.  By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Lones  had  eight  chil- 
dren, of  whom  three  survive.  One  of  these  is  Mrs.  Sylvanus  Chaney,  who 
was  born  in  Holmes  township,  on  her  father's  farm,  on  which  she  now  lives, 


144  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

on  the  eighteenth  day  of  December,  1832.  She  has  borne  her  husband  five 
children,  of  whom  the  following-  survive:  Emma  C.  wife  of  J.  M.  Herron, 
of  Perry.  Iowa ;  Laura  J.,  who  is  a  member  of  her  mother's  household  ;  Lambert 
].,  a  farmer  of  Holmes  township,  and  Rush  A.,  who  is  the  manager  of  his 
mother's  farm.  Johnson  Chaney,  another  of  her  sons,  died  in  infancy,  at  the 
age  of  two  years  and  four  months. 

WALLACE  B.   FORREST. 

Wallace  Byron  Forrest,  who  is  occupying  the  position  of  clerk  of  the 
courts  of  Crawford  county,  was  elected  to  the  office  in  1897  anc^  entered 
upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties  on  the  1st  of  August,  1898.  In  the  fall  of 
1900  he  was  re-elected,  so  that  he  is  now  serving  for  the  second  term.  If  all 
public  officers  were  as  true  and  faithful  to  duty  as  Mr.  Forrest  there  would 
be  no  complaint  of  corruption  in  politics,  for  his  public  service  is  above 
reproach. 

Mr.  Forrest  was  born  in  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  3, 
1853,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Margaret  (Aston)  Forrest.  On  the 
paternal  side  he  is  of  Irish  lineage,  for  his  grandfather  was  a  native  of 
county  Derry,  Ireland,  whence  he  emigrated  to  the  new  world,  becoming  a 
resident  of  the  Keystone  state.  James  Forrest  was  born  in  Huntingdon 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1799,  and  died  at  Oceola.  Ohio,  in  1880, 
at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-one  years.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  the  same 
count}-,  in  1805,  passed  away  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  She 
was  of  Scotch  lineage  for  the  Astons  came  to  the  new  world  from  the 
land  of  hills  and  heather.  In  1854  the  parents  of  our  subject  came  to  Ohio, 
taking  up  their  abode  in  Todd  township,  Crawford  county,  upon  a  farm, 
where  they  spent  their  remaining  days.  They  became  well  known  and  highly 
respected  citizens  of  the  community. 

Wallace  B.  Forrest  was  an  infant  at  the  time  of  the  removal,  and  thus 
within  the  boundaries  of  Crawford  count}'  he  was  reared.  To  its  public 
school  system  he  is  indebted  for  the  educational  privileges  which  he  enjoyed 
in  his  youth.  In  1872  he  began  teaching  school  and  for  seventeen  years 
followed  that  profession  in  Oceola.  He  was  acknowledged  to  be  one  of 
the  most  competent  instructors  in  this  portion  of  the  state,  was  enthusiastic 
and  zealous  in  his  work  and  has  the  ability  to  impart  clearly  and  accurately 
to  the  students  the  knowledge  which  he  had  acquired,  and  to  forcibly  impress 
upon  the  young  minds  the  lessons  which  prepare  them   for  life's  practical 


Q 


'o 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  147 

duties.  He  also  served  as  school  examiner  for  six  years  and  was  long  an 
active  member  of  the  Crawford  County  Teachers  Association,  and  served 
as   its   president   for   two   years. 

Air.  Forrest  was  married,  in  Oceola,  to  Miss  Lottie  E.  Stull,  a  daughter 
of  J.  M.  and  Alar}-  E.  (Smith)  Stull,  who  removed  from  Stark  to  Craw- 
ford county.  The  marriage  of  our  subject  and  his  wife  has  been  blessed 
with  the  following  named  children:  Edith  S.,  who  is  now  acting  as  deputy 
clerk  for  her  father ;  Nina,  the  wife  of  Charles  McLaughlin,  of  Oceola ; 
Fannie,  who  is  in  school ;  Bruce  and  Irene.  The  family  took  up  their  abode 
in  Bucyrus  in  1898,  removing  hither  from  Oceola.  Air.  Forrest  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Junior  Order 
of  American  Mechanics.  In  politics  he  *is  a  Democrat  and  takes  con- 
siderable interest  in  political  affairs,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  advance  the 
growth  and  success  of  his  part}'.  Todd  township  many  times  honored  him 
by  electing  and  re-electing  him  to  office,  he  having  held  the  offices  of  clerk 
and  treasurer  for  ten  and  live  years,  respectively.  In  1880  he  was  a  census 
enumerator  for  Todd  and  Dallas  townships,  having  been  appointed  by  a 
Republican  president  over  three  Republican  rivals.  In  1890  and  1891  he 
acted  as  deputy  county  treasurer  under  Frank  Blicke.  For  five  years  he 
was  proprietor  of  a  general  store,  which  he  closed  out  in  order  to  assume 
the  duties  of  county  clerk,  and  during  four  years  of  the  time  he  spent  in 
merchandising  he  was  also  postmaster,  appointed  to  the  office  -by  President 
Cleveland  in  1892.  During  the  fiftieth  congress  he  was  an  index  clerk  in 
the  house  of  representatives,  having  been  appointed  to  the  position  by  Gen- 
eral Clark,  of  Alissouri,  who  was  at  that  time  clerk  of  the  house.  In  the- 
spring  of  1901  Mr.  Forrest  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Bucyrus  city  coun- 
cil, a  position  he  now  holds.  His  election  to  this  office,  he  being  not  long 
a  resident  of  Bucyrus,  indicates  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  his 
fellow  citizens  of  Bucyrus.  Called  to  the  position  of  county  clerk  by  popular 
ballot,  he  discharged  his  duties  so<  faithfully  through  one  term  that  he  was 
re-elected  to  the  office.  His  public  career  is  one  over  which  there  falls  no 
shadow  of  wrong  or  suspicion  of  evil,  and  as  a  man  and  citizen  Air.  Forrest 
commands  uniform  respect. 

JAMES  KERR. 

James  Kerr,  deceased,  resided  in  Crawford  county  for  many  years,  and" 
so  active  was  he  in  affairs  that  contributed  to  the  material  growth  of  the 
community  and  so  extensively  did  he  engage  in  farming  and  wool-growing 


148  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

that  no  biographical  record  of  Crawford  county  would  be  complete  without 
mention  of  this  honored  and  venerable  gentleman,  who  through  a  long  and 
useful  career  ever  commanded  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  men. 

Mr.  Kerr  was  born  in  Knox  county.  Ohio,  February  18,  1818.  His 
parents  were  James  and  Elizabeth  (Arbuckle)  Kerr,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, whence  they  removed  to  Knox  county.  Ohio,  at  a  very  early  day.  In 
that  county  their  son  James  was  born  and  there  he  spent  his  youth,  working 
on  the  home  farm,  but  when  seventeen  years  of  age  he  left  his  father's  fireside 
to  take  up  the  battle  of  life  for  himself.  His  mother  had  passed  away  in 
death  and  his  father  had  married  a  second  wife,  and  it  was  a  disagreement 
with  the  step-mother  that  caused  Air.  Kerr  to  leave  home.  He  came  to  Craw- 
ford county  and  made  his  home  with  his  elder  brother,  "Bobbie"  Kerr,  for 
whom  he  worked  on  the  farm  for  about  three  years.  On  the  expiration  of 
that  period  he  began  farming  for  himself  and  completed  his  arrangement 
for  a  home  of  his  own  by  his  marriage  to  Miss  Nancy  Towers,  on  the  5th 
of  November,  1840.  They  began  their  domestic  life  upon  a  farm  of  forty 
acres,  which  he  had  purchased  in  Dallas  township.  Not  long  afterward, 
however,  he  sold  that  tract  of  land  and  purchased  another  farm  in  Whet- 
stone township,  taking  up  his  abode  thereon  and  making  it  his  home  for 
many  vears.  He  prospered  in  his  undertakings  and  became  an  extensive  land- 
owner, at  one  time  his  possessions  aggregating  nearly  nine  hundred  acres. 
For  years  he  engaged  in  trading  and  raising  sheep,  carrying  on  the  busi- 
ness on  a  very  large  scale,  finding  it  a  profitable  source  of  income.  For  five 
years  he  lived  with  his  son,  George  T.  Kerr,  but  in  1897  he  removed  to  Ma- 
rion, Ohio,  where  his  wife  died  July  12,  1900,  and  he  himself  passed  away 
October  22,  1901. 

Airs.  Kerr  was  born  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  January  14,  1820.  and 
was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  (Sullivan)  Towers,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Maryland,  whence  they  removed  to  Pickaway  county  in  an 
early  day.  In  later  life  they  came  to  Crawford  county  and  here  made  their 
home  until  called  to  their  final  rest.  The  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  following*  that  pursuit  in  order  to 
provide  for  his  family.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  They  had  twelve  children,  six  sons  and  six  daughters. 
Unto  James  and  Nancy  Kerr  were  born  the  following  children  :  Susan,  the 
wife  of  William  Arbuckle,  a  resident  of  Crawford  county;  George  T.,  who  is 
mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  volume:  and  James  F.,  who  died  when  four 
years  of  age.     The  mother  was  a  most  noble  woman.     She  was  a  pioneer 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  149 

daughter,  a  pioneer  wife  and  bore  bravely  the  struggles  and  hardships  of 
pioneer  life.  She  worked  with  an  energy  equal  to  that  of  her  husband  and  ma- 
terially assisted  him  in  gaining  a  competence  in  life.  She  passed  away  in  the 
eightieth  year  of  her  age,  but  her  memory  remains  as  a  blessed  benediction  to 
all  who  knew  her.  Like  her  husband  she  was  for  many  years  an  active  and 
faithful  member  of  the  Disciples  church,  located  in  Bucyrus,  an  organiza- 
tion which  owes  much  to  their  support.  They  were  liberal  contributors  to 
the  erection  of  the  church  building",  and  to  the  work  as  it  was  carried  on  along 
various  lines.  Upon  the  death  of  Mrs.  Kerr  her  remains  were  laid  to  rest 
in  the  beautiful  cemetery  at  Bucyrus.  Mr.  Kerr  passed  the  eighty-third  mile- 
stone on  the  journey  of  life.  He  certainly  deserves  great  credit  for  the  ex- 
emplary life  he  lived  and  the  success  he  achieved.  A  man  of  strong  con- 
viction, yet  charitable  in  his  opinions  of  others ;  honest  in  his  business  rela- 
tions and  at  all  times  living  in  harmony  with  upright  principles  and  honorable 
manhood,  he  not  only  gained  wealth,  but  also  won  that  good  name  which 
is  rather  to  be  chosen  than  °reat  riches. 


GEORGE  A.  SPAHR. 

A  familiar  and  well-known  figure  in  all  of  the  important  and  progressive 
agricultural  movements  in  Holmes  township,  Crawford  county,  for  many 
years  past,  has  been  George  A.  Spahr,  a  highly  respected  citizen  and  most 
substantial  farmer.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Spahr  was  in  Cumberland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  on  June  21,  1825.  He  was  a  son  of  Jesse  and  Margaret 
(Peterman)  Spahr,  and  is  one  of  three  surviving  children.  His  two  sisters 
are:  Catherine,  who  is  the  wife  of  Urias  Smith,  of  Defiance  county,  Ohio; 
and  Sarah  A.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Richard  Knisley,  of  Libert}-  township,  in  this 
count}-. 

Jesse  Spahr,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Cumberland  count}-, 
Pennsylvania,  and  grew  up  on  a  farm  there,  married  in  his  native  vicinity 
and  there  four  of  his  family  of  children  were  born.  In  1830  he  emigrated 
to  Crawford  count}',  Ohio,  and  after  farming  for  some  years  as  a  renter  he 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Liberty  township,  six  miles  east  of  Bu- 
cyrus, and  there  he  resided  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  his  eighty-fifth  year. 
In  politics  he  was  an  adherent  of  the  Democratic  party,  became  prominent 
in  public  affairs  in  the  township  and  efficiently  filled  the  office  of  trustee  for 
several  terms.     Both  he  and  his  wife  were  life-long,  devoted  members  of 


150  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  English  Lutheran  church,  and  he  is  still  remembered  as  one  of  the  most 
upright  citizens  of  Crawford  county.  The  mother  of  our  subject  also  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  survived  her  husband  several  years,  dying  at  the 
age  of  eighty-four. 

The  subject  of  this  biography,  who  is  so  well  and  favorably  known 
through  this  section  of  Crawford  county,  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm  and 
received  the  best  possible  schooling  of  the  time  and  locality,  in  the  little  log 
school  house  in  the  vicinity  of  his  birth.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  began 
his  own  career  as  a  farmer,  and  on  December  10,  1846,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Catherine  Cover,  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Zent)  Cover, 
who  came  to  Crawford  county  from  Pennsylvania  at  an  early  day  and  set- 
tled in  Liberty  township,  where  the}7  lived  and  where  their  worthy  lives 
closed. 

After  marriage  our  subject  continued  to  work  as  a  farm  hand  for  one 
rear  and  then  removed  to  his  father-in-law's  farm  and  managed  that  estate 
for  a  year,  during  which  time  the  latter  was  on  a  visit  with  his  friends  in 
Pennsylvania.  The  following"  year  Air.  Spahr  purchased  eighty  acres  of  his 
present  home  farm  and  in  subsequent  years  has  continually  added  to  the 
original  tract,  until  he  now  owns  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  acres  .of  some  of 
the  most  productive  farming  land  in  the  county. 

Our  subject's  family  consists  of  five  surviving  children,  one  son,  Joshua, 
having  passed  from  life;  but  all  the  others  are  comfortably  settled,  their  names 
being:  Daniel:  Rev.  Moses,  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  church,  located  in 
Sedan.  Kansas;  Julia  A.,  the  wife  of  Eli  Miller,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  this 
county;  Lovina,  the  wife  of  Elias  Crall.  of  Defiance  county;  and  Eliza,  the 
wife  of  David  Schlosser,  of  Todd  township. 

In  early  life  Mr.  Spahr  managed  a  threshing  machine  through  the  neigh- 
borhood for  a  number  of  vears.  His  farming  operations  have  been  con- 
ducted with  thoroughness  and  good  judgment  and  he  has  been  eminently 
successful.  While  a  stanch  and  life-long  Democrat,  he  respects  the  opinions 
of  others  and  with  satisfaction  to  both  parties  served  the  township  several 
times  as  trustee.  Repeatedly  he  has  served  on  the  election  board,  and  in  mat- 
ters of  public  interest  he  is  very  generally  consulted.  Mr.  Spahr  is  an  active 
and  useful  as  well  as  consistent  member  of  the  United  Brethren  church,  to 
which  his  wife  also  belongs,  and  has  long  been  a  trustee  of  both  church  and 
parsonage,  and  he  has  also  served  as  class-leader  at  various  times.  His  circle 
of  personal  friends  comprises  every  one  in  his  locality,  while  his  standing  be- 
fore the  public  is  that  of  the  highest. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  151 

ADAM  J.  WISMAN. 

Adam  John  Wisman,  one  of  the  progressive  young  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers  of  Crawford  county,  was  born  in  Bucyrus  township,  February  12, 
1863,  a  son  of  Christian  and  Elizabeth  (Conkle)  Wisman.  The  father  was 
born  in  Waynesboro,  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  September  15,  1827, 
and  was  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Elizabeth  (Heinlen)  Wisman,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  from  which  country  they  came  to 
America  in  childhood.  They  were  married  in  Pennsylvania  and  resided  in 
that  state  until  their  removal  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  in  the  year  1828. 
The  father  was  a  wagonmaker  by  trade,  but  after  establishing  his  home  in 
the  Buckeye  state  devoted  his  energies  to  farming.  He  was  an  industrious 
man,  reliable  in  business  and  was  greatly  respected  by  his  neighbors  and 
acquaintances.  His  wife  died  about  fifteen  years  after  their  arrival  in  Ohio, 
and  his  death  occurred  on  the  18th  of  February,  1867.  They  were  the  parents 
of  nine  children. 

Of  this  number  Christian  Wisman,  the  father  of  our  subject,  spent  his 
youth  and  early  manhood  in  assisting  his  father  upon  the  farm,  and  in  the 
primitive  log  school  house,  such  as  was  common  at  that  time,  he  obtained 
his  education.  On  the  17th  of  October,  1850,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Conkle,  who  was  born  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  Septem- 
ber 30,  1830,  and  by  her  marriage  became  the  mother  of  three  children,  name- 
ly :  Adam  J.,  Elizabeth  and  Amanda,  the  last  named  now  deceased.  Upon 
a  fine  farm  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Sandusky  river  the  father  farmed 
for  many  years,  but  is  now  living  retired  in  Bucyrus,  where  he  had  made  his 
home  for  several  years.  He  started  out  in  life  with  no  capital  save  a  stout 
heart  and  willing  hands,  but  by  means  of  industry  and  frugality  he  gained  a 
good  estate  and  ample  competence.  In  politics  a  stanch  Democrat,  he,  how- 
ever, never  sought  office,  preferring  to  give  his  attention  to  other  interests. 
He  was  esteemed  for  his  honesty,  his  integrity  standing  as  an  unquestioned 
fact  in  his  career. 

Mr.  Wisman,  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  review,  was  reared 
upon  the  home  farm  and  educated  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  lived 
with  his  parents  until  twenty-three  years  of  age  and  was  then  married  and 
established  a  home  of  his  own  in  Bucyrus  township.  In  March,  1890,  he 
took  up  his  residence  on  the  Sandusky  road,  about  two  miles  southeast  of 
Bucyrus,  where  he  has  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fertile 
land.     The  place  is  splendidly  improved  with  all  modern  equipments  usually 


152  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

found  upon  a  model  farm.  There  is  a  pleasant  and  attractive  residence,  a 
large  and  substantial  barn  and  other  outbuildings  and  the  latest  improved  ma- 
chinery. In  addition  to  the  home  farm  he  also  owns  another  tract  of  land  in 
Bucyrus  townshp,  consisting  of  eighty-six  acres,  and  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  Sandusky  township.  A  man  of  marked  energy  and  enter- 
prise, he  carries  forward  to  successful  completion  whatever  he  undertakes  and 
as  the  result  of  his  perseverance  and  business  ability  his  capital  is  annually 
increasing. 

In  1886  Mr.  Wisman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Louisa  Brown, 
a  daughter  of  John  G.  and  Catherine  ( Christman )  Brown.  Her  father  was 
a  native  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  and  when  a  young-  man  came  to  America. 
For  several  years  he  was  employed  in  Bucyrus,  and  in  this  locality  he  was  mar- 
ried. He  then  located  in  Holmes  township,  where  he  became  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  useful  citizen,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him  for  his  sterling 
worth.  He  died  there  in  1892,  but  his  widow  still  resides  on  the  old  home- 
stead. They  were  the  parents  of  one  son  and  nine  daughters,  and  they 
reared  their  children  in  the  faith  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  of  which 
they  were  members.  Mrs.  Wisman  was  born  and  reared  in  Holmes  town- 
ship and  by  her  marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  three  children,  namely : 
Cleo  L.,  Ruth  and  Mabel.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Wisman  is  a  Democrat 
and  as  every  true  American  citizen  should  do  he  keeps  well  informed  on  the 
issues  of  the  day.  Although  he  has  never  sought  or  desired  political  pre- 
ferment to  any  extent,  his  fellow  townsmen,  recognizing"  his  worth  and 
ability,  have  called  him  to  public  office  in  1888,  when  he  was  chosen  town- 
ship trustee,  and  for  six  consecutive  vears  he  was  continued  in  that  position 
through  re-election.  He  is  a  good  citizen,  liberal  and  public-spirited  and  by 
all  who  know  him  he  is  highly  esteemed  for  his  genuine  worth  of  character. 

JAMES  P.  BE  ALL. 

For  almost  half  a  century  James  Perry  Beall  has  been  a  resident  of 
Crawford  county,  and  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  period  has  been 
identified  with  agricultural  pursuits,  but  at  the  present  time  he  is  living  re- 
tired. He  has  passed  the  Psalmist's  span  of  three  score  years  and  ten,  and 
in  the  evening  of  life  is  enjoying  a  well  earned  rest — the  fitting  crown  of 
many  years  of  labor. 

He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  May  13,  1828,  his 
parents  being  James  Perry  and  Minerva  (Huff)  Beall.^  The  father  was  born 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  153 

in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1797,  and  was  a  son  of  Colmore 
Beall,  who  was  of  Scotch  lineage.  Representatives  of  the  family  have  become 
very  numerous  in  the  country  since  the  first  of  the  name  took  up  his  abode  in 
the  Keystone  state.  The  family  there  founded  has  since  scattered  until  it 
is  now  represented  in  various  states  of  the  Union  and  its  members  have  be- 
come prominent  in  business,  professional  and  political  life.  The  father  of  our 
subject  was  reared  in  the  country  of  his  nativity  and  was  there  married  to  a 
Miss  Albert,  by  whom  he  had  two  children — Zenas,  now  deceased,  and  Airs. 
Jane  Chance,  now  a  resident  of  Todd  township,  Crawford  county.  The  fa- 
ther was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  His  first  wife  died  in  Pennsylvania  and 
afterward,  when  a  young"  man  of  about  twenty-seven  years,  he  came  to  Ohio, 
settling  in  Harrison  count}-,  where  his  father  had  entered  land  from  the  gov- 
ernment. 

James  P.  Beall,  Sr.,  settled  in  the  midst  of  the  wild  forest,  becoming  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  the  count}-,  where  he  resided  for  thirty  years.  Pie  then 
sold  his  property  there  and  came  to  Crawford  count}-,  where  he  resided  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1870,  when  he  was  seventy-three  years  of  age. 
After  taking  up  his  abode  in  Harrison  county  he  had  formed  the  acquaintance 
of  Minerva  Huff,  whom  he  married.  She  was  of  a  Virginian  family  and  was 
born  in  the  Old  Dominion.  By  her  marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  ten 
children  :  Casander,  William,  Elizabeth  and  Colmore,  all  now  deceased  :  James 
Perry,  of  this  review  ;  Cyrus,  who  died  while  serving  in  the  Union  army  during 
the  Civil  war;  Rebecca,  deceased;  John,  who  also  died  while  a  Union  soldier; 
Minerva,  deceased ;  and  Zephaniah.  who  also  served  in  the  Civil  war  and  is 
now  a  resident  of  Fulton  county,  Indiana.  The  mother  died  about  1874.  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three  years. 

Mr.  Beall,  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  review,  was  reared  in 
Harrison  county,  Ohio,  amid  pioneer  scenes  and  privations,  and  was  educated 
in  the  old  primitive  log  school  house,  which  was  built  with  a  huge  fireplace  in 
one  end  large  enough  to  hold  immense  logs.  The  windows  were  made  by 
removing  a  log  from  one  side  and  one  end,  and  filling  the  aperture  with  glass. 
The  desk  was  formed  of  boards  resting  on  pegs  driven  into  the  walls,  and 
there  were  slab  seats,  resting  on  wooden  pegs.  In  such  a  school  Mr.  Beall 
learned  to  read,  write  and  "cipher,"  but  was  only  instructed  in  arithmetic  for 
thirteen  days.  In  after  years,  however,  he  applied  himself  to  study  at  home, 
even  after  his  marriage  continuing  his  educational  work,  for  he  realized  the 
value  of  education  and  wished  to  prepare  himself  for  the  duties  of  life.  He 
worked  on  the  home  farm  and  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until   his 


154  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

marriage,  which  occurred  in  1848.  For  three  years  thereafter  he  worked 
as  a  farm  hand  in  Harrison  county,  and  rather  than  remain  idle  one  spring, 
before  the  time  for  farm  work,  he  spent  one  week  at  splitting  rails  for  thirty- 
seven  and  a  half  cents  per  day.  He  thus  began  an  independent  career  under 
rather  difficult  circumstances.  During  the  fifth  year  after  his  marriage  he 
cultivated  a  rented  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  and  after  paying 
his  rent  in  cash  he  had  four  hundred  dollars  clear  above  all  expenses.  This 
was  the  result  of  hard  work  and  good  management.  In  1852  he  came  to 
Crawford  count)',  and  the  first  year  he  was  here  was  the  year  he  rented  lands 
and  cleared  the  four  hundred  dollars,  and  the  next  year  he  could  not  rent 
to  suit  him.  and,  being  offered  a  good  proposition  to  work  as  a  hired  hand,  he 
accepted  the  proposition.  In  1854  he  purchased  the  farm  upon  which  he 
now  resides,  comprising  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  rich  land.  He  has 
since  prospered  in  his  undertakings  and  at  one  time  had  extensive  landed 
possessions,  but  has  since  sold  much  of  it,  although  he  still  owns  two  other 
farms  in  connection  with  that  upon  which  he  now  resides.  He  has  engaged 
quite  extensively  in  raising  stock,  mostly  sheep  and  hogs,  but  for  several 
years  has  lived  a  retired  life,  having  in  the  meantime  acquired  a  handsome 
competence,  which  supplies  him  with  all  of  the  comforts  and  many  of  the 
luxuries  of  life. 

In  1848  Mr.  Beall  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Kecklar,  who  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1827  and  went  to  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  with  her 
parents  during  her  early  girlhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beall  have  had  seven  chil- 
dren :  James  Perry  and  John  \Y.,  who  are  deceased;  Mary  .Margaret,  the 
wife  ot  Charles  B.  Henry,  a  farmer  of  Bucyrus  township;  Lauraette,  the 
wile  of  Edward  Hill,  also  a  farmer  of  Bucvrus  township;  Dorsey  Lincoln, 
an  attorney  living  in  Toledo,  Ohio;  Eva  Minerva,  the  wife  of  Wesley  Beal, 
an  agriculturist  of  Bucyrus  township;  and  Nora  Ellen,  the  wife  of  John  I. 
Milliken,  who  also  engages  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil  in  the  same  township. 
Both  Mr.  and  Airs.  Beall  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  joined  the  church  in  early  manhood  and  for  many  years  he  has  been  a 
leader  in  church  work,  serving  as  Sunday-school  superintendent,  church 
steward  and  in  other  offices.  He  has  labored  earnestly  and  conscientiously  for 
the  spread  of  the  cause  of  Christianity  among  the  people  of  this  locality  and 
has  molded  his  life  according  to  the  teachings  and  tenets  of  the  religious  or- 
ganization with  which  he  is  connected. 

Airs.  Beall's  parents  were  John  and  Rosanna  (Gordon)  Kecklar.  Her  fa- 
ther and  mother  were  born  in  Pennsylvania,  but  her  grandparents,  both  pa- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  1 55 

ternal  and  maternal,  were  born  in  Germany,  and  on  coming  to  this  country  set- 
tled in  Pennsylvania.  Her  paternal  grandparents  were  Michael  and  Alary 
Ann  Kecklar,  and  the  maternal  grandparents  were  Josiah  and  Martha  Jane 
Gordon.  They  lived  and  died  in  the  Keystone  state.  Mrs.  Beall  was  born 
in  Adams  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1827,  and  when  she  was  seven  years  of 
age  her  parents  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Harrison  county.  Here  her 
mother  died,  but  her  father  died  in  Kansas,  while  on  a  visit  to  a  daughter 
living  in  that  state.  Martha  Jane,  Mary  Ann,  Rosanna,  Josiah  and  Malinda 
are  the  living  children  born  unto  John  and  Rosanna  Kecklar.  Their  father 
was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  but  farmed  the  greater  part  of  his  life. 

An  uncle  of  Mrs.  Beall,  Josiah  H.  Gordon,  soon  after  his  marriage  re- 
moved to  the  south  and  was  there  living  when  the  Civil  war  came  on.  In  the 
conflict  he  became  a  Confederate  soldier  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  general  and 
was  killed  in  battle.    By  profession  he  was  a  lawyer,  and  he  was  one  of  ability. 

EZEKIEL  STEINHILBER. 

Among  the  prosperous  farmer  residents  of  Bucyrus  township,  who  have 
made  farming  a  very  successful  life  business,  is  Ezekiel  Steinhilber,  who  owns 
a  fine  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  a  desirable  part  of  this  township.  The  birth 
of  Mr.  Steinhilber  was  in  Todd  township,  on  December  12,  1857.  He  was 
a  son  of  John  M.  and  Christina  (Leitzy)  Steinhilber,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  Germany  and  who  came  with  their  parents  to  America.  Grandfather 
Steinhilber  settled  in  Chatfield  township,  Crawford  county,  and  there  lived  and 
died,  and  his  son  John  M.  married  there  and  lived  on  the  old  place  for  some 
seven  years  and  then  sold  out  and  bought  a  farm  in  Todd  township,  where 
the  remainder  of  his  life  was  spent.  The}'  were  good  and  worthy  people 
and  were  the  parents  of  nine  children. 

Ezekiel  grew  up  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  country  schools,  remain- 
ing with  his  father  until  the  age  of  twenty-one  and  then  married  and  began 
housekeeping  and  worked  for  his  father  on  halves.  His  wife,  whom  he  mar- 
ried in  1881,  was  Sophia  Hirtz,  the  estimable  and  amiable  daughter  of  the 
late  George  Hirtz,  of  Holmes  township,  in  which  township  Mrs.  Steinhilber 
was  born  May  15,  i860.     Her  parents  were  natives  of  Germany. 

Mr.  Steinhilber  was  not  possessed  of  very  large  means  at  first,  and  rented 
a  small  farm  in  Todd  township,  but  both  he  and  his  wife  were  frugal  and 
industrious  and  in  1880  purchased  a  compact  little  farm  of  thirty-five  acres, 
which  he  sold  in  1895  and  bought  the  eighty-acre  farm  where  he  now  lives. 


156  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Seven  of  the  children  born  to  his  marriage  are  still  living,  and  he  has  reared 
them  in  the  faith  of  the  German  Brethren  church.  The  children  are  George, 
Joseph,  Lawrence,  Annie,  Cora,  Katie  and  Reuben.  Four  children  died  in 
childhood. 

In  his  political  connection  he  has  always  voted  for  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  Democratic  party.  It  is  a  very  commendable  thing  to  so  live  as  to 
become  independent  in  so  few  a  number  of  years  as  has  Mr.  Steinhilber, 
but  it  is  still  more  so  to  have  gained  in  that  time  the  esteem  and  respect  of  the 
neighborhood,  and  this  he  has  done  also. 

JOHN  HOPLEY. 

In  the  promotion  and  conservation  of  advancement  in  all  the  normal 
lines  of  human  progress  and  civilization  there  is  no  factor  which  has  exercised 
a  more  potent  influence  than  the  press,  which  is  both  the  director  and  the 
mirror  of  public  opinion.  Bucyrus  has  been  signally  favored  in  the  char- 
acter of  its  newspapers,  which  have  been  vital,  enthusiastic  and  progressive, 
ever  aiming  to  advance  the  interests  of  this  favored  section  of  the  Union, 
to  aid  in  laying  fast  and  sure  the  foundations  of  an  enlightened  common- 
wealth, to  further  the  ends  of  justice  and  to  uphold  the  banner  of  Ohio. 
In  a  compilation  of  this  nature  then  it  is  clearly  incumbent  that  due  recogni- 
tion be  accorded  the  newspaper  press  of  the  state. 

The  universal  acknowledgment  that  the  press  is  the  most  potent  factor 
in  molding  public  opinion  indicates  therefore  the  prominent  position  which 
the  editor  occupies.  Every  publication  bears  the  impress  of  him  who  occu- 
pies the  editorial  chair,  whether  this  is  given  consciously  or  unconsciously; 
his  thought  goes  forth  into  the  work  and  receives  the  support  or  awakens 
the  opposition  of  the  reading  public.  A  fair  view  of  public  questions, 
clearly  presented,  will  therefore  do  more  to  form  the  general  opinion  of  a 
community  than  any  other  one  agency ;  and  as  the  editor  of  the  Bucyrus 
Journal  for  forty  years  Mr.  Hop  ley  has  been  an  important  factor  in  laboring 
for  the  interests  of  Crawford  county  along  all  lines  o<f  progress  and  advanced 
thought. 

A  native  of  England,  he  was  born  in  Whitstable,  in  1821.  His  paternal 
ancestors  were  substantial  farmers  of  Suffolk  county.  His  father  was  a 
surgeon  in  the  British  navy,  and  after  his  retirement  from  the  army  prac- 
ticed the  profession  of  medicine  and  surgery  at  Whitstable,  in  Kent,  and 
afterward   in  Lewes,   Sussex  county,  one  of  the  oldest  towns   in   England. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  159 

He  married  a  Miss  Prat,  who  was  descended  from  a  long  line  of  ancestry 
distinguished  in  the  Church  of  England.  Our  subject  has  a  genealogical 
table  of  the  line  of  his  descendants  on  the  maternal  side  for  hundreds 
of  years. 

John  Hopley,  of  this  review,  pursued  his  education  in  the  Royal  Xaval 
College,  then  located  at  Camberwell,  in  the  county  of  Surry,  a  suburb  of 
London,  but  at  the  present  time  it  is  situated  at  Newcross,  in  Surry.  This 
college  is  for  the  sons  of  naval  officers,  and  its  course  is  very  extensive  and 
thorough,  but  it  is  not  licensed  to  confer  degrees.  Accommodations  are 
furnished  for  three  hundred  and  thirty  pupils,  all  of  whom  reside  in  the 
college.  The  Bell  or  monitorial  system  of  teaching  was  in  vogue.  It  was 
to  this  extent  a  normal,  for  the  monitors  at  the  head  of  their  classes  received 
much  experience  in  the  art  and  duties  of  teaching.  Mr.  Hopley  excelled  in 
athletics  as  well  as  in  study.  He  was  a  constant  and  often  successful  con- 
testant for  the  honors  of  the  various  classes.  About  the  close  of  his  col- 
lege course  he  was  made  a  teacher,  and  remained  in  the  institution  for 
some  years.  In  1842,  soon  after  attaining  his  majority,  he  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  maternal  uncle.  John  R.  Prat,  of  Zanesville,  Ohio, 
whose  store  he  entered  in  the  capacity  of  clerk.  He  there  continued  until 
1844,  when  he  began  teaching  with  a  view  of  entering  upon  the  study  of 
law  and  making  its  practice  his  life  work.  In  1845  ne  removed  to  Logan, 
Hocking  county,  and  induced  the  trustees  to  establish  graded  schools. 
theirs  being  among  the  first  graded  schools  in  the  state.  The  system  which 
he  inaugurated  was  highly  successful  and  proved  an  important  factor  in 
advancing  the  educational    interests   of   Ohio. 

In  1848  Mr.  Hopley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Georgiana  Roches- 
ter, the  fourth  daughter  of  John  Rochester,  of  Logan,  Ohio.  Her  father 
was  born  near  London,  England,  January  9,  1796,  and  in  1816  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Gladle.  a  daughter  of  a  French  gentleman  who  left  his  native 
land,  owing  to  the  French  revolution,  and  entered  the  English  arm}-  as  an 
officer  and  was  killed  in  Spain  while  fighting  against  Napoleon.  Mr.  Roches- 
ter came  to  America  in  1820,  settling  at  Englishtown,  Athens  county,  Ohio, 
but  soon  removed  to  Logan,  where  for  nearly  half  a  century  he  was  engaged 
in  merchandising',  being  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influ- 
ential citizens  of  the  place.  For  more  than  forty-four  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  served  for  thirty-four  years  as  an  elder, 
while  through  a  long  period  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school 
and  a  trustee  of  the  church  property.     He  aided  greatly  in  promoting  the 


160  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

moral  advancement  of  the  people  among-  whom  he  lived,  and  the  memory 
of  his  upright  career  remains  as  an  inspiration  and  benediction  to  all  who 
knew  him.  He  died  November  28,  1876,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 
His  daughter,  Mrs,   Hopley,  was  born  July  22,    1826. 

Desiring  to  study  slavery  and  its  influence  upon  the  social  life  of  the 
south,  Mr.  Hopley  removed  to  Tennessee,  becoming  a  teacher  in  a  school 
at  Yellow  Creek,  that  state,  and  later  he  engaged  in  teaching  near  Elk- 
town,  Kentucky,  and  in  New  Providence,  Tennessee,  and  during  this  time 
he  gave  earnest  thought  and  attention  to  the  institution  of  slavery  and  its 
influences.  In  1852  he  returned  to  Logan,  where  he  remained  for  three 
years,  and  in  addition  to  his  work  as  a  teacher  he  seiwed  as  supervisor  of 
the  schools.  In  1855  he  was  made  instructor  in  mathematics  and  com- 
mercial arithmetic  in  the  Grangers'  Commercial  College,  but  that  institution 
was  not  a  very  substantial  one  and  in  six  months  he  removed  to  Wellsville, 
Union  county,  Ohio,  and  took  charge  of  the  schools  there  for  a  fractional 
term.  From  that  place  he  came  to  Bucyrus,  on  the  12th  of  April,  1856, 
and  was  a  very  important  factor  in  promoting  the  educational  interests 
of  this  place  in  the  middle  of  the  century.  The  schools  had  been  far  from 
prosperous,  but  he  entered  upon  the  duties  here  with  his  usual  thoroughness 
and  zeal  and  the  system  which  he  established  soon  awakened  the  admiration 
of  the  people  of  this  vicinity  and  of  other  portions  of  the  state.  In  the 
school  work  he  was  an  excellent  organizer  as  well  as  disciplinarian  and 
instructor.  He  knew  how  to  utilize  his  forces,  studied  his  pupils  individ- 
ually and  was  particularly  proficient  in  imparting  to'  them  the  knowledge 
he  had  acquired  so  as  to  make  a  lasting  impression  upon  their  minds. 

In  1858  Mr.  Hopley  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  having  in  the  meantime 
devoted  much  of  his  leisure  to  the  mastery  of  the  principles  of  jurisprudence. 
He  then  entered  into  partnership  with  A.  M.  Jackson,  but  the  following 
year  this  was  discontinued  and  he  opened  an  office  of  his  own  and  con- 
tinued to  practice  with  encouraging  success  until  1862.  In  that  year  he 
went  to  England  with  Thomas  Alsop  on  professional  business,  and  on  his 
return  his  law  practice  was  virtually  destroyed,  for  owing  to  the  absence 
in  the  army  of  many  parties  who  were  needed  as  witnesses  no  cases  could 
be  tried.  Mr.  Hopley  was  then  appointed  by  Mr.  Chase  to  a  clerkship  in 
the  office  of  the  second  auditor  of  the  treasury,  and  soon  by  special  order  of 
Mr.  Chase  he  was  transferred  to  the  latter's  office,  having-  a  desk  in  the 
library  of  the  treasury.  As  he  found  opportunity  he  studied  the  financial 
problems  and  employed  his  pen  effectively  in  advancing-  the  financial  policy 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  161 

<>t~  the  secretary  of  the  treasury  and  the  establishment  of  national  banks. 
After  the  national  bank  law  was  passed  he  was  transferred  to  the  banking 
and  currency  bureau.  Hugh  McCullough,  who  was  then  comptroller  of 
currency,  placed  Mr.  Hopley  in  charge  of  the  statistical  department  of  the 
bureau.  His  duties  there  included  examination  of  regular  reports  and  the 
reports  of  the  bank  examiners.  Mr.  Hopley  during  that  period  of  his  life 
occasionally  furnished  data  for  speeches  made  by  members  of  congress 
whereby  the  statesmen  became  distinguished. 

In  1864  he  resigned  his  position  in  order  to  accept  an  offered  position  in 
a  large  bank  in  Xew  York.  In  1866  he  went  to  Washington  in  a  private- 
capacity  for  his  employer,  and  was  soon  afterward  appointed  national  bank 
examiner  for  all  the  southern  states  excepting"  Delaware,  Maryland  and 
Virginia.  Kansas  was  afterward  added  to  the  list.  After  completing-  this 
work  in  180-  he  returned  to  Bucyrus,  and  in  September  purchased  a  half 
interest  in  the  Bucyrus  Journal.  In  May  of  the  following  year  he  became 
sole  owner,  and,  becoming  absorbed  in  journalism,  he  abandoned  his  inten- 
tion to  enter  upon  the  practice  of  law,  and  has  since  given  his  time  to  his 
work  as  a  representative  of  the  press.  From  August,  1870,  until  January, 
1879,  he  served  as  postmaster  of  Bucyrus,  but  has  never  given  his  news- 
paper work  into  the  charge  of  others.  He  has  continued  to  be  a  close 
student  of  the  important  questions  of  the  day  affecting  the  state  and  national 
welfare,  and  the  keen,  analytical  mind  of  the  lawyer,  added  to  the  compre- 
hensive knowledge  of  the  journalist,  have  made  his  treatment  of  such  sub- 
jects of  great  interest,  his  opinions  being  quoted  by  the  press  throughout 
his    section    of    the   country. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1898,  Mr.  Hopley  and  his  wife  celebrated  their 
golden  wedding.  The  members  of  their  family  are  as  follows :  Charles 
Rochester ;  John  Edward ;  Thomas  Prat,  who  died  in  childhood ;  Thomas 
Prat,  Mary  Catherine,  Georgiana  Eliza,  Harriet  Eveline.  James  Richard, 
Frank  Lewis  and  Joseph  William.  The  second  named  is  now  United  States 
consul  at  Southampton,  England. 

Viewed  in  a  personal  light,  Mr.  Hoplev  is  a  strong  man,  of  excellent 
judgment,  fair  in  his  views  and  highly  honorable  in  all  his  relations  with 
his  fellow  men.  Fie  is  a  man  of  very  strong  convictions,  and  his  integrity 
stands  as  an  unquestioned  fact  in  his  career.  He  has  always  been  a  student, 
and  the  scope  and  amplitude  of  his  knowledge  render  him  a  charming-  con- 
versationalist. He  is  in  full  sympathy  with  all  the  great  movements  of  the 
world  about  him  and  watches  the  progress  of  events  with  the  keenest  interest. 


162  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Though  severe  at  times  toward  men  and  measures  deserving-  criticism,  he 
is  nevertheless  a  generous  friend  and  warm  advocate  of  those  who  are  bat- 
tling for  the  right  and  of  principles  and  policies  for  the  public  good. 


CHILDREN    OF    JOHN    HOPLEY. 

All  the  children  of  Mr.  Hopley  are  more  or  less  engaged  in  the  news- 
paper business. 

J.  E.  Hopley  was  for  years  in  newspaper  business  in  New  York,  and 
afterward,  at  Bucvrus,  established  and  managed  the  Evening'  Telegraph, 
the  first  daily  newspaper  established  in  Bucyrus.  He  took  an  active  part 
in  the  politics  of  his  congressional  district,  where  he  was  a  prominent  and 
successful  political  manager.  He  was  mainly  instrumental  in  securing  the 
nomination  and  election  of  Hon.  S.  R.  Harris,  a  Republican,  to  congress, 
in  a  congressional  district  in  which  the  natural  Democratic  majority  is  ovec 
four  thousand.  He  acted  as  private  secretary,  at  Washington,  to  the  con- 
gressman whom  he  had  so  actively  contributed  to  elect,  and  in  this  position, 
by  his  political  foresight  and  ability,  he  became  known  to  the  prominent 
Republicans  of  the  state.  He  is  at  present  United  States  consul  at  South- 
ampton,  England. 

Thomas  P.  Hopley  was  for  some  time  a  bookkeeper  in  his  father's 
office.  He  was,  and  he  is,  a  strong  Prohibitionist  and  established  the  Tem- 
perance Ballot.  Before  commencing  the  publication  of  his  paper  he  can- 
vassed the  county  for  subscribers,  and  by  this  systematic  visitation  he 
secured  a  very  large  subscription  list  and  placed  his  temperance  paper  on  a 
paying  basis  before  he  had  issued  the  first  number.  He  continued  this 
active  canvass  and  knew  more  citizens  in  Crawford  county  than  any  other 
man  in  it.  Having  disposed  of  his  paper  to  Andrew  J.  Hazlett,  Esq.,  he 
went  to  Oklahoma  and  was  among  the  first  settlers  at  Enid,  where  he  is 
now  publishing  two  papers,  both  the  daily  and  the  weekly  Enid  News.  Pie 
married  Miss  Rosa  Curtis  and  is  now  the  father  of  two  children. 

Each  of  the  daughters — Mary  C,  Georgia  E.  and  Harriet  E. — is  directly 
or  indirectly  in  newspaper  work.  Misses  Mary  and  Harriet  are  both  in 
Chicago,  and  Miss  Georgia  is  a  well  known  newspaper  correspondent  in 
this  state.  She  was  one  of  the  women  commissioners  to  the  Paris  Exposi- 
tion and  represented  Ohio  as  the  commissioner  at  the  Pan-American  Exposi- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  163 

tion  at  Buffalo.  At  present,  in  the  interest  of  the  state  labor  bureau,  she 
is  investigating  the  condition  of  women  and  girls  engaged  in  the  factories 
at    Columbus. 

James  R.  Hopley  was  in  his  father's  office  and  is  now  with  C.  Harper, 
Esq.,  of  Columbus,  editing  the  Advertising  World  and  also  Ad.  Art,  two 
of  the  leading-  advertising  publications  of  the  country,  having  the  largest 
list  of  bona-fidc  paid-up  subscribers, — over  twenty  thousand.  He  is  a  news- 
paper man  from  his  youth  up,  studying  and  practicing  his  profession  as  a 
science. 

Frank  L.  Hopley  was  also  in  his  father's  office  until  employed  as 
manager  of  the  advertising-  department  of  the  American  Clay-Working 
Machinery  Company,  in  which  capacity  he  has  been  acting  for  several  years. 

Joseph  W.  Hopley,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  was  in  his  father's 
office  when  war  was  declared  against  Spain,  and  he  went  with  his  home 
company  as  newspaper  correspondent,  first  to  their  camp  at  Washington 
and  afterward  to  Cuba.  He  was  with  the  company  through  the  campaign- 
ing, and  was  present  at  the  surrender  of  Santiago.  Soon  after  this  he 
contracted  yellow  fever,  and  after  many  weary  and  anxious  weeks  he  was 
sent  home  a  skeleton,  only  just  alive.  By  good  home  nursing  he  was 
restored,  and  he  is  now  assisting-  his  brother  as  deputy  United  States  con- 
sul  at   Southampton,   England. 

Charles  R.  Hopley  is  the  only  one  of  the  family  not  in  newspaper 
work  either  directly  or  indirectly.  Ele  was  for  years  in  the  railroad  busi- 
ness in  Texas,  and  he  is  now  in  the  Klondyke,  where  he  owns  several 
promising  mining  claims. 

CHARLES  BREISINGER. 

It  is  pleasant  indulgence  to  write  the  biography  of  a  man  who  has  been 
so  prominent  in  the  industrial  and  business  affairs  of  the  county  as  has 
Charles  Breisinger.  Ele  has  certainly  won  the  somewhat  hackneyed  but  ex- 
pressive title  of  the  self-made  man;  the  possibilities  of  accomplishment  which 
surround  each  individual  were  improved  by  him,  and  by  determined  purpose, 
unflagging  industry  and  a  will  to  dare  and  to  do  he  has  worked  his  way 
steadily  upward.  He  is  now  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick,  a  business 
which  he  has  followed  with  marked  success  for  nineteen  years. 

Mr.  Breisinger  is  a  native  of  Wurtemberg,  born  July  28,  1853,  and  was 
reared  and  educated  there,  beginning  his  studies  in  the  public  schools.     After 


i64  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

arriving  at  years  of  maturity  he  married  Miss  Julia  Baushlinger,  a  daughter 
of  Daniel  Baushlinger,  and  unto  them  were  born  live  children,  of  whom 
Maude,  Carrie,  Sadie  and  Carl  are  living,  and  Robert  is  deceased. 

As  before  mentioned,  Mr.  Breisinger  is  connected  with  the  manufacture 
of  brick,  establishing  the  enterprise  in  1882.  He  was  for  some  time  asso- 
ciated in  business  with  his  father-in-law  and  the  enterprise  which  they  con- 
ducted was  a  successful  one,  but  for  the  past  nine  years  he  has  been  identified 
with  John  Witter.  They  have  a  splendidly  equipped  plant,  a  large  yard,  steam 
power  and  a  capacity  of  twenty-live  thousand  bricks  each  day.  They  own 
a  splendid  clay  bed  of  eleven  acres  and  in  the  yard  employ  twenty  men.  The 
brick  which  they  produce  is  of  an  excellent  quality,  being  manufactured  after 
the  most  improved  methods  of  the  times  and  their  sales  are  very  extensive.  In 
addition  to  the  home  trade  they  ship  some  brick  and  annually  the  business 
nets  to  the  proprietors  a  good  income.  In  his  political  affiliations  Air. 
Breisinger  is  a  Democrat  and  is  deeply  interested  in  the  growth  and  success  of 
the  party.  He  belongs  to  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  to  the  Deutsche  Gesellshaft. 
Mr.  Breisinger  and  his  family  attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  he 
co-operates  in  many  movements  for  the  general  good,  being  a  public-spirited 
and  progressive  citizen. 

GEORGE  DOXXEXAYIRTH. 

There  is  ever  a  degree  of  satisfaction  and  profit  in  scanning  the  life 
history  of  one  who  has  attained  to  eminent  success  as  the  diametrical  result 
of  his  own  efforts,  and  has  had  the  mentality  to  direct  his  endeavors  toward 
the  desired  end  and  to  singleness  and  steadfastness  of  purpose.  As  a  dis- 
tinctive type  of  the  self-made  man  we  can  refer  with  singular  proprietv  to 
the  honored  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  president  of  the  Bucyrus  City  Bank 
and  a  well  known  and  honored  resident  of  Crawford  countv. 

A  native  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  George  Donnenwirth  was  born  January 
28.  1835,  a  son  of  George  and  Sophia  (Anthony)  Donnenwirth.  His  pater- 
nal grandparents,  George  and  Magdalene  (Ruth)  Donnenwirth,  were  natives 
of  France,  who  in  1827  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States,  locating 
first  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  whence  they  removed  to'  Stark  county,  Ohio. 
In  1834  they  came  to  Crawford  county  and  secured  land  in  Cranberry  town- 
ship, where  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives.  They  were  the  parents  of 
five  children,  including  George  Donnenwirth,  the  father  of  our  subject,  who 
was  born  in   Strasburg,   France,   September  7,    18 10,  and  was  educated  in 


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CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  167 

the  schools  of  his  native  town.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was  apprenticed 
to  the  blacksmith's  trade,  and  soon  afterward  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  emigration  to  the  new  world.  He  found  employment  at  his  trade  in 
Buffalo,  New  York,  and  later  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  then  in  Stark 
county,  Ohio,  and  then  worked  on  the  Ohio  canal,  drifting  to  Columbus, 
Ohio,  in  1833,  and  there  he  wedded,  in  1834,  Miss  Sophia  Anthony,  who 
was  born  in  Lorraine,  France,  in  1809,  and  died  in  Crawford  county  in 
1849.  Their  children  were  George 'and  Adam  (twin  brothers),  Jacob,  Will- 
iam, Magdalene,  Charles  and  John.  Three  other  children  died  in  childhood. 
William,  Charles  and  Jacob  are  deceased.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife 
the  father  wedded  Miss  Caroline  Derr,  a  native  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  and 
four  children  graced  this  union,  namely:  Lewis  C,  Franklin  P.,  Sophia  M. 
and  Caroline  M.,  but  the  last  named  has  passed  away.  In  1838  the  father 
came  to  Crawford  county  and  located  at  Xew  Washington,  where  he  engaged 
in  blacksmithing,  continuing  with  success  for  several  years.  He  became  well 
and  favorably  known,  and  about  1846  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the 
state  legislature,  representing  Crawford  and  Wyandot  counties.  In  1855  he 
was  elected  county  treasurer  and  the  following  year  removed  to  Bucyrus. 
the  county  seat,  where  he  resided  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1884.  ±n 
1868  he  was  chosen  mayor  of  Bucyrus  and  filled  the  office  for  two  terms  of: 
one  year  each.  In  all  the  public  positions  which  he  was  called  upon  to  fill 
he  discharged  his  duties  with  entire  satisfaction  to  all  concerned,  his  loyalty 
being  above  question,  was  prompt  and  energetic  and  gained  the  unqualified' 
approval  of  the  best  citizens.  Flis  judgment  was  considered  sound  and 
reliable  in  the  councils  of  the  Democratic  part}",  and  he  aided  materially  in 
advancing  the  best  interests  of  his  community. 

George  Donnemvirth,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  pursued  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  Xew  Washington,  Crawford  county,  until  his 
fifteenth  year,  when  he  entered  his  father's  shop  and  worked  at  the  black- 
smith's trade  for  four  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  removed 
to  Sandusky,  Ohio,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  grocery  store  for  eighteen 
months.  For  a  short  time  he  was  also  a  clerk  in  Burlington,  Iowa,  but 
returned  to  Bucyrus  and  entered  a  business  career  that  has  been  prominently 
successful  through  a  long  period  of  forty-four  years.  His  first  venture  was 
in  connection  with  Henry  Anthony.  They  established  a  brewery  and  after 
a  short  time  Mr.  Donnenwirth's  father  purchased  Mr.  Anthony's  interest, 
the  enterprise  being  then  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  George  Donnen- 
wirth  &  Son.     Upon  the   father's   retirement,   in    1875.    Frank   P.   Donnen- 


1 68  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

wirth,  a  half-brother  of  our  subject,  entered  the  firm,  and  their  business 
connection  was  maintained  until  1889,  when  they  sold  the  business.  They 
had  built  up  an  excellent  trade,  having  a  large  and  constantly  increasing 
patronage,  owing  to  the  excellence  of  the  brewing  product  and  through 
reliable  business  methods.  In  1881  Mr.  Donnen wirth  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Monnett  Bank,  of  Bucyrus,  the  style  of  which  was  changed  in 
1892  to  Bucyrus  City  Bank.  He  became  a  director  of  the  institution  upon 
its  organization,  and  was  also  elected  vice-president  of  the  bank.  Since  1886 
he  has  been  its  president,  and  the  concern  is  one  of  the  most  substantial  in 
this  portion  of  Ohio.  His  business  career  in  Bucyrus  covers  a  period  of 
about  forty-three  years  and  has  been  one  of  uninterrupted  success  due  to 
tireless  energy,  cool,  sound  judgment  and  to  strict  integrity.  These  traits 
have  been  a  tower  of  strength  to  the  bank,  and  have  had  much  to  do  with 
its  steady  and  substantial  growth . 

In  1865  George  Donnenwirth  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary 
A.  Fuhrman,  of  Bucyrus.  Fraternally  Mr.  Donnenwirth  is  connected  with 
the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 
A  stanch  advocate  of  Democratic  principles,  he  exercises  his  right  of  franchise 
in  support  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  party,  and  on  that  ticket  has 
been  frequently  called  to  public  office.  He  is  also  active  in  formulating 
the  policy  and  controlling  the  campaigns  in  his  county,  having  served  as  a 
member  of  several  committees,  while  his  advice  and  counsel  carry  weight  in 
Democratic  circles.  For  twenty-five  years,  from  1874  until  1899,  he  served 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  its  treas- 
urer. He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  city  council  for  fifteen  years,  and 
was  treasurer  of  the  township  through  a  long  period.  In  public  office  he  has 
labored  for  the  good  of  the  majority,  and  his  work  has  proved  of  benefit 
and  value.  In  business  affairs  he  has  displayed  great  discrimination  and 
superior  executive  ability,  and  such  qualities,  combined  with  industry  and 
strong  purpose,  never  fail  to  gain  success.  He  stands  to-day  among-  the 
wealthy  residents  of  Bucyrus,  and  his  enviable  position  in  financial  circles 
is  well  merited. 

THOMAS  S.  KENNEDY. 

Thomas  S.  Kennedy,  whose  success  in  life  results  from  earnest,  inde- 
fatigable efforts,  is  numbered  among  the  leading  and  influential  farmers  and 
stock  raisers  of  Dallas  township,  Crawford  county,  his  farm  being  on  section 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  169 

2.  He  was  born  in  Tully  township,  Marion  county,  Ohio,  October  23,  1848, 
and  is  of  Irish  lineage,  for  the  name  is  of  Irish  origin.  The  family,  however, 
was  probably  established  in  America  at  a  very  early  day  and  the  grandparents 
of  our  subject,  Thomas  and  Nancy  Kennedy,  were  both  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  1832  they  left  that  state  and  coming  to  Ohio  settled  in  Crawford 
county,  where  they  spent  their  remaining  days,  passing  away  in  Whetstone 
township.  The  journey  to  this  state  was  made  in  a  wagon,  and  during  their 
early  residence  here  they  lived  in  true  pioneer  style.  The  grandfather  died  in 
the  '40s,  and  the  grandmother  passed  away  in  1863.  Their  children  were: 
William  K.,  the  father  of  our  subject;  Martha,  who  died  in  early  woman- 
hood; Margaretta,  who  is  living  in  Marion  county,  Ohio;  John,  deceased; 
Nancy  Jane,  who  has  also  passed  away;  Thomas,  who  died  in  Jasper  county, 
Indiana,  in  1900;  Sarah,  deceased;  Samuel,  who  is  living  in  Whetstone  town- 
ship; Mary  E.,  who  died  in  Marion  county  in  1901  ;  and  George  Washington, 
who  is  living  in  Marion  count}'. 

William  K.  Kennedy  was  born  in  Juniata  county,  Pennsylvania,  February 
16,  18 1 8,  and  when  a  youth  of  fourteen  accompanied  his  parents  to  this  state, 
being  reared  here  upon  the  home  farm.  He  acquired  a  good  common-school 
education  and  for  a  few  terms  engaged  in  teaching  school.  He  had  a  strong 
mind,  was  a  man  of  good  judgment  and  was  well  informed.  For  five  years 
he  worked  as  a  farm  hand,  at  eleven  dollars  per  month,  being  thus  employed 
on  the  plains  south  of  Bucyrus.  For  his  first  wife  he  married  Miss  Margaret 
Shank,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  of  Pennsylvania-Dutch 
descent,  her  ancestors  coming  from  Holland.  Her  parents,  Jacob  and  Lydia 
(Bush)  Shank,  settled  in  Crawford  county  about  1832.  Bv  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kennedy  the  following  children  were  born:  Nancy,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  three  years ;  Lydia  Jane,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Baker,  of  Dallas 
township;  Thomas  S.,  of  this  review;  Martha,  who  died  after  her  marriage; 
James  W.,  who  is  residing  in  Marion  county,  Ohio;  Emma,  wife  of  Madison 
Roberts,  of  Marion  county;  Anzilla,  wife  of  George  Watts,  of  Marion  county; 
Margaret,  wife  of  John  R.  Hill,  of  Marion  county.  The  mother  died  in  1861 
and  a  few  years  later  the  father  married  Mary  Lance,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  still  survives  him  and  is  living  on  the  homestead  farm  in  Marion 
county.  By  the  second  marriage  there  was  one  child,  Samira,  the  wife  of 
Elsworth  Jones,  of  Marion  county.  Throughout  his  business  career  the 
father  followed  farming.  He  located  on  the  boundary  line  between  Crawford 
and  Marion  counties,  his  farm  lying  in  both  counties,  but  his  residence  in  the 
latter,  and  there  he  remained  until  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death.     He 


i/o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

prospered  and  gained  a  good  estate.  He  engaged  in  dealing  in  and  raised 
large  flocks  of  sheep  and  also  handled  other  stock.  Being  an  excellent  judge 
of  domestic  animals  he  was  enabled  to  make  judicious  purchases  and  upon 
his   investments  he   realized  a  handsome  profit. 

Mr.  Kennedy  was  reared  upon  the  home  farm  and  the  labors  of  the. 
field  and  meadow  became  familiar  to  him  during  the  period  of  his  youth. 
The  common  school  afforded  him  his  educational  privileges  and  through  the 
winter  months  he  pursued  his  studies,  again  taking  up  the  work  of  the  farm 
with  returning  spring.  In  1874  he  was  married  to  Hester  F.  Monnett,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Monnett,  of  Marion  county,  and  their  union  was 
blessed  with  twelve  children:  Thomas  Mervin,  William  C,  Otho  W.,  Orange 
D.,  Myron  G.,  Amy  E.,  James  C,  Ollie,  Ralph,  Myrtle,  Almet  and  Jay.  The 
last  named  died  at  the  age  of  two  years,  but  the  others  are  all  living,  and 
three  of  the  sons,  Thomas  Mervin,  William  C.  and  Otho  W-,  have  engaged 
in  teaching  in  the  district  schools. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Kennedy  began  farming  in  WTetstone  town- 
ship, Crawford  county,  where  he  remained  for  seven  years,  after  which  he 
removed  to  his  present  place  of  residence.  Here  he  owns  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  of  land,  and  in  addition  he  has  eighty  acres  a  mile  west,  forty 
acres  in  Whestone  township  and  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  in 
Marion  county.  In  connection  with  general  farming  he  raises  cattle,  sheep 
and  hogs  and  also  buys  and  sells  others.  His  business  interests  are  well  con- 
ducted and  directed  along  progressive  and  straightforward  lines.  His  fellow 
townsmen,  recognizing  his  worth  and  ability,  have  frequently  called  him  to 
public  office,  and  he  has  satisfactorily  served  in  a  number  of  minor  positions,, 
but  he  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  political  office.  In  his  political  views 
he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious  faith  is  a  Methodist.  His  life  is  honorable, 
his  actions  sincere,  and  his  integrity  unquestioned,  and  in  Crawford  county 
lie  has  gained  many  warm  friends  who  esteem  him  highly  for  his  sterling 
worth. 

ROBERT  K.  WARNER. 

Among  the  honored  pioneers  who  aided  in  laying  broad  and  deep  the 
foundations  for  the  present  prosperity  and  progress  of  Crawford  county,  who 
met  the  hardships  and  trials  of  pioneer  life,  yet  continued  an  active  factor  in 
the  work  of  reclaiming  the  wild  land  for  purposes  of  civilization  was  Robert 
K.  Warner.     He  was  one  of  the  representative  men  of  the  community,  hon- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  171 

•ored  by  all  for  his  sterling"  worth  and  upright  life,  and  in  the  biographical  his- 
tory of  the  county  he  well  deserves  prominent  mention. 

A  native  of  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Warner  was  born  on 
the  8th  of  April,  1825,  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Mary  (Walton)  Warner,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  the  same  county  and  were  of  English  descent.  The 
father's  birth  occurred  about  1801,  the  marriage  was  celebrated  in  1822,  and  in 
1827  he  came  with  his  family  to  Ohio,  traveling  in  a  wagon  drawn  by  four 
horses.  When  they  were  about  four  miles  from  Gallon  the  wagon  sunk  so 
deeply  in  the  mud  that  the  family  were  obliged  to  get  out  and  walk  the  re- 
maining distance  to  the  home  of  a  relative  in  Galion,  leaving  the  wagon  be- 
hind. The  father  remained  in  Crawford  county  throughout  the  remainder 
of  his  life  and  for  many  years  carried  on  farming.  He  settled  in  the  southern 
portion  of  Whetstone  township,  Crawford  county,  but  in  1833  removed  to  a 
farm  on  section  35,  Bucyrus  township,  where  he  resided  through  a  long 
period.  He  was  a  successful  farmer,  although  frail  health  prevented  him  from 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the  fields,  but  he  capably  managed  his 
affairs  and  realized  therefrom  a  good  financial  return.  He  died  May  8,  1872, 
while  visiting  in  Kankakee,  Illinois,  and  his  wife  passed  away  March  7,  1877. 
He  was  a  man  of  kind  heart  and  noble  purpose  and  his  wife  was  a  most  ex- 
cellent woman.  They  were  of  the  Quaker  faith  and  lived  useful  and  quiet  lives, 
which  gained  them  uniform  respect.  They  had  three  children :  Robert  K. ; 
Harriet,  the  widow  of  St.  Clair  Welsh  and  a  resident  of  Missouri ;  and  Louisa, 
the  wife  of  Hiram  Everet,  of  Iowa. 

Robert  K.  Warner  was  only  two  years  of  age  when  brought  by  his  par- 
ents to  Ohio,  and  here  he  was  reared  amid  pioneer  scenes  and  environments. 
The  Wyandot  Indians  were  still  numerous  in  the  county  and  he  played  with 
the  "Johnny  Cake  boys"  man)'  a  da}',  also  learned  their  language.  It  was  in 
1836  that  he  attended  the  first  school  taught  in  Dallas  township,  the  teacher 
being  Miss  Susan  Bovee.  Lie  continued  his  education  in  the  old  log  school 
house  until  twenty  years  of  age  and  was  reared  to  manhood  upon  the  farm, 
where  he  early  became  familiar  with  the  work  of  caring  for  the  stock  and 
cultivating  the  field.  Lessons  of  industry  and  perseverance  were  early  im- 
pressed upon  his  mind  and  were  active  factors  in  his  successful  career.  He 
remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  he  had  reached  his  twenty-third  year, 
when  he  was  married. 

The  wedding  was  celebrated  November  22,  1847,  Miss  Martha  Monnett 
becoming  his  wife.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Elsie  (Slagle)  Mon- 
nett, and  to  her  husband  she  proved  a  most  faithful  companion  and  help- 


172  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

mate  on  the  journey  of  life.  For  a  year  and  a  half  they  resided  on  a  farm 
on  section  26,  Bucyrus  township,  on  the  Columbus  &  Sandusky  road 
and  then  removed  to  the  old  homestead  on  section  27,  of  the  same  township, 
where  Mrs.  Warner  still  makes  her  home.  At  that  time  he  owned  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land,  to  which  he  added  in  later  years,  until  at  the  time 
of  his  death  his  farm  property  comprised  four  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  In 
1875  he  erected  a  fine  residence  and  afterward  built  a  barn.  He  was  a  suc- 
cessful business  man  and  gained  a  large  estate,  dying  a  wealthy  man.  The 
home  was  blessed  with  four  children :  Ellen,  the  wife  of  W.  T.  Mclvinstry, 
of  Bucyrus  township;  Mary,  the  widow  of  Albert  Yaker ;  Harriet,  the  wife 
of  Smith  C.  Caldwell;  and  Louisa,  who  married  Francis  M.  Caldwell.  They 
reside  with  her  mother  on  the  old  homestead. 

Mrs.  Warner  is  now  in  her  seventy-fifth  year  and  yet  enjoys  fair  health. 
She  was  born  and  reared  a  Methodist  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  church 
since  fourteen  years  of  age,  her  entire  life  being  in  harmony  with  her  pn> 
fessions.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Warner  was  a  strong  Republican  and  held 
a  few  minor  political  positions,  but  was  not  an  office  seeker.  He  was  highly 
esteemed  for  his  strict  regard  for  honesty  and  upright  principles  and  in  his 
religious  faith  was  a  Quaker,  living  a  life  consistent  with  that  faith.  He 
passed  away  October  14,  1889.  In  his  friendships  he  was  faithful  and  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duties  of  citizenship  he  was  loyal  and  true,  while  in  his  family 
he  was  a  devoted  husband  and  father,  finding  his  greatest  happiness  in  min- 
istering to  his  family. 

ALBERT  M.   ENSMINGER. 

The  press  has  not  only  recorded  the  history  of  advancement,  but  has 
also  been  the  leader  in  the  work  of  progress  and  improvement, — the  van- 
guard of  civilization.  The  philosopher  of  some  centuries  ago  proclaimed  the 
truth  that  the  pen  is  mightier  than  the  sword,  and  the  statement  is  continually 
being  verified  in  the  affairs  of  life.  In  molding  public  opinion  the  power  of 
the  newspaper  cannot  be  estimated,  but  at  all  events  its  influence  is  greater 
than  any  other  single  agency. 

In  the  history  of  Bucyrus,  therefore,  an  account  of  the  Daily  and  Weekly 
Forum  should  form  an  important  factor,  as  this  journal  is  the  oldest  estab- 
lished one  of  the  count}-  and  its  present  proprietors  keep  in  touch  with  the 
most  advanced  methods  of  journalism,  making  the  paper  one  of  great  value 
in  Crawford  county.    Albert  Milton  Ensminger  was  associated  with  this  paper 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPEIICAL  HISTORY.  17$ 

from  1890  until  October,  1901,  when  it  was  sold  to  the  newly  organized  Bu- 
cyrus  Publishing  Company.  He  was  born  in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania, 
September  27,  1858,  and  traces  his  ancestry  back  to  Christian  Ensminger,  who 
was  born  in  the  Keystone  state  June  8,  1762,  and  died  March  6,  1836.  His 
second  son,  David  Ensminger,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  married  Barabar  Messinger.  Their  son, 
Henry  Ensminger,  was  born  in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  February  2, 
1826,  and  pursued  his  education  in  the  district  schools  near  his  home.  He 
afterward  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  followed  farming 
in  Pennsylvania  until  1866,  when  he  settled  in  Jefferson  township,  Crawford 
county,  Ohio.  In  that  year  he  established  a  store,  and  for  two'  years  was 
in  partnership  with  his  brother,  George  Ensminger,  at  North  Robinson,  the 
connection  being  dissolved  by  the  death  of  the  brother.  Henry  Ensminger 
then  carried  on  business  alone  for  four  years,  when  he  disposed  of  his  mer- 
cantile enterprise  and  purchased  a  farm  near  North  Robinson,  upon  which  he 
resided  until  1879.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Bucyrus  and  opened  a  dry  goods 
store  in  the  Ouinby  block,  being  identified  with  business  affairs  in  this  city 
for  some  time.  He  was  known  as  a  reliable  and  trustworthy  merchant  and 
enjoyed  the  business  confidence  of  the  public  in  an  unusual  degree.  He  mar- 
ried Susan  Jacobs,  and  his  death  occurred  in  Bucyrus,  February  24,  1892. 
Unto  this  worthy  couple  were  born  the  following  children:  Franklin  P.,  Albert 
M.,  Charles  E.,  Anna  M.  and  Alberta  E. 

Albert  Milton  Ensminger,  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  article, 
pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and 
on  the  completion  of  his  literary  course  entered  the  law  department  of  the 
State  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  where  he  was  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1882.  In  the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Ohio  bar  and  began  practice  in  Bucyrus.  In  1885  he  was  elected  city  so- 
licitor and  discharged  his  duties  so  capably  that  he  was  re-elected  for  a 
second  term.  After  his  retirement  from  office  he  became  associated  with  The 
Forum,  and  has  since  been  connected  with  the  paper  except  during  the  period 
from  the  1st  of  August,  1894,  until  the  1st  of  September,  1898,  when  he 
was  postmaster  of  Bucyrus. 

On  the  1 6th  of  December,  1886,  Mr.  Ensminger  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Carrie  Blair,  a  daughter  of  E.  Blair,  president  of  the  Second  National 
Bank  of  Bucyrus  and  a  most  prominent  citizen.  Their  only  child,  Edward 
Blair,  was  born  September  2,  1899.  Mr.  Ensminger  is  a  member  of  St. 
Paul's  English  Lutheran  church  and  socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights 


174  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

of  Pythias  fraternity  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  In 
his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  stalwart  Democrat  and  was  a  candidate  for 
presidential  elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in  1888.  He  has  been  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  progress  and  upbuilding  of  Bucyrus  since  locating  here, 
and  educational,  church  and  social  interests  owe  their  promotion  in  a  con- 
siderable degree  to  his  efforts. 


WILLIAM  W.  REEHL. 

William  W.  Reehl,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Bucyrus  on 
Februarv  22,  1868,  attended  the  public  schools  until  1885,  and  then  he  took 
a  business  course  in  the  Nelson  Commercial  College,  of  Cincinnati.  After 
finishing  his  course  he  accepted  a  position  as  bookkeeper  for  Lee  Cann  & 
Company,  of  that  city,  but  resigned  to  enter  business  for  himself.  Return- 
ing to  Bucyrus,  he  entered  the  firm  of  Reehl  &  Howe,  hardware  dealers,  an 
enterprise  which  he  did  much  to  build  up.  Owing  to  failing  health,  he  sold 
his  interest  to  G.  P.  Fisher,  and  after  six  months  of  rest  and  recuperation  he, 
in  December,  1888,  with  others,  organized  the  Frey-Sheckler  Company, 
which  bought  out  the  Frey-Sheckler  &  Hoover  Company,  manufacturers  of 
clay-working  machinery.  In  organizing  the  business  staff  of  the  new  com- 
pany Air.  Reehl  was  made  head  bookkeeper,  and  after  a  year  was  made 
auditor  of  the  company,  acting  in  that  capacity  until  September,  1896,  when 
a  consolidation  of  the  Frey-Sheckler  Company  and  the  firm  of  J.  W.  Pen- 
field  &  Son,  oi  Willoughby,  Ohio,  was  consummated  under  the  firm  name 
of  The  American  Clay-Working  Machinery  Company,  with  general  offices 
in  Bucyrus.  Under  the  consolidation  Mr.  Reehl  was  made  secretary  and 
resident  manager  of  the  Bucyrus  plant.  He  has  continued  in  this  capacity 
since  his  election  to  the  office  and  has  contributed  in  large  measure  to  the 
phenomenal  success  of  the  enterprise.  The  American  Clay-Working-  Ma- 
chinery Company  does  the  most  extensive  business  of  its  kind  in  the  world, 
its  products  being  shipped  to  all  parts  of  this  country  and  abroad.  They 
manufacture  a  full  line  of  clay-working,  cement  and  pottery  machinery,  and 
employ  over  four  hundred  workmen  in  their  combined  plants.  In  1888 
the  Bucyrus  and  Willoughby  plants  combined  employed  about  fifty-six  men, 
which  taken  in  comparison  with  the  present  pay-roll  indicates  the  great 
increase  in  business. 

Mr.  Reehl  is  also  the  president  of  the  New  York  Blower  Company,  a 


CEXTEXXIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  177 

growing  enterprise  composed  largely  of  eastern  capitalists,  devoted  to  the 
manufacture  of  heating  and  ventilating  machinery.  The  company  was 
established  in  Bucyrus  in  1899.  Owing  to  his  ability  as  a  manager,  Mr. 
Reehl  was  selected  as  the  head  of  the  company,  a  position  he  assumed  in 
January,  1901.  The  employes  of  the  company  number  nearly  a  hundred, 
with  branch  offices  in  Xew  York,  Boston  and  Chicago. 

On  January  7,  1892.  Mr.  Reehl  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  Troop 
Harris,  of  Peoria,  Illinois,  Miss  Harris  being  a  daughter  01  D.  W.  C.  Harris. 
Two  children  grace  their  union:  Helen  Harris,  born  May  20,  1894,  and 
William  \\\,  born  December  5,  1900.  The  parents  occupy  an  enviable  posi- 
tion in  social  circles,  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  in  Bucyrus  being  open 
to  them.  They  also  belong  to  the  Presbyterian  church.  Air.  Reehl  having 
served  on  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  church.  Mr.  Reehl  is  a  young  man, 
but  has  already  attained  a  position  in  business  circles  that  many  a  man  of 
even  twice  his  years  might  well  envy.  His  determination  and  keen  sagacity, 
combined  with  unflagging  diligence  and  scrupulous  honesty,  have  been  the 
salient  features  of  his  success. 

Air.  Reehl  is  of  German  parentage.  His  father,  Nicholas  Reehl,  was 
born  at  Hessen-Darmstadt,  Germany,  August  1,  1825.  The  parents  of 
Nicholas  Reehl,  Michael  Reehl  and  Anna  Louise  Plaizer  Reehl,  were  life- 
long residents  of  Hessen,  the  wife  having  been  born  at  Allarts-Hofen,  Ger- 
many. Michael  Reehl  died  Septembei  14.  1S52,  his  wife  preceding  him  in 
February  of  the  same  year.  The  son,  Nicholas  Reehl,  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1847,  and  after  a  year  spent  in  Philadelphia  he  removed,  in  1848, 
to  Bucyrus.  Soon  after  Ins  arrival  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Anna 
Elizabeth  Kreighbaum,  and  on  May  13.  185 1,  they  were  married.  Mrs. 
Nicholas  Reehl  was  born  in  Reichenbach,  Germany,  December  10,  1828,  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1849,  landing  at  New  Orleans,  and  later  settling 
at  Upper  Sandusky.  Her  parents  were  Falten  Kreighbaum,  who  died  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1850,  and  Katherine  Kaffenberger,  who  died  December  10,  1866. 
The  marriage  of  Air.  and  Airs.  Nicholas  Reehl  was  solemnized  at  Colnm- 
bus,  and  they  at  once  removed  to  Bucyrus,  where  they  were  identified  with 
the  earlv  historv  of  the  community,  Air.  Reehl  following  his  trade  of  wagon 
and  carriage-maker,  and  later  on  becoming  largely  interested  in  manufactur- 
ing and  real  estate.  Airs.  Reehl  died  in  the  fullness  of  a  well  spent  life  on 
September  12,  1899.  To  Air.  and  Airs.  Reehl  nine  children  were  born,  as 
follows:  Henry,  born  October  28,  1852,  deceased;  Carl,  born  October  30, 
1853,   deceased:   Louisa,   born   November  3,    1855,   the  wife  of   Rev.   John 


173  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Horst,  of  Coving-ton,  Kentucky;  Lewis,  born  July  29,  1858,  deceased;  John, 
born  October  28,  1861,  deceased;  Edward,  born  December  14,  1862,  deceased; 
Katherine  M.,  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  born  December  1,  1864;  William  W.,  born 
February  22,   1S68;  and  Samuel,  born  May  21,  1870,  deceased. 

DANIEL  PFLEIDERER. 

The  ancestors  of  the  Pfleiderer  family  were  old  and  established  families  of 
AYurtemberg,  Germany,  where  their  thrift,  energy  and  economy  had  brought 
them  a  comfortable  competence ;  but  a  restless  spirit  entered  into  the  younger 
members,  as  they  saw  their  sons  growing  up  about  them,  and  some  of  them 
decided  to  emigrate  to  the  great  country  across  the  sea.  where  there  was  land 
for  all.  Among-  these  came  Christian  and  his  wife  Barbara  (Auberly) 
Pfleiderer,  the  former  born  in  1789,  the  latter  in  1794.  They  left  Germany 
in  the  spring  of  183 1,  with  their  children, — Adam.  Jacob.  David  and  Chris- 
tian,— and  after  ninety-two  days  on  the  ocean,  they  landed  in  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  and  pursued  their  journey  across  the  continent  until  they  reached 
Columbiana  county,  Ohio.  Winter  was  near  and  they  were  weary  of  travel, 
and  although  they  intended  to  go  into  the  forest  they  wisely  decided  that  it 
was  not  the  season  to  go  into  an  unsettled  portion  of  the  country.  They 
found  shelter  with  the  family  of  Air.  Seacrist.  and  Air.  Pfleiderer  went  to 
work  at  whatever  jobs  he  could  find,  as  did  also  the  oldest  boys.  As  soon 
as  spring  opened  they  purchased  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  an  old  wagon,  and  thus 
equipped  set  out  for  Crawford  county,  where  thev  arrived  the  first  week  in 
April.  They  located  on  eighty  acres,  which  had  been  entered  by  the  father 
during  their  stay  in  Columbiana  county,  and  on  arriving  in  Crawford  county 
he  purchased  an  adjoining  eighty  acres  for  one  hundred  and  forty-five  dollars. 
The  improvements  on  this  tract  consisted  of  a  miserable  lob  cabin,  and  there 
the  family  found  refuge  until  the}'  had  time  to  build  a  more  comfortable  one,  in 
which  there  was  scarcely  a  nail  used  in  construction.  About  one  year  later 
the  father  bought  another  eighty  acres,  for  one  hundred  and  forty  dollars.  In 
those  days  each  settler  felt  honorably  called  upon  to  assist  every  other,  and 
soon  after  his  location  the  father  was  asked  to  assist  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Ludwig  Geiger  to  raise  a  cabin.  By  some  accident  a  pole  fell  upon  Air. 
Pfleiderer  and  broke  his  right  leg.  This  was  a  terrible  discouragement,  for 
there  was  so  much  work  to  be  done  in  the  clearing  of  land  and  improving  the 
farm.  No  clearing  had  yet  been  done  and  no  crops  could  be  started,  but  fortu- 
nately he  had  brought  some  means  with  him,  and  the  money  earned  by  him 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  179 

and  his  sons  in  the  cranberry  marshes,  upon  their  arrival  in  Ohio,  had  been 
saved,  and  things  were  not  so  desperate  as  they  were  with  some  pioneers.  Just 
as  he  seemed  to  be  recovering  from  his  accident,  however,  paralysis  set  in  and 
he  was  alive  but  a  short  time  afterward,  expiring  suddenly. 

This  was  a  terrible  blow  to  the  widow  with  her  six  children,  two  of 
whom  had  come  amid  the  stress  of  the  years  after  the  family  arrived  in  Ohio. 
John  and  Daniel,  our  subject,  who  was  but  an  infant  at  this  time,  having  been 
born  in  Liberty  township,  on  April  10,  1840,  were  too  small  to  be  of  any 
assistance  at  this  time,  but  the  older  children  went  sturdily  to  work,  and, 
assisted  by  the  mother,  commenced  to  clear  the  land,  and  finally  succeeded 
in  a  most  admirable  manner.  Later  the  mother  married  a  neighbor,  John 
Heckenlively,  but  spent  her  last  years  with  her  son  David.  She  was  a  re- 
markable woman,  a  true  type  of  the  pioneer.  At  the  advanced  age  of  ninety 
she  would  walk  several  miles  to  take  part  in  the  services  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  of  which  she  was  a  devoted  member,  and  walk  home  again,  without 
apparent  fatigue.  She  would  relate  that  in  early  pioneer  clays  the  congrega- 
tion would  walk  to  church  barefoot,  in  flax  shirts  and  homespun  dresses. 

Daniel  Pfleiderer  was  but  nine  months  old  when  his  father  died,  but  re- 
mained with  his  mother  until  he  was  twelve,  and  then,  as  she  had  married 
again,  he  started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  His  education  was 
necessarily  limited.  He  worked  at  farm  work,  as  this  was  all  he  knew  any- 
thing about,  and  had  saved  enough  by  the  time  he  was  twenty-one  to  pur- 
chase a  team  and  wagon  and  then  he  began  farming,  on  shares,  on  the  old  home 
place  for  his  mother.  In  1862  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Kafer.  the 
daughter  of  John  Kafer,  who  came  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  at  an  early  day, 
from  Germany  and  became  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  of  Liberty  town- 
ship. 

After  his  marriage  Daniel  Pfleiderer  was  employed  on  the  home  farm 
for  one  year,  but  in  1863  he  purchased  sixty  acres  of  land  in  section  4  and 
removed  to  his  new  home.  Three  years  later  he  sold  this  and  purchased  eighty 
acres  in  Chatfield  township,  and  there  he  resided  until  1873,  when  he  ex- 
changd  this  farm  for  one  hundred  acres  of  his  present  home  farm,  where  he 
has  ever  since  remained.  During  the  subsequent  years  he  has  added  to  his  land, 
until  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  the  rich  and  productive 
soil  of  Crawford  county.  Mr.  Pfleiderer  comes  of  good  stock  and  in  no 
way  could  he  have  proved  this  more  than  in  the  success  which  he  has  made  of 
his  business  life. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pfleiderer  are:     Eliza,  the  wife  of 


i  So  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

James  Givens,  of  Mercer  county,  Ohio ;  Lizzie,  deceased ;  Tillie,  the  wife  of 
Charles  Hillboat,  of  Mercer  county;  John,  a  butcher  of  North  Robinson,  this 
county;  Rosa,  at  home;  Emma,  the  wife  of  William  Rhine,  of  Bucyrus;  Laura, 
at  home ;  Edward,  on  a  portion  of  the  home  farm ;  and  James  and  Jane,  at 
home. 

Although  Mr.  Ptieiderer  has  been  a  life-long  Democrat  and  somewhat 
prominent  in  township  affairs,  he  has  never  sought  office,  but  has  cheerfully 
and  efficiently  served  on  the  school  board  for  several  years.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  consistent  members  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  have  carefully  reared 
their  children  in  the  same  faith.  The  family  is  one  which  is  held  in  high  es- 
teem in  Crawford  county. 

ABRAHAM  FROST. 

Among  the  prominent,  successful  and  highly  esteemed  farmers  of  Holmes 
township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is  Abraham  Frost,  who  was  born  in  North- 
ampton county,  Pennsylvania,  on  March  18,  1825,  a  son  of  George  and 
Christina  (Kindt)  Frost,  and  was  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  four  of 
whom  survive:  Uriah,  who  resides  in  this  township;  Abraham;  Isaac,  who 
resides  in  Osceola;  and  Julia  A.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  Hines,  of  Nebraska. 

George  Frost  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  Jersey  and  early  in  life  dis- 
played a  talent  for  working  in  wood.  He  learned  the  trade  of  wagon-making 
and  was  constantly  employed  in  developing  a  mechanical  genius.  All  of  his 
furniture  Was  made  by  his  own  hands,  and  he  finally  constructed  a  carding- 
machine,  which  he  used  for  twenty  years.  After  his  marriage  he  removed  to 
Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  wTas  given,  free  of  charge,  water 
power  for  his  carding-machine,  if  he  would  build  and  operate  a  carding-mill, 
and  bought  a  small  tract  of  land  near  the  mill,  from  which  came  his  power,  con- 
sisting of  some  twenty  acres ;  but  later  he  sold  this  land  and  purchased  a  desir- 
able farm,  of  eight}-  acres,  although  he  was  obliged  to  hire  labor  to  work  it 
until  his  sons  grew  old  enough  to  take  charge  of  it. 

In  the  spring  of  1840,  Mr.  Frost  came  to  Wayne  county,  where  he 
remained  for  two  years,  farming  on  rented  land,  and  then  removed  to  Liberty 
township,  Crawford  count}-,  where  he  was  engag-ed  in  farming  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  war.  So  interested  was  Mr.  Frost  in  the  stirring  events 
of  the  time  that  he  insisted  upon  going  to  town  to  obtain  news  from  the  seat 
of  war  for  himself,  although  at  this  time  he  was  in  his  seventy-fourth  year, 
that  he  became  the  victim  of  a  fast  train  on  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  & 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  1S1 

Chicago  Railroad  and  was  instantly  killed.  Early  in  life  Mr.  Frost  was  a 
Democrat,  casting  his  vote  for  Andrew  Jackson,  but  later  his  adherence  to  that 
party  weakened  and  before  his  death  he  had  become  an  ardent  Republican. 
His  life  was  one  of  morality,  and  although  he  never  was  formally  connected 
with  any  religious  organization  he  contributed  freely  and  was  a  constant  at- 
tendant upon  religious  services. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Northampton  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, also,  about  1798,  and  died  in  her  forty-fourth  year.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Martin  and  Elizabeth  Kindt,  both  of  whom  passed  their  whole 
lives  in  Pennsylvania.  Both  parents  are  remembered  with  affection  and 
respect,  and  their  counsels  and  care  had  much  to  do  in  the  formation  of  the 
character  of  their  children,  all  of  the  survivors  of  the  large  family  being  es- 
teemed and  respected  in  their  several  neighborhoods. 

Abraham  Frost  grew  up  under  his  father's  care,  working  on  the  farm  and 
assisting  in  other  ways,  attending  school  and  growing  to  manhood,  strong, 
moral  and  energetic,  a  son  of  whom  his  parents  were  pardonably  proud.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  he  began  his  personal  business  career,  in  Bucyrus,  working 
at  a  gristmill.  After  his  first  marriage  he  rented  a  house  one  and  one-half 
miles  west  of  Bucyrus  and  worked  industriously,  sometimes  at  chopping  wood 
and  sometimes  at  other  labor  which  he  found  to  do,  managing  to  save  enough 
money  to  purchase  eighty  acres  in  Todd  township,  and  later  added  to  this 
twenty-seven  acres,  making  a  nice  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seven  acres,  but  he 
never  resided  upon  this  place  and  later  disposed  of  it,  advantageously,  and 
bought  his  present  farm,  of  one  hundred  and  lift}-  acres,  having  previously  re- 
sided upon  it  after  his  second  marriage.  In  1872  Air.  Frost  erected  his  pres- 
ent handsome  brick  residence,  which  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  county. 

In  j  850,  Air.  Frost  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Hannah  Hollinger,  and 
to  this  marriage  one  child  was  born,  deceased;  and  Airs.  Frost,  on  account 
of  giving  birth  to  this  child,  died  some  six  days  later,  on  July  3.  185 1.  The 
second  marriage  of  Air.  Frost  was  in  1852,  to  Aliss  Esther  H.  AlcCollongh,  a 
native  of  Crawford  county,  who  was  born  upon  the  farm  which  is  now  the 
family  home.  The  father  of  Airs.  Frost,  AYilliam  AlcCollongh,  was  a  pio- 
neer of  1828,  and  entered  the  land  at  that  time.  Ten  children  were  born  to 
this  union,  the  eight  survivors  being:  Nancy,  the  wife  of  D.  W.  Myers,  of 
this  township  ;  Laura,  the  wife  of  George  Studer,  of  Fresno  county,  California  ; 
Jnlia,  the  widow  of  F.  E.  Brester,  of  Dunkirk,  Ohio;  Jay.  of  Bucyrus  town- 
ship; Ira,  of  Holmes  township;  Dilla,  the  wife  of  Frank  V.  Steen,  of  Holmes 
township;  Willis,  the  farmer  on  the  home  place;  and  Ida,  the  wife  of  George 


1 82  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Goodwin,  of  Holmes  township.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Frost  was  in  1873.  In 
1877  Mr.  Frost  was  married  to  Mrs.  Jerry  Orthwein,  formerly  Miss  Christina 
Bahler.  a  native  of  Germany,  who  came  to  America,  with  a  brother,  when  she 
was  but  twelve  years  of  age.  She  died  September  9,  1888.  One  son,  Frank, 
has  been  born  of  this  marriage,  and  he  resides  at  home. 

Mr.  Frost  is  known  to  be  a  stanch  Republican,  and  he  was  first  a  "Know 
Nothing,"  and  has  ever  taken  an  intelligent  interest  in  public  affairs.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  a  leading  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  one 
of  its  liberal  supporters.  During  an  extended  period  Mr.  Frost  has  been  frater- 
nally connected  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  has  been  an  active  and  interested 
member,  but  in  late  years  he  has  not  felt  disposed  to  attend  the  night  meet- 
ings. He  is  also  connected  with  Bucyrus  Grange,  No.  507,  P.  of  H.,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Holmes  township. 

FRANK  E.  LIEBICH. 

Frank  E.  Liebich,  assistant  postmaster  of  Bucyrus,  was  born  March  3, 
1859,  in  the  city  which  is  now  his  home,  and  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
has  been  identified  with  its  business  and  public  interests.  His  grandfather, 
Franz  Otto  Liebich,  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  died  when  about  fifty-two 
years  of  age,  while  his  wife,  Mrs.  Amelia  Liebich,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the 
same  country,  passed  away  in  1883.  Their  son.  Leo  Otto  Liebich,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Gera,  Germany,  January  29,  1830,  and  in  1857 
emigrated  to  the  new  world,  settling  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  resided  for  a 
few  months  and  then  came  to  Bucyrus.  Here  he  entered  the  employ  of  a  Mr. 
Beam,  in  the  printing  office  of  the.  Democrat,  and  a  year  later  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  a  Mr.  Koch,  and  purchased  the  office  and  paper,  conduct- 
ing business  under  the  name  of  Koch  &  Liebich.  They  continued  to  publish 
the  paper  for  some  years  and  met  with  success  in  the  undertaking.  Mr.  Lie- 
bich was  married  in  1858,  to  Teresa  Hoffman,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Annie  Hoffman.     The  father  of  our  subject  died  February  22,  1884. 

In  his  boyhood  days  Frank  E.  Liebich  pursued  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Bucyrus,  but  at  an  early  age  put  aside  his  text-books  and  accepted  a 
position  in  a  woolen  mill.  On  leaving  that  service  he  went  into  a  printing  office, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  setting  type.  Six  years  were  passed  in  such  employ- 
ments, and  from  1878  until  1881  he  followed  the  carpenter's  trade.  From 
1 88 1  until  1883  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Broemel  &  Liebich,  proprietors 
of   woolen  mills,   in  which   they   engaged   in   the  manufacture  of   blankets, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  183 

woolens,  yarns  and  also  did  custom  work  for  farmers.  The  firm  continued 
in  existence  for  about  two  years,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period  Mr.  Liebich 
sold  his  interest  to  his  partner  and  through  the  succeeding  year  resided  in 
Cleveland,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  hard-wood  finisher.  In  1884.  he 
returned  to  Bucyrus  and  entered  the  service  of  the  firm  of  Roehr  &  Sons, 
manufacturers  of  banking  and  church  furniture.  During  President  Cleve- 
land's administration  Mr.  Liebich  was  appointed  assistant  postmaster  of 
Bucyrus  under  Shannon  Clement,  and  served  four  years,  after  which  he 
returned  to  his  old  employers,  the  firm  of  Rohr  &  Sons,  who  at  that  time  were 
giving  work  to  about  one  hundred  men,  and  during  his  second  period  of 
service  for  that  firm  he  was  selected  among  others  of  their  employes  to  go 
to  Chicago  and  put  in  place  a  large  amount  of  work  made  by  the  firm  for 
exhibitors  at  the  World's  Columbia  Exposition.  During  President  Cleve- 
land's second  administration  he  was  again  appointed  assistant  postmaster, 
under  A.  M.  Ensminger,  and  has  occupied  the  same  position  under  Postmaster 
J.  E.  Hall.  In  March,  1901,  he  was  chosen  by  the  Bucyrus  city  board  of 
education  a  member  thereof,  to  fill  the  vacancy  which  was  occasioned  by  the 
resignation  of  J.  F.  Angel,  and  at  the  general  election  on  April  1st,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  board. 

On  Christmas  day  of  1884,  in  Bucyrus,  Mr.  Liebich  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Louise  Hertzer,  a  daughter  of  Theodore  and  Louise  Hert- 
zer.  Unto  them  have  been  born  four  children,  namely :  Arthur  Theodore, 
who  was  born  March  17,  1886;  Richard  Otto,  born  October  18,  1888;  Alma 
Marie,  born  August  6,  1892;  and  Frank  August,  born  August  18,  1899.  Mr. 
Liebich  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  and  also  be- 
longs to  the  Deutsche  Gesellschaft,  a  very  strong  German  organization.  He 
has  a  wide  acquaintance  in  Bucyrus,  and  the  strong  elements  in  his  character 
are  such  as  to  win  for  him  uniform  respect. 

Mrs.  EMMA  J.  DALZELL. 

A  history  of  the  educational  interests  of  Bucyrus  would  be  incomplete 
without  mention  of  Mrs.  Emma  J.  Dalzell,  a  most  successful  teacher  who  oc- 
cupied a  posit-on  in  the  second-grade  primary  for  years.  She  has  been  a 
representative  of  the  educational  work  of  Bucyrus  since  1874,  having  taught 
continuously  from  that  time,  with  the  exception  of  a  period  of  three  months, 
until  June,  1901,  when  she  resigned  her  position  in  the  city  schools. 

She  is  a  native  of  Huron  county,  Ohio,  and  in  1873  came  to  Bucyrus  with 


1 84  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

her  parents,  Samuel  and  Rebecca  (Bergert)  Frisbie.  Mrs.  Dalzell  was  very 
young  at  the  time  of  her  father's  death  and  she  then  went  to  live  with  an  aunt, 
Mrs.  Mary  Moffi't,  who  now  resides  with  her,  and  who  is  a  most  interesting 
old  lady.  Mrs.  Dalzell  pursued  her  education  in  the  schools  of  Bucyrus  and 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  began  teaching  at  Wingert  Corners,  in  Crawford  coun- 
ty,  where  she  taught  for  several  terms. 

She  was  married  in  this  county  to  William  Dalzell,  a  native  of  Columbus, 
Ohio,  who  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Crawford  county  dur- 
ing his  earlv  childhood,  the  family  locating  in  Chatfield  township,  where  he 
was  reared  to  manhood.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  responded  to  the 
country's  call  for  troops,  enlisting  in  1861  as  a  member  of  the  Fifty-seventh 
Ohio  Infantry,  with  which  he  served  throughout  the  war,  the  regiment  being 
attached  to  the  Arm}-  of  the  Tennessee.  He  was  in  all  of  the  battles  with  that 
corps  and  was  ever  found  at  his  post  of  duty  as  a  loyal  defender  of  the  stars 
and  stripes  and  the  cause  it  represented.  The  rigors  and  hardships  of  the 
war,  however,  undermined  his  health,  which  he  never  fully  recovered  and  his 
army  experience  was  the  ultimate  cause  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1871, 
when  he  was  thirty  years  of  age.  He  had  been  engaged  in  business  in  Bucy- 
rns  for  a  short  time.  His  parents  were  John  and  Sallie  (Raymond)  Dalzell. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Dalzell  were  born  two  daughters,  Eva  and  Lottie, 
the  former  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  of  Bucyrus  and  is  now  teaching  in 
the  grammar  school,  No.  8,  of  this  city,  while  the  latter  is  the  wife  of  William 
Redman,  of  Canton,  Ohio. 

In  1874,  after  her  husband's  death,  Mrs.  Dalzell  accepted  a  position  in 
the  city  schools  of  Bucyrus,  holding  the  same  until  she  resigned  in  June.  1901. 
She  is  a  very  successful  educator,  having  the  ability  to  impress  strongly  and 
forcibly  upon  the  young  minds  the  principles  of  knowledge  with  which  each 
child  must  become  acquainted  as  a  preparation  for  life's  work.  She  holds 
membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  is  a  woman  of  high  char- 
acter whose  many  excellent  qualities  of  heart  and  mind  have  won  her  the  high 
regard  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  she  has  come  in  contact. 

MICHAEL  AUCK. 

Michael  Auck,  a  well  known  resident  of  Bucyrus,  is  a  son  of  Chris- 
topher Auck,  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  Wurtemberg  January  31,  1813. 
The  name  was  originally  spelled  Auch.  The  father  obtained  a  fair  educa- 
tion in  his  native  land,  and  at  an  early  age  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the 


<^fx, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  187 

tailor's  trade.  In  the  year  183 1  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  locating 
in  Pennsylvania,  where,  in  1841,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rachel  Wag- 
ner. By  this  union  three  children  were  born,  the  living  being  Michael  and 
Elizabeth,  while  Mary  is  now  deceased.  In  the  year  1848  the  father  removed 
from  Pennsylvania  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio;  and  purchased  a  farm  in 
Whetstone  township.  His  first  wife  died  on  the  2d  of  September,  1875, 
and  on  the  7th  of  September  of  the  folio-wing  year  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Catherine  Flick,  who  was  born  in  1818,  and  since  the  demise  of 
her  husband  has  made  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Kunkle,  of  Belle- 
fontaine,  Ohio,  with  whom  she  is  now  living,  in  her  eighty-fourth  year. 
Christopher  Auck  was  long  a  respected  and  honored  citizen  of  Crawford 
county.  He  never  sought  or  desired  office,  but  undoubtedly  could  have 
enjoyed  political  preferment  had  he  so  desired.  He  was  a  reliable  citizen,  a 
faithful  friend  and  considerate  neighbor,  and  wherever  known  was  held  in 
high  esteem. 

Michael  Auck.  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  review,  was  born 
in  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  23,  1842,  and  acquired  a  good  com- 
mon-school education.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  started  out  in  life  on 
his  own  account,  and  on  the  20th  of  September,  1866,  he  wedded  Miss  Caro- 
line Ehman,  who  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  Februarv  9,  1845. 
Unto  Mr.  raid  Mrs.  .Auck  have  been  born  six  children:  Mary  J.,  who  became 
the  wife  of  D.  S.  Schieber,  of  Bucvrus,  in  1S87;  John  C,  who.  is  living  on  the 
eld  homestead  in  Whetstone  township,  and  who  in  1892  married  Ora 
Andrews,  a  daughter  of  F.  L.  Andrews,  of  Liberty  township;  William  H., 
who  in  1898  wedded  Theressa  Seifert,  of  Jefferson  county,  Pennsvlvania, 
and  was  for  one  year  an  assistant  in  the  office  of  county  treasurer,  his  father- 
being  his  superior,  after  which  the  position  of  assistant  cashier  in  the  Sec- 
ond National  Bank  was  tendered  him  and  accepted:  Lucy  E.,  who  was  mar- 
ried, in  1890,  to  J.  E.  Myers,  of  Liberty  township;  Priscilla  S.,  who,  in 
October,  '900,  became  the  wife  of  H.  G.  Hoover,  of  Bucyrus ;  and  Samuel 
E.,  who  was  married,  in  December.  1900,  to  Lulu  Viola  Knoedler.  He  suc- 
ceeded his  brother  William  in  the  position  of  deputy  treasurer,  and  retained 
the  office  under  the  successor  of  his  father,  being  now  the  bookkeeper  for 
the  American  Gay-Working  Machinery  Company. 

Michael   Auck  was  elected  township  treasurer  of  Whetstone  township 

in   1880,  and  continued  to  serve  in  that  position   for  seven  years.     On  his 

retirement   he  became   actively   identified   with   business   life,    and   has   been 

connected  with  several  mercantile  ventures  and  industrial  pursuits.     He  has 

10 


1 88  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

devoted  seme  time  to  the  operation  of  his  farm,  and  at  intervals  lias  engaged 
in  the  administration  of  estates,  often  acting'  as  guardian  and  trustee.  In 
all  of  these  the  character  of  the  man  has  been  attested  by  his  honesty  and 
integrity  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  Now,  when  almost  sixty  years 
of  age,  Mr.  Auck  is  in  the  vigor  and  prime  of  an  active  business  life,  and 
frccjuently  lends  his  aid  for  the  transaction  of  business  affairs  in  the  office 
of  county  treasurer.  In  the  year  1895  ne  became  a  candidate  for  that  posi- 
tion and  was  elected,  and  on  the  7th  of  September,  1896,  was  installed  in 
that  office,  which  he  held  for  two  consecutive  terms.  Upon  his  retirement, 
in  1900,  his  friends  and  associates  presented  him  with  a  beautiful  gold- 
headed  cane,  appropriately  inscribed,  as  a  testimonial  of  respect  for  him  and 
in  appreciation  of  the  honesty  and  fidelity  with  which  he  had  discharged  the 
duties  committed  to  his  keeping.  As  the  result  of  thirty  years  of  continued 
and  well  directed  effort  in  business  affairs  he  is  now  the  possessor  of  a  com- 
fortable competence,  a  handsome  residence  in  Bucyrus,  together  with  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Liberty  township  and  another  of  two 
hundred  and  four  acres  in  ^"hetstone  township,  Crawford  county.  His 
land  is  very  valuable  and  productive  and  therefore  brings  to  him  a  good 
income.  In  his  political  views  he  has  always  been  a  Democrat  of  the  Jef- 
fersonian  type,  and  in  his  religious  belief  is  connected  with  the  German 
Reformed  church. 

ARTHUR  M.  DUNCAN,  M.  D. 

In  no  department  of  professional  life  has  such  rapid  advancement  been 
made  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  as  in  the  medical.  Investigation  has  been 
carried  forward  and  remarkable  discoveries  made  so  that  the  methods  in  vogue 
and  the  practices  followed  twenty-five  years  ago  are  hardly  known  to-day  in 
the  light  of  modern  science  and  discovery.  It  is  this  which  renders  the  work 
of  the  medical  fraternity  so  effective  and  makes  its  work  a  boon  to  humanity. 
One  of  the  most  learned  and  capable  physicians  in  Crawford  county  is  Dr.  Dun- 
can, of  Bucyrus,  who  has  attained  a  position  of  distinction  in  connection  with 
his  chosen  life  work  and  has  thus  set  at  naught  the  old  proverb  that  a  prophet 
is  never  without  honor  save  in  his  own  country,  for  the  Doctor  is  a  native  of 
Crawford  county  and  his  fellow  citizens  have  not  been  slow  in  acknowledging 
his  worth  and  professional  skill. 

He  was  born  in  Texas  township,  January  18,  1850,  and  traces  his  an- 
cestry back  to  the  colonial  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  country,  and  thence  back 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  189 

to  Scotland,  to  a  period  antedating  the  religions  wars  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury. The  best  information  attainable  seems  to  establish  beyond  reasonable 
doubt  the  fact  that  three  Duncan  brothers,  coming  from  Scotland  about  1722, 
settled  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  became  the  progenitors  of 
the  family  in  America.  They  were  descendants  of  the  Rev.  William  Duncan, 
a  martyr  in  the  Covenanter  persecution  in  Scotland.  Andrew  Duncan,  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
March  12,  1750,  and  died  in  1828,  in  York  county,  that  state.  Under  George 
III,  he  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace.  When  the  colonies  had  achieved 
their  independence  from  the  British  crown  he  was  reappointed  by  the  federal 
government  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  more  than  half  a  century.  He 
was  of  the  Presbyterian  church  faith,  and  from  1770  to  the  time  of  his  death  he 
served  as  an  elder  of  the  Round  Hill  Presbyterian  church,  in  York  county, 
Pennsylvania. 

Washington  Duncan,  the  father  of  the  Doctor,  was  born  in  York  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1810,  and  when  a  young  man  left  his  native  state,  removing 
to  Crawford  county  in  1833,  with  his  mother  and  sister  Ann  Elizabeth,  who 
afterward  became  the  wife  of  Arthur  Andrews,  a  prominent  pioneer  and 
citizen  of  Crawford  county.  The}'  took  up  land  from  the  government,  the 
deed  to  their  claim  being  signed  by  Andrew  Jackson,  and  for  many  years  Mr. 
Duncan  followed  agricultural  pursuits  in  Crawford  county.  He  married 
Eliza  Gibson,  a  daughter  of  John  Gibson  and  a  sister  of  the  late  General  Will- 
iam H.  Gibson,  of  Tiffin,  Ohio.  Her  father  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsvlvania,  in  1782,  and  in  182 1  removed  to  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  his 
death  occurring  in  that  county,  near  Melmore,  in  1854.  His  wife  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Jeanette  Coe  and  was  a  daughter  of  Moses  Coe,  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolutionary  war  and  a  descendant  of  Robert  Coe,  who  was  born  in 
Suffolk,  England,  about  the  year  1590.  With  his  family  he  sailed  from 
Ipswich,  England,  in  1634,  and  finally  settled  in  Jamaica,  Xew  York,  so  that 
the  maternal  ancestry  of  the  Doctor  can  be  traced  back  to  a  period  equally  re- 
mote with  that  of  the  paternal.  His  father  died  in  Bucyrus.  in  1888,  and  the 
mother  in  1890. 

Arthur  McDowell  Duncan  displays  many  of  the  sterling  characteristics 
of  his  Scotch  and  English  ancestry.  He  acquired  his  preliminary  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  the  county  and  afterward  attended  normal  schools  in 
Republic  and  Fostoria.  When  he  had  completed  his  literary  education  he 
matriculated  in  the  Columbus  Medical  College,  where  he  remained  as  a  student 


i9o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

for  two  years,  after  which  he  was  graduated  at  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical 
College,  of  New  York  city,  in  the  class  of  1878.  Having  prepared  for  practice 
he  opened  an  office  in  Albion,  Michigan,  where  he  remained  for  about  two 
years  and  then  spent  two  years  in  practice  in  the  mining  regions  of  Colorado. 
Jn  1885  ne  located  in  Bucyrus,  where  he  has  since  remained  and  in  the  per- 
formance of  his  professional  duties  he  has  displayed  marked  ability  and  a  com- 
prehensive knowledge  of  the  principles  of  the  medical  science.  He  has  been 
a  prominent  and  active  member  of  local,  state  and  national  medical  societies,, 
and  has  thereby  broadened  his  knowledge  and  at  the  same  time  has  added  to 
the  fund  of  information  there  disseminated,  also  from  his  own  personal  experi- 
ence, by  contributing  many  valuable  papers  read  before  medical  societies  and 
published  in  medical  journals.  His  advancement  has  been  continuous  through- 
out the  years  of  his  practice,  for  he  has  continued  his  studies  at  home  as  well 
as  in  college.  He  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Polyclinic  in  Xew  York 
city  in  1880,  and  in  1892  spent  some  time  in  visiting  the  hospitals  of  Great 
Britain,  giving  special  attention  to  the  diseases  of  the  eye,  ear  and  throat. 
He  has  served  as  secretary  and  president  of  the  Crawford  County  Medical 
Society,  and  president  of  the  North-Central  Ohio'  Medical  Society,  has  filled 
several  minor  positions  in  other  medical  societies  and  has  served  on  the  board 
of  pension  examiners. 

On  the  9th  of  April,  1890,  Dr.  Duncan  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Adelaide  H.  Young,  of  Lisbon,  Ohio.  She  died  June  24,  1899,  leaving  three 
daughters,  namely  :  Carol,  Ethel  Elizabeth  and  Lois  Emma.  She  was  the 
only  daughter  of  Colonel  G.  1.  Young,  who  was  military  secretary  to  Gov- 
ernor Tod  and  served  on  the  governor's  staff  during  his  term  of  office.  After- 
ward he  was  fur  four  years  in  the  war  department  at  Washington  and  then 
returned  to  Lisbon,  where  lie  became  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  "Buckeye 
State."  He  died  suddenly,  of  lung  hemorrhage,  in  the  capitol  at  Columbus. 
January  2j,  1871,  while  rq^resenting  Columbiana  county  in  the  state  legisla- 
ture. He  was  the  only  son  of  Peter  Young,  whose  father  came  from  Holland 
to  America  and  settled  near  Lisbon,  Ohio,  in  1807. 

Dr.  Duncan  is  a  member  and  elder  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of 
Bucyrus  and  was  a  commissioner  from  the  Presbytery  to  the  general  assembly 
of  the  church  in  1897.  ^e  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  health  of  Bucyrus 
for  six  years  after  its  organization,  but  resigned  to  accept  the  position  of 
health  officer  of  the  city.  A  year  later  he  resigned,  for  the  work  interfered 
with  the  performance  of  his  professional  duties. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  191 

JOHN  GEBHARDT. 

John  Gebhardt,  whose  identification  with  the  commercial  interests  in 
Bucyrus  is  not  only  of  benefit  to  himself  but  of  value  to  the  community  through 
the  promotion  of  commercial  activity,  was  born  in  Holmes  township,  Crawford 
county,  on  the  old  family  homestead  two  miles  north  of  Bucyrus,  September 
16,  1859.  As  the  name  indicates,  the  family  is  of  German  lineage,  and  Adam 
Gebhardt,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  on  the  15th 
of  September,  1815.  Emigrating-  to  the  United  States,  he  located  in  Craw- 
ford county,  Ohio,  in  1848,  immediately  after  landing  in  this  country.  His 
wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Wittner,  and  to  whom  he 
was  married  in  Germany,  died  only  six  months  after  their  arrival  in  this 
country,  leaving  two  children,  viz :  Eva,  wife  of  Philip  Whittmer,  of  Pauld- 
ing county,  Ohio,  and  Elizabeth,  deceased  wife  of  Jacob  Defenbacher.  He 
subsequently  wedded  Susan  Brand,  also  a  native  of  Baden,  this  marriage  being 
celebrated  at  Bloomville,  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  in  185 1.  On  the  farm  where  he 
first  located  in  Crawford  county  the  father  continued  to  reside  until  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  August  27,  1897.  His  widow  is  still  living  and  re- 
sides with  his  daughter  on  the  old  home  place  two  miles  north  of  Bucyrus, 
The  children  of  this  marriage  are:  Catherine,  wife  of  J.  C  Krauter ;  Caro- 
line, wife  of  William  Krauter,  a  brother  of  her  sister's  husband,  and  both  are 
energetic  business  men  of  Crawford  county ;  Jacob,  who  resides  in  Ada, 
Hardin  county.  Ohio;  Susan  A.,  wife  of  A.  Michaelis,  who  is  engaged  in  sad- 
dlery and  harness-making  business  in  Bucyrus ;  and  John,  of  this  review. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  John  Gebhardt,  we  present  to  our 
readers  the  life  record  of  one  who  has  a  wide  acquaintance  in  Crawford  and  ad- 
joining counties.  The  old  home  farm  was  the  scene  of  his  youthful  labors 
and  pleasures.  He  worked  upon  the  farm  through  the  summer  months  and 
at  intervals  attended  school,  obtaining  a  good  English  education.  His  time 
was  thus  passed  until  eighteen  years  of  age.  In  1891  he  began  auctioneering 
in  connection  with  George  McNeal.  His  first  attempt  at  this  business  was 
made  at  a  stock  sale  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Murphy,  just  west  of  Bucyrus.  He 
is  said  to  have  become  greatly  frightened  at  the  sound  of  his  own  voice  as  he 
began  his  duties  there,  but  with  resolute  will  he  conquered  his  timidity,  and,  not 
dismayed  by  this  beginning,  he  has  persevered  until  he  is  to-day  regarded  as 
one  of  the  best  auctioneers  in  northern  Ohio.  In  conducting  this  business  he 
speaks  both  English  and  German.  In  1892  he  extended  his  field  of  labor  by 
joining  J.  W.  Snavely  in  the  butchering  business  in  Bucyrus.  and  this  they  con- 


192  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

tinned  until  1898,  when  they  sold  their  market  to  George  Tuttle,  but  in  May, 
1899,  Mr.  Gebhardt  repurchased  the  business  from  Mr.  Tuttle,  and  with  his 
son,  Cleo  E.,  is  now  operating  the  market  on  North  Sandusky  street. 
They  carry  a  large  line  of  first-class  meats,  and  their  obliging  manner 
and  earnest  desire  to  please  their  customers  have  secured  to  them  a  gratifying- 
patronage. 

In  1 88 1  Mr.  Gebhardt  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma  C.  Vollrath, 
a  daughter  of  F.  A.  and  Caroline  ( Ashbacher)  Vollrath,  of  Bucyrus.  Two 
children  have  been  born  unto  them:  Jeanette  S.,  born  November  20,  1882; 
and  Cleo  E.,  born  May  24,  1886.  The  former  is  an  accomplished  young  lady 
of  eighteen  years  and  the  latter  is  a  bright  and  enterprising  youth  of  fourteen, 
who  now  ocupies  the  responsible  position  of  bookkeeper  and  assistant  manager 
in  his  father's  extensive  meat  and  provision  house  in  Bucyrus. 

Mr.  Gebhardt,  of  this  review,  has  served  in  several  positions  of  public 
trust.  He  was  associated  with  the  management  of  the  Crawford  County 
Agricultural  Society  and  is  now  its  president,  having-  served  as  director  and 
vice-president.  Throughout  his  entire  life  he  has  supported  the  principles  of 
Democracy,  doing  everything  in  his  power  to  advance  the  party's  interests. 
At  the  Democratic  primary  election  held  in  April,  1901,  Mr.  Gebhardt  was 
nominated  for  sheriff  of  the  county,  the  nomination  being  equivolent  to  an 
election,  as  the  county  is  overwhelmingly  Democratic.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
German  Lutheran  church. 

CHARLES  B.  SHUMAKER. 

Since  1865  Charles  Baker  Shumaker  has  been  a  resident  of  Galion  and 
has  long  been  accorded  a  position  of  prominence  in  connection  with  public 
affairs  and  as  an  honored  representative  of  business  interests.  Many  are  his, 
individual  characteristics  that  win  for  him  the  high  regard  of  those  with  whom 
he  is  associated.  He  is  a  native  of  the  Keystone  state,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Northumberland  county.  His  father,  John  Shumaker,  was  born  in 
Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Shoemaker,  Sr.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Catherine  Baker,  and  she,  too, 
was  a  native  of  Schuylkill  county.  The  subject  of  this  review  was  reared  in 
Williamsport,  Lycoming  county,  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  afterward  engaged  in  clerking  in  a  general  store  for  several  years. 
In  1865  he  came  to  Galion,  where  he  has  since  continuously  made  his  home. 
For  eight  years  he  was  employed  in  the  railroad  shops  and  in  1873  was  elected 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  193 

constable  for  Polk  township,  serving  for  one  term  of  four  years,  after  which  he 
was  made  justice  of  the  peace.  Through  a  long  period  he  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  insurance  and  real-estate  business,  handling  much  valuable 
property  and  conducting  man}'  important  real-estate  transactions.  He  has 
a  very  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  value  of  realty  and  is  thus  enabled  to 
make  judicious  investments  and  to  advise  his  clients  so  that  they  will 
purchase  property  that  will  bring  to  them  a  good  return.  His  time  has 
also  been  occupied  by  official  duties,  which  have  ever  been  discharged  in 
a  manner  so  as  to  win  him  the  commendation  and  respect  of  all  con- 
cerned. In  the  year  1878  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  and  was  again 
chosen  to  that  office  in  1881,  1883,  1886,  1889  and  1899.  He  filled  the 
position  for  fifteen  consecutive  years  and  then  after  an  interval  was  again 
elected,  so  that  he  is  now  serving  his  sixth  term.  He  discharges  his  duties 
with  the  utmost  impartiality  and  has  "won  golden  opinions  from  all  sorts  of 
people."  Law  and  order  find  in  him  a  careful  guardian,  and  no  higher  testi- 
monial of  his  efficiency  could  be  given  than  the  fact  that  he  has  been  so  long  in 
office.  He  has  also  been  honored  with  other  official  positions  by  his  fellow 
townsmen,  who  recognize  his  worth  and  ability.  In  1885-6  he  filled  the 
position  of  mayor,  and  in  1890  and  1891  was  a  member  of  the  city  council. 
In  both  capacities  he  exercised  his  prerogatives  in  support  of  ever}-  measure 
calculated  for  the  general  good,  and  his  labors  were  effective,  beneficial  and  tar- 
reaching  in  their  influence. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1857,  Air.  Shumaker  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Rachel  A.  Smith,  a  daughter  of  Asa  and  Letitia  Smith  and  a  native  of 
Williams  county,  Ohio.  Unto  them  have  been  born  nine  children,  of  whom 
four  died  in  early  life.  The  eldest,  Alice,  became  the  wife  of  Theodore 
Stewart,  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  died  January  28,  1891,  at  the  age  of  forty-two 
years,  leaving  two  children,  Charles  Theodore  and  Helen.  Thomas  M.,  the 
second  of  the  family,  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Galion  and  entered 
the  railroad  service  in  the  freight  office  of  the  Big  Four  road  at  this  place.  He 
has  worked  his  way  upward  step  by  step,  his  close  application,  energy  and 
ability  winning  him  advancement  through  all  the  grades  until  he  is  now  occupy- 
ing the  very  important  and  responsible  position  of  traffic  manager  for  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  having  charge  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line, 
with  headquarters  at  Salt  Lake  City.  He  was  for  several  years  manager  of 
the  Continental  Fruit  Express  Company.  Clara,  the  third  member  of  the 
family,  is  now  the  wife  of  George  Stoltz,  a  resident  farmer  of  Whetstone 
township.     Sarah  Emma  is  the  wife  of  William   Neff,   of   Polk  township. 


194  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Wilbert  A.,  who  was  graduated  in  the  high  school  of  Galion  with  the  first 
honors  of  his  class  of  eighteen,  engaged  in  teaching  school  here  for  one  year 
and  then  went  to  Chicago,  where  for  several  years  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
Illinois  Steel  Company.  He  now  ocnpies  a  splendid  position  with  Armour 
&  Company,  as  manager  of  the  transportation  department.  Pie  married  Miss. 
Cunningham,  of  Salt  Lake  City. 

For  thirty  years  Air.  Shumaker  has  been  a  member  of  the  church  of 
Christ,  with  which  all  of  his  family  are  identified.  In  his  political  views  he 
is  a  stalwart  Democrat,  believing  that  the  principles  of  the  party  are  best 
adapted  to  secure  the  welfare  of  the  nation.  For  thirty-five  vears  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  has  filled  all  of  the  chairs 
in  the  local  lodge,  for  sixteen  years  was  its  treasurer  and  also  belongs  to  the 
encampment.  He  has  made  good  use  of  his  opportunities,  has  prospered  from 
year  to  year  and  has  conducted  all  busines  matters  carefully  and  successfullv, 
displaying  special  aptitude  for  successful  management.  He  has  not  per- 
mitted the  accumulation  of  a  competence  to  affect  in  any  way  his  actions  to- 
ward those  less  successful  than  he  and  always  has  a  cheerful  word  and  pleas- 
ant smile  for  those  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  He  is  a  splendid  type  of 
manhood,  honorable  and  honored,  and  in  the  history  of  his  native  county  he 
well  deserves  mention. 

WILLIAM  L.  ALEXANDER. 

On  the  roster  of  county  officials  in  Crawford  county  appears  the  name 
of  William  Lewis  Alexander,  who  is  now  serving  as  treasurer,  having 
entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  on  the  3d  of  September,  1900,  for  a 
term  of  two  years.  He  has  long  figured  conspicuously  in  connection  with 
public  affairs,  and  his  patriotic  devotion  to  the  general  good  is  widely  rec- 
ognized. Crestline  is  his  place  of  residence,  and  in  Richland  county,  Ohio, 
four  miles  east  of  Crestline,  he  was  born  October  14,  1865,  his  parents  being 
Isaac  Newton  and  Sophia  (  Shifler)  Alexander.  On  the  paternal  side  he  is 
of  Scotch  lineage.  Several  centuries  ago,  however,  the  ancestors  removed 
from  Scotland  to  the  north  of  Ireland.  His  great-grandfather,  Jacob  Alex- 
ander, was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1780.  G.  W.  Alexander,  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  is  still  living  in  Hocking  county,  Ohio,  and  has  passed 
the  eightieth  milestone  on  life's  journey.  He  was  born  in  Hocking  county 
September  1,  1819,  and  for  many  years  was  engaged  in  farming  and  school 


Ciyw^Jl^a^Jx^ 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  197 

teaching-.  The  grandmother  was  born  in  the  same  county  as  was  her  hus- 
band, the  date  being'  October  4,    1815. 

Isaac  X.  Alexander,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Pickaway 
county,  Ohio,  September  17.  1843,  an(t  ^rom  ms  native  county  removed  to 
Richland  county,  and  thence,  soon  afterward,  to  Crestline.  There  he  was 
in  the  service  of  tlje  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  for  some  nineteen 
years,  being  thus  employed  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  took  quite  an 
active  interest  in  public  affairs,  was  elected  and  served  as  a  member  of  the 
city  council,  and  was  also  a  member  of  the  city  school  board.  In  Richland 
county  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sophia  Shifler,  who  was  born 
in  that  county  July  15,  1840.  Her  parents  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  the 
Buckeye  state  and  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  early  settlers  of  Richland  county. 
Mr.  Alexander  died  at  Crestline,  Crawford  county,  April  10.  1889,  in  his 
forty-sixth  year,  but  he  is  still  survived  by  his  widow.  There  is  also  another 
living  son,  Frank  O.  Alexander,  who  makes  his  home  in  Toledo,  Ohio. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  William  L.  Alexander  we  present 
to  our  readers  the  life  record  of  a  popular  and  prominent  citizen,  who  is 
both  widely  and  favorably  known  in  Crawford  county.  He  pursued  his 
education  in  Crestline,  in  the  public  schools,  and  in  1882  entered  the  service 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  as  a  telegraph  operator  at  Crestline, 
occupying  that  position  until  1894.  His  fitness  for  public  duties  and  public 
honors  has  led  to  his  selection  for  a  number  of  positions  of  trust  and  respon- 
sibility. He  abandoned  the  profession  of  telegraphy  on  account  of  being 
appointed  by  President  Cleveland  to  the  position  of  postmaster  of  Crest- 
line, in  1894,  and  seiwed  in  that  capacity  for  four  years.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council  of  Crestline  for  two  terms,  and  for  one  term  of  three 
years  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  having  been  president  of  the 
board  for  one  year.  The  cause  of  education  found  in  him  a  warm  friend, 
whose  labors  in  its  behalf  were  effective  and  beneficial.  In  1899  ne  was 
nominated  for  the  office  of  county  treasurer,  and,  having  been  elected,  entered 
upon  his  duties  on  the  3d  of  September,  1900.  He  is  a  faithful  custodian 
of  the. public  exchequer,  prompt  and  reliable  in  the  .discharge  of  the  trusts 
reposed  in  him.  He  has  long  been  a  recognized  leader  in  Democratic  circles 
and  served  for  three  years  on  the  county  central  Democratic  committee  of 
Crawford  county. 

In  1 89 1  Mr.  Alexander  was  united  in  marriage,  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  to 
Miss  Carrie  Evelyn  Vineia,  a  daughter  of  F.  PI.  and  Harriet  (Johnson) 
Vineia,    of   French    descent.     Mrs.    Alexander    was   born    in   Toledo,    Ohio. 


198  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

They  now  have  four  children,  namely :  Egie  Mina,  Guy  Stanley,  Harriet 
Elsie  and  Dodge  Vineia.  The  parents  hold  membership  in  the  English 
Lutheran  church,  in  which  Mr.  Alexander  served  as  trustee  for  ten  years. 
Prominent  in  the  Masonic  lodge  of  Crestline,  he  has  served  in  all  of  its 
offices  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  its  exemplary  representatives.  He  is  also 
connected  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  in  Bucyrus. 
Mr.  Alexander  has  passed  his  entire  life  in  this  portion  of  Ohio,  and 
he  has  become  widely  known,  his  characteristics  being  such  as  to  commend 
him  to  the  confidence  and  regard  of  those  with  whom  he  has  been  associated. 
He  is  known  as  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  of  strong  convictions  and  fear- 
less in  support  of  what  he  believes  to  be  right.  He  has  a  large  circle  of 
friends,  who  have  been  won  and  are  being  retained  by  his  mental  ability,  his 
attractive  personality  and  his  outspoken  devotion  to  the  best  interests  of 
the  community. 

JOHN  G.  HERBOLD. 

John  G.  Herbold  is  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  in  Gabon,  having 
carried  on  operations  along  this  line  since  1885,  but  the  establishment  of  which 
he  is  at  the  head  has  been  numbered  among  the  business  interests  of  the  city 
since  1862.  Mr.  Herbold  is  a  native  of  Gabon.  His  father,  Philip  Herbold, 
was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  that 
country  and  about  1848  sought  a  home  in  the  United  States,  first  locating  in 
Buffalo,  Xew  York.  He  afterward  came  to  Ohio,  taking  up  his  abode  in 
Gabon,  and  in  1862  he  opened  a  furniture  store  and  undertaking  establish- 
ment, which  are  still  carried  on.  He  was  proprietor  of  both  departments  for 
forty-nine  years  and  then  divided  the  business,  his  son  assuming  the  manage- 
ment of  the  undertaking,  while  Mr.  Herbold  continued  in  charge  of  the  furni- 
ture store.  He  carries  a  large  and  well  selected  stock  of  goods,  and,  though 
now  eighty-one  years  of  age,  he  daily  gives  his  attention  to  business.  Such  a 
record  should  put  to  shame  many  men  who,  grown  weary  of  the  struggles  and 
labors  of  business  life,  would  relegate  to  others  the  burdens  which  they  should 
bear.  He  is  still  hale  and  hearty  and  is  an  honored  and  valued  representa- 
tive of  the  commercial  interests  of  his  adopted  city.  He  married  Frederica 
Feldnian,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  died  in  1895,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  sons, — John  George,  Gustavus,  Philip 
PI.  and  Adam,  all  residents  of  Gabon. 

John  George  Herbold,  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  review,  was 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  199 

reared  under  the  parental  roof,  and  to  the  public  school  system  of  Galion  he  is 
indebted  for  the  educational  privileges  which  he  enjoyed.  After  putting  aside 
his  text-books  he  entered  his  father's  employment,  becoming  familiar  with  the 
business.  He  also  attended  the  Oriental  School  of  Embalming,  at  Boston, 
Sullivan's  Embalming  School,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  Barnes  Embalming 
School,  of  Chicago,  while  for  a  time  he  was  associated  as  a  student  under  Mr. 
Clark,  of  Cincinnati.  He  is  one  of  the  most  efficient  and  capable  embalmers 
in  the  entire  state,  and  for  his  work  in  this  direction  is  known  throughout  the 
northern  part  of  Ohio,  where  his  services  are  continually  in  demand.  Fie  was 
the  first  undertaker  to  introduce  the  ambulance  and  invalid  coach  in  Crawford 
county,  and  has  the  only  one  in  the  county  at  the  present  time.  He  remained 
in  business  with  his  father  until  1895,  when  he  assumed  charge  of  the  under- 
taking department,  of  which  he  has  since  been  sole  proprietor.  He  has  a 
liberal  patronage,  which  is  well  deserved,  and  his  labors  bring'  to  him  a  good 
income. 

In  1895  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Herbold  and  Miss  Ester  Burgener, 
of  Galion,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Bergener,  pioneer  residents  of 
this  portion  or  the  state  and  natives  of  Germany.  Socially  Mr.  Herbold  is 
connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge,  of  Galion,  in  which  he  is  past 
chancellor.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  is 
a  representative  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Although  reared  in 
the  Reformed  church,  of  which  his  people  are  members,  he  is  now  identified 
with  the  Presbyterian  church.  Having  long  resided  in  this  city,  he  has  a  wide 
acquaintance  among  its  residents,  and  in  social  circles  as  well  as  in  business 
life  he  is  highly  esteemed. 

CAPTAIN  C.  H.  MUEFFER. 

Captain  Mueller  is  so  well  known  in  business  and  military  circles  that  he 
needs  no  introduction  to  the  readers  of  this  volume.  He  has  long  been  a 
conspicuous  and  honored  factor  in  both  walks  of  life  and  his  history  cannot 
fail  to  prove  of  interest.  Fie  is  a  young  man  of  sterling  worth,  popular,  genial 
and  courteous,  and  wherever  he  is  known  he  wins  the  friendship  of  those  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact.  He  was  born  in  Carey,  Ohio,  in  1869,  and  is  of 
German  lineage,  for  his  father,  John  Jacob  Mueller,  was  a  native  of  Hesse- 
Castle,  in  the  province  of  Darmstadt,  Germany,  where  he  lived  until  fourteen 
years  of  age,  and  in  that  period  acquired  his  education  in  accordance  with  the 
laws  of  his  native  land.     He  then  came  to  America,  and  at  the  time  of  the 


200  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Civil  war  he  manifested  his  loyalty  to  his  adopted  country  by  entering  the 
Union  arm}-,  enlisting-  in  [862,  among  the  boys  in  blue  of  Company  K,  Fifty- 
fifth  Regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteers.  He  joined  the  service  at  Upper  San- 
dusky as  a  private,  and  with  his  command  proceeded  to  the  front.  He  ac- 
companied Sherman  on  his  celebrated  march  to  the  sea.  which  showed  that  the 
strength  of  the  Confederacy  was  exhausted.  He  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Lookout  [Mountain,  and  was  in  the  hotly  contested  engagements  at  Gettys- 
burg, Missionary  Ridge,  Reseca,  Buzzards'  Roost  and  other  places  where 
sanguinary  engagements  tested  the  courage  and  strength  of  both  armies. 
When  the  war  was  over  he  received  his  honorable  discharge  and  with  a 
most  creditable  military  record  returned  to  his  home.  In  1876  he  took  up 
his  abode  in  Gabon,  where  he  is  still  living,  and  throughout  the  period  of  his 
residence  here  he  has  been  a  representative  of  the  mercantile  interests  of 
the  city.  The  prosperity  of  every  community  depends  upon  its  commercial 
activity,  and  Mr.  Mueller  has  been  one  who  has  taken  an  active  part  in  ad- 
vancing business  growth.  He  now  retains  pleasant  relationship  with  his 
old  army  comrades  through  his  membership  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  He  married  Elizabeth  Wright,  a  native  of  Petersburg,  Virginia, 
and  a  representative  of  a  family  prominent  in  connection  with  the  Con- 
federacy. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mueller  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church  of 
Gabon. 

Captain  [Mueller,  of  this  review,  was  a  lad  of  only  five  summers  when 
brought  by  his  parents  to  this  city,  where  he  has  continuously  resided,  en- 
joying the  pleasures  and  advantages  of  school  life,  after  which  he  put  aside: 
his  text-books  to  learn  the  more  difficult  lessons  in  the  school  of  experience. 
He  is  now  associated  with  his  brother,  George  Franklin  Mueller,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Mueller  Brothers,  in  conducting  the  largest  merchant  tailoring 
establishment  in  the  city.  They  employ  quite  a  large  force  of  workmen, 
and  their  skill  and  ability  in  the  line  of  their  chosen  calling-  is  such  as  to  retain 
for  them  a  large  share  of  the  public  patronage.  In  fact  their  business  sur- 
passes in  volume  and  importance  that  of  any  other  individual  or  firm  in  the 
Same  (line  in  the  city.  They  also  have  a  large  and  well  selected  stock  of 
goods  to  display  to  their  patrons,  and  the  work  executed  in  their  establishment 
is  ever  of  high  grade. 

The  patriotic  spirit  which  prompted  the  father's  enlistment  as  a  defender 
of  the  Union  has  been  manifest  in  the  son,  who  is  well  known  in  military 
circles.  He  has  ever  taken  a  great  interest  in  military  affairs,  is  fa- 
miliar with  tactics  and  earlv  learned  that  a  soldier's  first  dutv    was    obedi- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  201 

ence.  He  commanded  the  High  School  Cadets  in  1898.  On  the  12th 
of  March,  1900,  he  joined  the  Eighth  Ohio  National  Guard,  as  captain 
of  Company  L,  a  position  which  he  still  occupies.  Skillful  in  maneuver  and 
accurate  in  marksmanship,  he  has  also  been  captain  in  the  uniformed  rank 
of  the  Junior  Order  in  Gabon  for  one  year.  While  Captain  Mueller  ever 
maintains  discipline,  he  is  also  just  and  considerate  of  those  who  serve  under 
him.  and  the  most  amicable  relations  exist  between  him  and  his  troops. 

GEORGE  W.  DIDIE. 

George  W.  Didie  is  one  of  the  native  citizens  of  Bucyrus,  his  birth 
having  occurred  here  April  21,  1848.  He  is  also  recognized  as  one  of  the 
important  factors  in  political  circles,  and  through  many  years  has  been  con- 
tinued in  office,  a  fact  which  indicates  in  an  unmistakable  manner  his  ability 
and  fidelity  to  duty,  for  though  men  may  win  office  sometimes  through  un- 
worthy means,  when  the}-  are  incapable  of  performing  the  duties  the  judg- 
ment of  the  American  people  is  ux>  accurate  to  permit  of  their  continuance 
in  positions  of  public  trust.  Through  many  years  Mr.  Didie  has  served 
his  fellow  townsmen  in  office,  and  his  labors  have  been  of  value  to  the  city, 
for  his  administration  of  public  affairs  is  ever  business-like  and  progressive. 
His  father,  Washington  Didie,  was  a  carpenter  and  builder  and  spent  his 
last  days  in  Bucyrus,  passing  away  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  vears. 
His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Maria  Layman  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Christian  and  Mary  (Botts)  Layman,  who  came  from  Berks  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, to  Ohio.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Isaac  Didie, 
who  resided  in  Cumberland  count}'.  Pennsylvania.  His  people  were  formerly 
from  Philadelphia  and  originally  from  France.  John  Didie,  the  great-great- 
grandfather of  our  subject,  came  from  France  to  the  new  world  and  with 
patriotic  spirit  aided  the  colonists  in  their  struggle  for  independence.  The 
maternal  great-grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  Holland,  and  his 
family  resided  upon*  a  farm  which  Major  Andre  made  his  headquarters  during 
the  Revolutionary  war. 

Mr.  Didie,  of  this  review,  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Bu- 
cyrus, completing  the  high  school  course,  and  after  putting  aside  his  text- 
books entered  upon  his  business  career,  being  connected  with  several  lines 
of  trade,  and  for  three  terms  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  Indiana,  but 
since  1874  he  has  been  almost  continuously  in  public  service,  filling  many 
positions  of  trust  and  responsibility.     In  the  year  mentioned  he  was  elected' 


202  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

city  clerk  of  Bucyrus  and  filled  the  position  for  six  years,  while  for  many 
years  he  was  township  clerk.  He  has  also  been  deputy  and  county  recorder 
and  was  deputy  county  auditor  for  nine  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Bucyrus  city  board  of  education  for  twelve  years,  ten  years  of  which  time  he 
was  clerk  of  the  board.  He  has  filled  some  of  those  positions  contemporane- 
ously. Since  1897  he  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  of  Bucyrus  township,  and 
his  decisions  are  strictly  fair  and  impartial,  for  he  displays  neither  fear  nor 
favor  in  passing  judgment  upon  the  merits  of  a  case,  without  regard  to  parties 
concerned. 

In  Indiana  Mr.  Didie  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Amanda  F.  Wise, 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Maria  (Didie)  Wise.  Two  sons  have  been  born 
of  this  marriage:  Edgar  Allen,  whose  birth  occurred  in  1876  and  who  is 
now  employed  in  a  retail  grocery  house;  and  Dallas  Dio.  There  are  also 
two  daughters :     Laura  Delia  and  Dora  Zelah. 

Mr.  Didie  is  connected  with  the  Order  of  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees 
and  is  a  gentleman  of  social  prominence  and  popularity.  He  has  a  very  large 
acquaintance  throughout  Crawford  county  and  enjoys  the  warm  friendship  of 
a  large  number  of  those  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact. 

THOMAS  C.  WOODS. 

Thomas  C.  Woods,  one  of  the  pioneer  railroad  men  living  in  Crestline, 
was  born  in  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  November  30,  1833.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Henry  Woods,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  181 2  and  was  of 
English  descent.  His  father,  David  Woods,  was  also  a  native  of  the  same 
locality  and  in  his  early  manhood  followed  the  Ohio  river  as  a  blacksmith  and 
assistant  engineer.  He  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  early  life  and  was 
connected  with  that  line  of  work  in  his  native  county,  successfully  carrying 
on  the  business  on  his  own  account  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  the 
fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  In  politics  he  was  an  old-line  Whig  and  held  a 
number  of  local  offices  in  the  county.  He  married  Miss  Margaret  Evans, 
who  was  also-  born  in  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  Evans,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Ireland,  and  who  was  thirty  years 
of  age  when  he  came  from  that  country  to  Pennsylvania.  In  early  life  he 
served  as  a  pilot  on  a  steamer  on  the  Ohio  river.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Woods, 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four)  years.  By  her  marriage  she  became  the 
mother  of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely:  Joseph, 
a  manufacturer  of  wooden  ware  in  Bedford,  Pennsylvania ;  Thomas  C,  of 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  203 

this  review;  Mary  Ann,  of  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  who  is  the  widow 
of  John  Evans,  a  native  of  England ;  Alexander,  who  died  when  about  ten 
years  of  age;  Nancy  Jane,  wife  of  J.  R.  Parott,  who  has  charge  of  the  electric 
light  plant  at  Bucyrus,  Ohio;  Carrie,  who  died  in  infancy;  David  H.,  who  is 
an  engineer  on  the  Peoria,  Decatur  &  Evansville  Railroad  and  resides  at  Mat- 
toon,  Illinois. 

Thomas  C.  Woods,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  remained  in  his 
native  county  of  Pennsylvania  until  nineteen  years  of  age.  Pie  made  his  home 
with  his  father  and  attended  school.  On  leaving  the  parental  roof  he  entered 
the  railroad  service,  driving  a  horse  and  cart  at  the  time  the  grade  was  being 
made.  He  was  afterward  with  the  Pennsylvania  &  Ohio  Railroad  Company, 
in  Pennsvlvania,  and  later  he  obtained  a  position  as  a  laborer  on  a  work  train 
used  in  hauling  all  kinds  of  materials  necessary  in  the  construction  of  the 
road.  Mr.  Woods  served  in  that  capacity  until  he  was  made  fireman  on  a 
freight  train,  running  from  Allegheny  City,  Pennsylvania,  to  Alliance,  Ohio. 
He  acted  as  fireman  for  about  four  years,  part  of  the  time  on  a  passenger 
train.  During  that  period  the  new  road  had  been  completed  to  Crestline, 
Ohio,  and  Mr.  Woods  made  some  of  the  first  trips  to>  this  city.  After  four 
years  as  fireman  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  engineer  and  ran  on  both 
divisions,  from  Allegheny  to'  Alliance  and  from  Alliance  to  Crestline.  Since 
bis  marriage  he  has  spent  much  time  on  a  switch  engine,  through  choice, 
as  it  allowed  him  to  spend  more  time  at  home  than  if  he  was  on  the  road.  He 
has  seen  all  of  the  shops  erected  and  all  of  the  improvements  made  bere. 
He  was  a  witness  to  the  laying  of  the  first  railroad  iron  in  the  town  and  is 
the  oldest  man  in  the  motive-power  department  west  of  Pittsburg  in  the 
employ  of  the  company.  Pie  never  was  suspended  from  duty  except  once 
and  that  was  for  only  six  days,  being  occasioned  by  a  very  important  acci- 
dent, backing  into  an  engine.  By  consent  of  the  railroad  company,  whom  he 
has  served  so  long  and  faithfully,  he  has  been  put  on  the  retired  list  with  a 
pension  of  forty  dollars  and  thirty  cents  per  month,  and  one  thousand  dollars 
payable  to  his  beneficiaries  at  his  death. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  1857,  Mr-  Woods  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Mary  Jane  Moore,  who  was  born  near  Columbiana,  Ohio,  June  29,  1832, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  John  C.  and  Mary  (  Deldaback)  Moore,  natives  of  New 
Jersey  and  of  French  and  Holland  descent.  Since  1859  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woods 
have  resided  in  Crestline.  They  became  the  parents  of  four  children :  Ella, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  nine  years;  Dora,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years; 
Edward,  who  passed  away  at  the  age  of  four  years ;  and  Delia  B.,  who  became 


204  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  wife  of  Charles  E.  Johnson  and  died  October  5,  1897,  leaving  a  son, 
Donald,  who  is  now  residing  with  his  grandparents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woods. 
Our  subject  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  affiliations,  having  voted  that 
ticket  since  the  organization  of  the  party,  previous  to  which  time  he  was  a 
Whig.  He  has  a  wide  acquaintance  in  this  portion  of  Ohio  and  is  particularly 
well  known  in  railroad  circles. 

JAMES  H.  PERRINE. 

Among  the  conductors  in  the  railway  service  now  living  in  Crestline 
is  James  H.  Perrine,  who  is  numbered  among  Ohio's  native  citizens,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Wyandot  county,  on  the  nth  of  July,  1844.  His  fa- 
ther, James  Perrine,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  spent  the  period 
of  his  boyhood  and  youth.  When  a  young  man  he  took  up  his  residence 
in  Wyandot  county,  Ohio,  where  he  followed  farming  and  also  bore  his  part 
in  the  work  of  development  and  progress,  for  he  located  there  in  pioneer 
days.  He  married  Nancy  Duddelson,  a  native  of  that  county,  where  her 
parents  had  located  when  it  was  a  frontier  district,  the  Indians  being  far 
more  numerous  than  the  white  settlers.  Mr.  Perrine  lived  to  be  about 
seventy-two  years  of  age,  and  his  wife  died  when  seventy-six  years  of  age. 
They  were  the  parents  of  three  children :  William,  who  was  a  conductor 
and  was  killed  in  the  yard  of  the  Grand  Rapids  &  Indianapolis  Railroad  in 
September,  1880;  John  was  a  soldier  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  during  the  Civil  war ;  James  H.  completes  the  family. 
The  eldest  brother,  William,  was  also  numbered  among  the  boys  in  blue,  serv- 
ing with  the  one-hundred-day  men  in  an  Ohio  regiment. 

Taking  up  the  personal  history  of  James  H.  Perrine  we  present  to  our 
readers  the  life  record  of  one  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known  and  whose 
many  excellent  qualities  are  worthy  of  emulation.  Pie  was  reared  in  his 
native  county  upon  the  old  homestead  and  upheld  the  family  record  for  loyalty 
and  patriotism  by  joining  the  Union  forces  when  only  eighteen  years  of  age, 
becoming"  a  member  of  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  in  1862.  He  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  partici- 
pating in  many  important  engagements,  including  the  battles  of  Winchester, 
Piedmont,  Snicker's  Gap  and  was  detailed  to  act  as  nurse  in  the  hospital, 
taking  care  of  the  wounded  at  Winchester,  Virginia.  This  was  in  1864. 
He  also  participated  in  the  battle  of  Gettvsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  many 
other  engagements  of  importance,  and  though  always  found  at  the  post  of 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  205 

duty,  even  if  it  carried  him  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  he  was  never  wounded.. 
In  the  winter  of  [865,  when  in  front  of  Richmond,  he  was  taken  prisoner,  be- 
ing-  captured  on  the  first  of  April,  but  on  the  4th  of  the  same  month  he  was 
paroled  and  sent  to  Columbus,  where  he  remained  until  mustered  out  on  the 
14th  of  June,  1805. 

Air.  Perrine  then  returned  to  his  native  county  and  in  July  of  the  same 
year  entered  the  service  of  the  Pennsylvania  &  Ohio  Railroad  Company, 
now  the  Pittsburg,  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad  Company.  He  was  first 
engaged  in  hauling  dirt  and  working  on  the  grading  of  the  road  as  a  laborer. 
He  afterward  served  on  a  construction  train  and  then  built  fences  for  the 
company.  Subsecpiently  he  was  made  brakeman  in  1869,  running  between 
Crestline  and  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  for  eighteen  months,  after  which  he 
was  promoted  to  conductor.  In  that  capacity  he  ran  between  the  two  cities 
mentioned  for  about  two  and  a  half  years,  and  was  then  transferred  to  the 
eastern  division  between  Crestline  and  Alliance,  where  he  served  as  brake- 
man  for  three  and  a  half  years.  He  was  then  again  promoted  to  conductor, 
remaining  upon  that  run  for  about  eighteen  years.  On  the  25th  of  April, 
1898,  he  fell  from  the  train,  while  it  was  in  motion,  and  his  injuries  incapaci- 
tated him  for  further  duty  for  four  months.  At  the  time  of  the  accident  he 
was  running  through  Allegheny,  on  the  6th  of  August,  1889,  and  the  engine 
went  through  his  caboose.  His  own  train  was  moving  verv  slowlv  when 
it  was  run  into  by  a  train  in  the  rear,  which  was  going  at  a  speed  of  twenty- 
five  miles  per  hour.  Mr.  Perrine  was  the  only  one  in  the  caboose  at  the  time. 
The  car  was  completely  demolished,  nothing  being  left  but  the  trucks,  while 
his  collar  bone  was  broken  and  he  suffered  other  serious  injuries.  Since  that 
time  he  has  run  on  many  trains,  but  it  is  the  earnest  desire  of  his  family  that 
he  should  give  up  railroad  service.  He  is  one  of  the  most  reliable  and  highly 
respected  men  in  the  employ  of  the  company,  having  served  them  for  over 
thirty  years. 

Air.  Perrine  was  married  in  Wyandot  county.  Ohio,  in  May,  [866,  to 
Miss  Ellen  Dunlap,  a  native  of  that  count}',  where  she  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated. Her  parents  were  Samuel  and  Jane  (  Steele)  Dunlap.  Her  father 
was  born  in  Scotland  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  and  her  mother 
passed  away  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perrine  have 
been  born  three  children,  a  son  and  two  daughters:  William,  who  is  now  a 
brakeman  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  and  resides  in  Crestline:  Bertha, 
wife  of  William  Bennett,  who  is  living  in  Indianapolis  and  by  whom  she  has 
three  children, — Maude,  Donna  and  Milfred:  and  Maudie,  wife  of  Charles 
1 1 


206  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Rice,  of  Cleveland.  Both  she  and  her  husband  are  operators  for  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Company.  The  son  married  Sophia  Denner  and  they  have 
two  children, — Ella  and  Mabel,  and  also  lost  one  child  at  the  age  of  four 
years. 

Mr.  Perrine  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Railway  Conductors,  and,  as 
the  result  of  his  years  of  business  activity  he  has  become  the  possessor  of  a 
comfortable  competence.  He  is  now  one  of  the  stockholders  of  the  First 
National  Bank  and  holds  government  bonds.  He  also  owns  considerable 
valuable  property,  including  a  pleasant  residence  on  Henry  street.  In  politics 
he  is  a  stanch  and  inflexible  Republican,  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  They  are  honored  and  respected  in  Crestline,  where  they 
have  resided  for  so  many  years  and  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  is  ex- 
tended to  them. 

REV.  JOHN  W.  KUNTZ. 

The  stamp  designating  true  nobility  of  character  must  ever  find  its  in- 
effaceable tracery  on  the  brow  of  one  who  sets  himself  apart  from  ''the  mad- 
ding crowd's  ignoble  strife"  and  dedicates  his  life  to  the  uplifting"  of  his  fellow 
men.  A  more  than  superficial  investigation  is  demanded  when  one  essays 
to  determine  the  mental  struggle  and  the  spirit  of  unselfish  devotion  that  must 
animate  the  man  who  gives  all  that  he  has  and  all  that  he  hopes  to  be  to 
service  in  the  great  vineyard  of  life,  seeking  reward  only  in  that  realm  "where 
moth  and  rust  do  not  corrupt  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through  and 
steal.''  Preparations  for  and  labors  in  the  priesthood  are  perforce  exacting, 
demanding  an  ever  ready  sympathy,  a  broad  intellectuality  and  an  unswerv- 
ing fidelity.  Scorhng,  cynicism  and  careless  irreverence  would  often  be 
silenced  if  only  the  inner  life  of  those  who  minister  in  holy  places  might 
be  laid  open  for  inspection.  Honor  is  due  and  honor  will  be  paid  when  once 
there  comes  a  deeper  understanding  of  the  truth. 

As  the  minister  of  the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  known  as 
the  Goodhope  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  John  Waldo  Kuntz  is  widely 
known.  He  began  his  pastoral  work  in  Bucyrus  on  the  20th  of  May,  1897, 
and  his  labors  have  been  attended  with  excellent  results.  He  was  born  in 
Germany,  in  1868,  and  with  his  parents  came  to  America  in  1880,  the  family 
locating  in  Loudonville,  Ohio.  The  father  is  now  a  contractor  and  builder  of 
Hutchinson,  Kansas. 

The  son  began  his  education  in  Alsace-Lorraine,   Germanv,  and  con- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  207 

tinuecl  his  studies  in  Loudonville,  Ohio.  He  afterward  matriculated  in  the 
Capital  University,  at  Columbus,  and  then  entered  the  Lutheran  Seminar)-  at 
St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  where  he  was  graduated  in  June,  1891.  Being  pre- 
pared for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  he  began  preaching  the  gospel  in  Balti- 
more, Maryland,  as  pastor  of  St.  James  church,  where  he  remained  until 
1893,  when,  owing  to  ill  health,  he  had  to  take  a  smaller  charge,  where  the 
labors  and  responsibilities  were  not  so  great.  He  is  a  most  zealous  and  inde- 
fatigable worker  and  carries  on  his  labors  oftentimes  at  the  expense  of  his 
own  strength  and  health.  While  in  Baltimore  he  was  instrumental  in  erect- 
ing a  new  church  there.  On  leaving  the  south  he  accepted  the  pastorate  of 
the  German  Lutheran  church  at  Jelloway,  Knox  county,  Ohio,  where  he  re- 
mained for  four  years,  and  on  the  20th  of  May,  1897,  he  came  to  Bucvrus 
as  pastor  of  the  Goodhope  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  of  this  city.  During 
the  four  years  in  which  he  has  remained  at  this  place  the  church  debt  of  over 
three  thousand  dollars  has  been  paid  out  and  the  church  is  now  in  a  very 
flourishing  condition.  It  has  a  membership  of  over  seven  hundred,  the  num- 
ber having  been  largely  increased  during  the  ministrations  of  Rev.   Kuntz. 

In  Jelloway,  in  1895,  Rev.  Kuntz  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ida 
C.  Richert,  who  was  born  in  that  place  and  is  a  daughter  of  George  J.  Richert. 
Their  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  two  children.  Mrs.  Kuntz  is  to  her 
husband  an  able  assistant  in  his  Christian  work.  He  is  a  man  of  broad  sym- 
pathy, of  marked  personality  and  strong  force  of  character,  and  his  labors  for 
the  uplifting  of  his  fellow  men  have  been  productive  of  great  good. 

It  will  be  interesting  in  this  connection  to  note  something  of  the  history 
of  the  church  of  which  he  has  charge.  The  Goodhope  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church  was  established  in  1829  by  the  Rev.  J.  D.  Schule,  who  acted  as  pastor 
for  a  time  and  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  J.  Steanch,  who  came  to  the  church 
in  December,  1832.  The  Rev.  F.  J.  Ruth,  an  English  speaking  minister,  was 
also  employed,  and  he  and  the  Rev.  Steanch  alternated  their  labors  in  the 
pulpit,  the  latter  speaking  in  the  German  tongue,  the  former  in  the  English 
language.  In  1836  a  house  of  worship  was  erected  for  both  the  German  and 
English  speaking  worshipers.  It  was  the  first  church  with  a  steeple  in  the 
city  of  Bucyrus.  The  Rev.  J.  O.  Ergens  preached  to  the  German  portion 
of  the  congregation,  and  under  his  eloquent  discourse  and  earnest  labor  the 
membership  of  the  church  grew  rapidly.  He  was  succeeded  in  1839  by  J. 
Krons,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Ohio'  synod,  which  still  has  control  of 
the  Goodhope  church.  In  1842  the  German  portion  became  a  separate  con- 
gregation and  assumed  its  present  name.     On  the  9th  of  December,  1843,  they 


2o8  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

sold  their  share  in  the  church  to  the  English  speaking  people,  and  that  division 
of  the  church  has  since  been  known  as  St.  Paul's.  The  German  congregation 
then  occupied  a  hall  until  1857,  when  the  old  church  was  erected.  In  1855 
the  Rev.  Michaelis  became  pastor,  and  during  his  ministrations  a  house  of 
worship  was  erected,  work  being  begun  on  the  1st  of  April,  1857,  and  the 
corner  stone  laid  on  the  12th  of  August  of  that  year.  The  house  was  erected 
at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars.  In  1807  the  Rev.  Michaelis  was  called 
away,  and  in  October  of  that  year  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Graessle  became  pastor, 
acting  in  that  capacity  until  1880,  during  which  time  the  congregation  grew 
rapidly  and  man)-  improvements  were  made.  A  fine  pipe  organ  was  built 
m  the  church  and  a  parsonage  was  erected.  From  1881  until  1887  the  Rev. 
J.  C.  Eirich  attended  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  congregation  as  pastor  of 
Goodhope  church,  and  at  the  latter  date  was  succeeded  by  W.  F.  Deiss,  who 
died  while  filling  the  pulpit,  in  1889,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  in  Bu- 
cyrus.  He  was  succeeded  by  C.  F.  Gebhardt,  who  came  to  the  church  in 
September,  1890.  During  his  pastorate  the  present  house  of  worship  was 
erected,  at  a  cost  of  twenty-seven  thousand  dollars,  and  the  old  church  is 
now  used  as  an  armory.  The  present  structure  is  commodious  and  modern 
in  every  respect.  Rev.  Gebhardt  died  in  1897,  and  was  succeeded  by  the 
Rev.  John  Waldo  Kuntz,  who  was  the  first  pastor  to  introduce  the  English 
language  into  the  services.  On  each  alternate  Sunday  at  the  evening  services 
he  speaks  English,  and  once  a  month  delivers  a  lecture  to  young  people  in 
the  English  tongue.  Like  many  of  his  predecessors,  his  labors  are  proving 
of  great  benefit  and  value  to  the  community,  and  the  influence  of  the  church  is 
widely  felt. 

MAT  HEW  L.  CARMEAN. 

Mathew  L.  Carmean,  a  well-known  citizen  and  extensive  farmer  and 
stock-raiser  of  Dallas  township,  was  born  on  the  5th  of  March,  1846,  in  the 
township  which  is  still  his  home,  his  parents  being  Mathew  G.  and  Rachel 
(DeLong)  Carmean.  His  father  was  a  southern  gentleman  and  came  to 
(Ohio  with  his  parents,  who  were  pioneer  settlers  of  Pickaway  county,  where 
Mathew  G.  Carmean  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  youth.  The  family  name 
is  of  French  origin  and  the  first  representative  of  the  family  in  America 
crossed  the  Atlantic  from  France  at  an  early  day  in  the  history  of  this  coun- 
try. After  arriving  at  years  of  maturity  Mathew  G.  Carmean  was  united  in 
marriage,   in    Pickaway  county,  to  Miss  Rachel  DeLong,  who  was  born   in 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  209 

New  Jersey  and  was  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  descent.  They  soon  afterward 
came  to  Crawford  county,  where  they  began  life  in  limited  financial  circum- 
stances. The  father  entered  from  the  government  eighty  acres  of  land  in 
what  was  then  Bucyrus  township,  but  not  long  afterward  exchanged  that 
land  for  a  tract  on  section  11,  Dallas  township,  whereon  he  took  up  his 
residence,  making  it  his  place  of  abode  throughout  his  remaining  days.  He 
prospered  in  his  undertakings  and  as  his  financial  resources  increased  he 
made  judicious  investments  in  other  property,  until  at  the  time  of  his  demise 
his  realty  possessions  aggregated  twelve  hundred  acres. 

Unto  Mathew  G.  and  Rachel  Carmean  were  born  seven  children,  namely: 
Airs.  Mary  Ann  Coulter,  who  is  now  a  widow  and  resides  in  Toledo,  Ohio; 
Martha  E.,  deceased;  Jonathan,  a  representative  citizen  of  Crawford  county; 
Elizabeth,  who  died  in  childhood;  Nelson,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years;  and  Mathew  L.,  of  this  review. 

The  last  named  was  reared  upon  a  farm  and  pursued  his  education  in 
a.  log  school  house.  At  the  time  of  early  spring  planting  he  took  his  place  in 
the  fields  and  assisted  in  the  cultivation  of  the  crops  until  after  the  harvests 
were  garnered  in  the  late  autumn.  He  has  always  resided  in  Crawford 
county  and  has  always  followed  farming,  remaining  with  his  father  unti'i 
the  latter's  death.  He  now  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  three  hundred  acres, 
all  of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  yields  excellent  harvests 
for  the  care  and  labor  bestowed  upon  it.  Buildings  and  fences  are  kept  in 
good  repair  and  everything  about  the  place  is  neat  and  thrifty,  indicating  the 
owner  to  be  a  man  of  progressive  spirit,  energy  and  perseverance. 

In  1876,  January  6,  Mr.  Carmean  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Hannah 
Drollsbaugh,  who  was  born  in  Juniata  county,  Pennsylvania.  Her  mother 
died  during  her  early  girlhood  and  when  she  was  sixteen  years  of  age  she 
came  to  Crawford  countv.  where  she  had  brothers  and  sisters  living.  The 
marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carmean  has  been  blessed  with  four  living  chil- 
dren:  Maud  G.,  Olivette,  Ruth  R.  and  Theodore  M.,  all  at  home,  and  they 
lost  one,  Luther  J.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  months.  The  wife  and 
mother,  a  lady  of  sterling  qualities,  died  in  the  fall  of  1900,  esteemed  by  all 
who  knew  her. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Carmean  is  a  Republican,  who  earnestly  ad- 
vocates the  principles  of  the  party  and  never  seeks  official  reward  for  his 
fidelity.  Socially  he  is  a  Master  Mason,  belonging  to  Oliver  Lodge,  No.  447, 
F.  &  A.  M..  and  to  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  He  is  likewise  a  member 
of  Caledonia  Lodge,  No.  116.  K.  of  P.,  and  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episco- 


210  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

pal  church.  The  fraternal  spirit  of  the  one  and  the  Christian  principles  of 
the  other  have  largely  shaped  his  course  in  life  and  made  him  an  honored  and 
respected  man. 

HENRY  A.  RAUB. 

Henry  A.  Raub  was  born  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  November  16, 
1 83 1,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Hannah  (Aultman)  Raub.  The  father,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  was  born  in  1801.  Coming  to  this  state  he  resided 
for  some  time  in  Columbiana  county,  but  subsequently  returned  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  remained  for  about  five  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that 
period  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Knox  county,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  for 
some  time,  owning  and  operating  a  farm  there.  At  length  he  sold  that 
property  and  purchased  another  farm  in  Marion  county,  but  while  preparing 
to  remove  to  the  new  home  he  was  taken  ill  and  died  in  the  year  1867.  His 
widow,  however,  went  to  Marion  county,  where  she  spent  her  remaining  days, 
passing  away  in  1871. 

No  event  of  special  importance  occurred  to  vary  the  routine  of  the  farm 
life  of  Henry  A.  Raub  in  his  youth.  He  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools, 
of  Knox  county,  Ohio,  and  in  April,  1852,  when  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he 
came  to  Bucyrus.  That  summer  he  worked  upon  a  farm  and  in  the  autumn 
entered  school  in  this  city,  his  leisure  time  outside  of  the  school  room  being 
devoted  to  working  for  Andrew  Failor,  and  during  the  succeeding  year  he 
was  again  employed  as  a  farm  hand  and  then  once  more  came  to  Bucvrus, 
where  he  was  employed  in  the  store  of  Dr.  Converse.  Subsequently  he  se- 
cured a  position  in  a  sawmill  in  the  fall  of  1854  and  served  in  that  capacity 
for  three  years.  He  was  employed  as  fireman  in  McLane's  gristmill  for  one 
year  and  in  a  similar  capacity  in  the  hub  and  spoke  factory  owned  by  Jones 
&  Company,  in  whose  service  he  spent  the  year  i860.  On  the  expiration  of 
that  period  he  embarked  in  the  milling  business  on  his  own  account,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Bowers  &  Raub,  and  at  the  end  of  the  vear  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Mr.  Nussbaum,  but  remained  with  the  new  firm  in  the  position  of 
fireman.  Subsequently  Mr.  Bowers  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  Mr. 
Raub  continued  as  fireman  until  he  rented  the  mill  of  Mr.  Bowers  and  con- 
ducted it  on  his  own  account  until  Mr.  Bowers  sold  the  property  to  a  stock 
company.  Mr.  Raub  then  again  assumed  the  position  of  fireman  for  the 
stock  company,  and  afterward  the  mill  was  leased  by  a  Mr.  Miller,  who 
operated  it  for  a  time.      Subsequently  he  leased  the  property  and  carried  on 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  211 

the  business  for  himself  for  about  three  years,  when  the  mill  was  destroyed 
by  fire.  Not  long  afterward  he  opened  a  feed  store  in  Bucyrus  and  has  since 
carried  on  business  along  that  line,  enjoying  a  large  and  profitable  trade. 

In  January,  1855,  Air.  Raul)  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  D. 
Howenstein,  who  was  a  daughter  of  John  Howenstein.  She  died  in  1872. 
Their  children  were:  Mary  L..  who  was  born  in  February,  1856.  and  died  on 
her  fifteenth  birthday ;  Lillian,  Jay,  Harry  and  Charles. 

Mr.  Raub  has  led  a  busy,  industrious  and  useful  life  and  his  fidelity  to 
principle  has  ever  been  manifest  in  his  honorable  conduct,  which  has  gained 
for  him  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  his  fellow  men.  His  first  ] (resi- 
dential vote  was  cast  for  Franklin  Pierce,  then  he  voted  for  John  C.  Fre- 
mont, then  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  has  since  voted  the  Prohibition  ticket. 

DANIEL  KAXZLFITER. 

Daniel  Kanzleiter  is  a  well-known  factor  in  the  business  circles  of  Bu- 
cyrus, where  since  1885  he  has  been  an  active  representative  of  real-estate  in- 
terests, handling  farm  lands  in  Crawford  and  adjoining  counties,  town  prop- 
erty and  southern  lands.  In  the  latter  connection  he  is  land  agent  for  the 
Mobile  &  Ohio  Railroad  Company,  with  which  corporation  he  has  thus  been 
connected  since  1895.  Success  has  attended  his  efforts,  for  among  his  dom- 
inant qualities  are  numbered  keen)  discernment  and  sagacity,  progressive 
methods  and  unfailing  courtesy.  He  is  thoroughly  in  touch  with  the  modern 
business  methods  of  the  times,  and  his  well  directed  efforts  have  gained  for 
him  a  position  among  the  prosperous  residents  of  his  native  city. 

Mr.  Kanzleiter  was  born  in  Bucyrus,  June  21,  1843,  his  parents  being- 
John  and  Ursula  Catherine  (  Koberlin)  Kanzleiter.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  Switzerland  and  the  mother  was  born  in  YVurtemberg,  Germany.  Leaving 
the  land  of  the  Alps  Mr.  Kanzleiter  crossed  the  broad  Atlantic  in  September, 
1837,  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Bucyrus,  where  he  resided  for  many  years. 
Thus  our  subject  became  a  native  of  this  city  and  was  here  reared,  pursuing 
his  education  in  the  public  schools.  In  1861  he  entered  the  Journal  printing 
office,  where  he  was  employed  until  May,  1864,  when,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years,  he  responded  to  the  country's  call  for  troops,  enlisting  as  a  member 
of  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-sixth  Ohio  Infantry.  After  the 
war  he  returned  to  the  printing  business,  which  he  followed  until  the  fall  of 
1868,  when,  on  account  of  poor  health,  he  was  forced  to  abandon  that  line 
of  business.     He  then  conducted  a  depot  and  circulating  library,  containing 


212  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

two  thousand  volumes.  Subsequently  he  was  employed  in  the  Forum  office 
until  March,  1885,  when  he  embarked  in  the  real-estate  business,  which  he  has 
since  conducted  with  marked  success.  As  a  representative  of  the  Mobile  & 
Ohio  Railroad  Company  he  does  a  land  business  throughout  Ohio.  He  has 
in  charge  much  valuable  real  estate  and  has  conducted  many  important  real- 
estate  transactions.  His  knowledge  of  land  values  is  comprehensive  and  exact, 
and  he  is  thus  enabled  to  aid  his  clients  in  making  judicious  investments. 

In  1876  Mr.  Kanzleiter  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma  E.  Mohler, 
a  daughter  of  A.  B.  Mohler,  of  Dayton.  Ohio,  who  was  a  wealthy  dealer  in 
broom  corn  and  was  known  as  a  king  on  account  of  his  extensive  operations 
in  that  product.  He  employed  several  hundred  workmen  and  carried  on  a 
business  of  mammoth  proportions.  His  death  occurred  in  1883.  His  wife 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Isabella  Young  and  was  a  resident  of  Cincinnati. 
In  her  girlhood  Mrs.  Kanzleiter  was  her  father's  able  assistant  in  business,  and 
in  1884  she  began  business  as  a  representative  of  life,  hre  and  accident  insur- 
ance companies  and  as  a  loan  agent.  She  has  since  conducted  operations 
along  those  lines  and  is  recognized  as  a  lady  of  superior  executive  force, 
sound  business  judgment  and  marked  enterprise.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Kanz- 
leiter hold  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  with  which  he  has 
been  identified  for  forty  years,  while  her  membership  relations  with  the  church 
dates  from  1876.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Kanzleiter  is  a  Republican, 
but  the  honors  and  emoluments  of  office  have  had  no  attraction  for  him,  as 
he  has  preferred  to  devote  his  energies  to  his  business  affairs,  in  which  he  is 
now  meeting  with  creditable  success. 


ARISTA  O.  LUCAS,  M.  D. 

In  taking  up  the  history  of  the  prominent  men  of  Crawford  county  we 
note  that  Dr.  Lucas  occupies  a  leading  position  in  their  ranks.  He  is  one 
of  the  most  skillful,  able  and  successful  medical  practitioners  in  this  portion 
of  the  state,  and  his  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  science  of  medicine, 
combined  with  his  accuracy  in  applying  his  knowledge  to  the  needs  of  suf- 
fering humanity,  has  gained  for  him  a  very  liberal  and  constantly  increas- 
ing- patronage.  His  time  is  full}'  occupied  with  his  professional  duties,  and 
his  brethren  of  the  fraternity  as  well  as  the  public  acknowledge  his  emi- 
nence   and    express   admiration    for   his    worth. 

Dr.  Lucas  was  born  in  Johnsville,  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  April  5,  1865, 


f    * —  / 


i^tz*^ 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  215 

and  is  a  son  of  Adam,  and  Susan  (McGill)  Lucas.  The  father  was  born 
in  Perry  township.  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  February  22,  1838.  The  family 
is  of  German  lineage  and  was  founded  in  America  by  the  great-grandfather 
of  our  subject,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  but  came  to  this  country  at  an 
early  day.  Adam  Lucas,  the  grandfather  of  the  Doctor,  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  was  reared  in  the  Keystone  state.  His  father  was  one 
of  the  well  known  distillers  of  Lancaster  county,  and  there  the  grand- 
father learned  the  business,  which  he  followed  for  some  years.  After  the 
inauguration  of  the  war  of  18 12  he  was  drafted  for  service,  but  as  he  was 
then  in  charge  of  his  father's  business  the  later  hired  a  substitute  and  Adam 
Lucas  was  therefore  exempt  from  duty.  In  an  early  day  in  the  development 
of  Ohio  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Morrow  county,  entering  three  hundred 
acres  of  land,  whereon  he  built  a  log  cabin.  The  following  spring  his  wife 
and  eldest  child  died,  and  he  then  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
remained  for  about  a  year.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  was  again 
married,  and  once  more  took  up  his  abode  in  his  Ohio  home,  where  he 
resided  until  seventy-five  years  of  age.  He  then  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness life  and  removed  to  the  town  of  Johnsville,  where  he  spent  his  remaining 
days,  passing  away  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-eight  years.  His  wife,  the 
grandmother  of  the  Doctor,  bore  the  maiden  mine  of  Magdalene  Emig,  and 
was  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 

Adam  Lucas,  the  Doctor's  father,  was  reared  on  the  old  home  farm 
and  in  the  common  schools  acquired  his  education.  He  married  Miss  Susan 
McGill  and  then  located  in  Johnsville,  where  for  six  or  eight  years  he  was 
employed  as  a  teamster.  Later  he  removed  to  Woodbury,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business,  conducting  the  enterprise  for  ten  years  or  more,  and 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  time  he  was  also*  postmaster  of  the  town. 
Disposing-  of  his  store,  he  was  then  employed  for  a  number  of  vears  in  a 
general  mercantile  establishment,  and  in  1876  he  removed  to  Johnsville. 
Soon  afterward  he  became  a  "knight  of  the  grip,"  going  upon  the  road  as 
a  traveling  salesman  for  a  Mansfield  (Ohio)  boot  and  shoe  house,  with 
which  he  was  associated  for  two  years.  He  then  established  a  retail  boot 
and  shoe  store  of  his  own  in  Johnsville  and  carried  on  business  along  that 
line  until  1895,  when  he  sold  his  store  and  removed  to  New  Washington, 
since  which  time  he  has  represented  the  Rochester  Horticulturist  and  Florist 
firm.  He  is  an  energetic  and  wide-awake  business  man,  reliable  and  trust- 
worthy. In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious  belief 
was  a  Baptist,  but  as  there  was  no  church  of  that  denomination  in   New 


216  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Washington  he  has  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His  wife 
was  horn  in  Licking-  county,  Ohio,  near  Newark,  in  1841,  and  died  June 
6,  1865.  About  three  years  afterward  he  married  Miss  Molly  Pittman,  and 
unto  them  were  horn  two  children,  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased,  the 
children  and  the  mother  dying  within  a  few  weeks  of  typhoid  fever.  About 
1875  Mr.  Lucas  was  married  for  the  third  time.  Miss  Charlotte  Edwards 
becoming  his  wife.  They  had  four  children,  of  whom  two  survive, — Mamie, 
who  is  at  home,  and  Wilbur,  who  is  attending  lectures  in  the  Starling  Medi- 
cal College,  at  Columbus,  having  previously  read  medicine  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  subject  of  this  review. 

Dr.  Lucas  is  the  only  child  of  his  father's  first  marriage.  He  acquired 
his  early  education  in  the  graded  school  of  Johnsville.  and  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  he  began  teaching.  He  would  follow  that  profession  for  one  term 
and  then  attend  school  for  a  term,  being  a  student  in  the  Ohio  Normal 
University  at  Ada.  He  taught  altogether  eight  terms  and  thus  made  pos- 
sible his  own  education.  In  March,  1888,  he  began  reading  medicine  under 
the  direction  of  Dr.  Eli  Stofer,  of  Bellville,  Ohio,  and  in  September  of  the 
same  year  he  entered  the  Western  Reserve  Medical  College,  of  Cleveland, 
where,  on  the  4th  of  March,  1891,  he  was  graduated,  having  completed  the 
regular  prescribed  course.  On  the  28th  of  the  same  month  he  located  at 
West  Point,  Morrow  county,  and  began  practice,  continuing  at  that  place 
until  the  13th  of  July,  1892,  when  he  came  to  New  Washington,  and  to-day 
he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  Crawford  county.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical 
Society,  and  through  his  connection  with  these  organizations  and  through 
reading  and  study  he  has  kept  in  close  touch  with  the  progress  that  is  being 
made  along  professional  lines.  His  career  has  been  remarkably  successful, 
and  as  he  is  yet  a  young  man  further  advancement  undoubtedly  awaits  him. 

While  residing-  at  West  Point  Dr.  Lucas  was  united  in  marriage,  on 
the  iotli  of  June,  1891,  to  Miss  Verdie  Hosier,  a  native  of  Johnsville,  and 
a  daughter  of  George  R.  Hosier,  now  deceased,  but  at  that  time  one  of 
the  prominent  merchants  of  West  Point.  The  marriage  of  the  Doctor  and 
his  wife  has  been  blessed  with  two  children:  George  A.,  born  March  28, 
1892:  and  Charles  H.,  born  May  26,  1899.  Sociallv  the  Doctor  is  connected 
with  Hyperion  Lodge,  No.  561,  K.  of  P.,  and  with  Rex  Lodge,  No.  229, 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  the 
honors  and  emoluments  of  office  have  no  attraction  for  him,  as  he  prefers 
to  devote  his  attention  to  his  professional   duties.     Nature   seems   to   have 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  217 

fitted  him  for  this  calling,  and  with  strong  mentality,  keen  discernment  and 
close  application  he  has  won  a  position  in  the  ranks  of  the  medical  fra- 
ternity which  many  an  older  practitioner  might  well  envy. 

ALLEN  G.  SPRANKLE. 

Allen  G.  Sprankle,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Crestline  Advocate,  was 
born  in  Shanesville,  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio,  in  1848,  and  received  a  liberal 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  that  day. 

He  is  a  son  of  Jacob  F.  and  Harriet  (Caskey)  Sprankle.  The  paternal 
grandparents  of  our  subject  were  Frederick  and  Elizabeth  (Long)  Sprankle, 
natives  of  Germany,  and  emigrated  to  this  country  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  locating  at  York,  Pennsylvania,  where  they  became  valued 
residents  throughout  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Nine  children  were  born 
to  their  union,  viz.:  Michael,  Daniel,  Jacob,  Ludwig,  George,  Sarah,  Polly, 
Lydia  and  Susan.  It  was  in  August,  1802,  that  their  third  son,  Jacob,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  was  born.  He  spent  his  youth  in  York,  and  here 
also  received  his  brief  education.  Early  in  life  he  learned  the  shoemaker's. 
trade  and  in  1825  emigrated  west,  locating  at  Canal  Dover,  where  he  resided 
for  one  year,  and  in  1826  he  removed  to  Shanesville,  where  he  followed  his 
trade  until  1832.  when  he  opened  a  hotel,  which  he  successfully  conducted 
until  1867.  At  this  date  he  discontinued  his  hotel  and  opened  a  grocery 
store,  which  he  operated  until  within  a  few  years  of  his  death. 

In  1834  he  married  Miss  Harriet  Caskey,  a  daughter  of  Sheriff  Caskey. 
an  early  sheriff  of  Stark  county,  Ohio,  and  their  union  was  blessed  with  six 
children,  viz.:  Isabelle.  deceased;  Mary,  wife  of  \\*.  E.  Lay  ton,  residing  in 
Shanesville :  John,  deceased ;  Ada ;  Allen  G.  and  Theresa.  The  three  sisters, 
reside  at  the  old  homestead  at  Shanesville.  The  deaths  of  this  aged  couple 
occurred  on  the  15th  day  of  December,  1898,  and  was  of  marked  singularity 
and  an  unusual  coincidence,  being  only  twelve  hours  apart,  the  father  dying 
at  5  o'clock  a.  m.  and  the  mother  at  5  o'clock  p.  m  !  Death  was  only  a  matter 
of  change  in  the  form  of  the  relation  of  the  married  life  of  this  couple.  Their 
spirits  departed  for  the  better  world  at  about  the  same  hour  and  their  lifeless 
forms  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  same  grave. 

Allen  G.  Sprankle  at  an  early  age  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  "art  pre- 
servative" at  Philadelphia,  the  county  seat  of  his  native  county,  and  when 
he  mastered  his  trade  he  secured  a  position  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he 
remained  for  a  short  time.     In  1S67  he  went  to  Millersburg,  this  state,  where 


2 iS  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

he  resided  until  1895.  In  the  meantime  he  had  abandoned  his  chosen  occu- 
pation, for  in  1872  he  entered  the  mercantile  business,  successfully  conduct- 
ing a  store  for  about  twelve  years.  During  that  period  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  postmaster  at  Millersburg,  under  President  Cleveland,  and  was  then 
serving  his  first  term.  Air.  Sprankle  occupied  the  position  for  four  years  and 
his  administration  was  prompt  and  reliable,  giving  satisfaction  to  all  con- 
cerned. Before  entering  the  mercantile  business  he  was  employed  by  a  his- 
torical publishing  company  as  one  of  three  editors  and  for  about  eighteen 
months  aided  in  writing  the  history  of  Venango  county,  Pennsylvania,  also  the 
Pan  Handle  of  West  Virginia,  and  Belmont  and  Jefferson  counties,  Ohio. 
A  tier  his  retirement  from  the  position  of  postmaster  he  sold  his  store  in 
Millersburg,  and  was  offered  the  position  of  associate  editor  of  the  Newark 
Daily  Advocate,  which  he  accepted.  While  acting  in  this  capacity  his  family 
still  continued  to  reside  in  Millersburg  and  in  1895  he  purchased  the  Crestline 
Advocate  and  has  since  been  its  editor  and  proprietor.  His  experience  in 
the  journalistic  field  well  qualifies  him  for  the  successful  conduct  of  the  paper 
of  which  he  is  now  at  the  head,  and  he  has  made  it  one  of  the  leading  journals 
in  this  section  of  the  state.  It  is  devoted  to  a  consideration  of  local  and  gen- 
eral domestic  and  foreign  news  and  he  treats  in  a  fair  and  impartial  manner  the 
questions  of  public  interest,  at  the  same  time  giving  editorial  support  to  the 
principles  of  Democracy. 

While  residing  in  Millersburg  Mr.  Sprankle  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Newton,  the  third  daughter  of  G.  F.  Newton,  who  was  a  prom- 
inent resident  of  that  place,  having  a  state  reputation  as  a  horticulturist  and 
pomologist.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sprankle  have  been  born  two  daughters  : 
Virginia,  wife  of  S.  B.  Klippelt,  living  in  Birmingham,  Alabama ;  and  Har- 
riet, who  is  assistant  editor  of  the  Advocate.  The  family  is  one  of  promi- 
nence in  the  community,  enjoying  the  warm  regard  of  many  friends. 

ANDREW  J.  HAZLETT. 

In  the  field  of  political  life  and  professional  activity  Andrew  Jackson 
Hazlett  has  won  distinction  and  to-day  is  numbered  among  the  leading,  in- 
fluential and  honored  residents  of  Bucyrus.  A  young  man,  he  possesses  the 
enterprising  spirit  of  the  west  and  has  been  a  dominant  factor  in  producing 
the  wonderful  development  of  this  section  of  the  country.  Brooking  no 
obstacles  that  honest  effort  can  overcome,  he  has  steadily  worked  his  way 
upward  until  he  has  left  the  ranks  of  the  many  to  stand   among  the  sue- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  219, 

cessfnl  few.  He  is  widely  known  as  a  leading"  journalist  in  this  portion  of 
Ohio  and  has  also  won  public  honors  and  recognition  in  the  legislative  halls 
of  the  state. 

Mr.  Hazlett  was  born  in  Texas  township,  Crawford  county,  November 
8,  1865.  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  Chamberlain  and  Elizabeth  (  Walter  )  Hazlett, 
and  is  descended  from  Revolutionary  ancestry.  The  paternal  grandparents 
of  our  subject  were  John  and  Nancy  (Ury)  Hazlett,  who  in  1829  came  to 
Crawford  county  and  purchased  a  farm  in  Texas  township  from  a  Mr. 
Roberts.  He  purchased  and  operated  the  first  sawmill  in  that  township  and 
in  connection  with  Mr.  Bender  he  laid  out  the  town  of  Benton,  in  Crawford 
county.  He  owned  several  hundred  acres  of  land  and  was  a  very  prominent 
and  influential  citizen,  doing  much  to  promote  the  progress  and  upbuilding 
of  this  section  of  the  state.  In  1848  he  erected  in  Benton  a  hotel,  which 
was  the  first  building  in  the  town,  and  was  actively  concerned  in  the  im- 
provement of  the  place,  which  had  a  good  growth  in  the  early  days.  He 
also  built  the  first  brick  residence  in  that  section  of  the  county. 

The  maternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  were  Daniel  and  Susanna 
(  Baum )  Walter,  who  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio,  locating  in  what  was 
then  Sycamore  township,  Crawford  count}',  but  is  now  in  Wyandot  count}-, 
on  the  present  site  of  the  village  of  Sycamore.  The  grandfather  was  a 
Dunkard  preacher.  Unto  John  and  Nancy  (Ury)  Hazlett  were  born  the 
following  named  :  Ann,  deceased  wife  of  John  Taylor,  of  Lafayette,  Indi- 
ana;  Robert,  the  father  of  our  subject;  Elizabeth,  deceased  wife  of  E.  I\ 
Kellog.  of  Todd  township,  Crawford  county;  John,  who  served  as  a  justice  of 
the  peace  in  earlv  days  and  was  a  prominent  citizen;  Alary  Jane,  the  wile  of 
B.  F.  Jaqueth,  of  Todd  township;  and  William. 

Robert  Chamberlain  Hazlett,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Washington  county.  Pennsylvania,  in  1809.  and  was  twenty  years  of  age 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Crawford  county.  Here  he  became  fa- 
miliar with  all  the  experiences  and  trials  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  frontier 
settlers.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Walter.  She  and  her  twin  sister  were 
the  first  white  children  born  in  Sycamore  township,  and  through  this  mar- 
riage two  of  the  prominent  pioneer  families  were  united.  Their  children 
are:  Mrs.  Susan  E.  Wilcox,  widow  of  P.  P.  Wilcox;  Mason  W\.  who  is  liv- 
ing near  Bucyrus,  Ohio;  W.  H.  and  J.  S.,  who  are  residents  of  Poplar;  and 
Andrew  J. 

Andrew  Jackson  Hazlett,  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  review, 
pursued  his  preliminary  education  in  the  public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of 


220  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

seventeen  he  became  a  student  in  Fostoria  Academy,  where  he  pursued  his 
studies  for  two  years.  In  the  meantime  he  had  engaged  in  teaching  to  some 
extent,  a  profession  which  he  followed  through  twelvej  terms.  Desiring, 
however,  to  gain  more  advanced  knowledge  he  matriculated  in  Heidelberg 
University,  at  Tiffin,  Ohio,  and  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1888.  He 
was  afterward  superintendent  of  schools  at  Sulphur  Springs,  Crawford  coun- 
ty, for  two  years,  and  during  that  period  graded  the  schools  and  largely  pro- 
moted the  educational  interests  of  the  town. 

Mr.  Hazlett  began  his  newspaper  career  on  the  Daily  Advertiser,  at 
Tiffin,  Ohio,  and  for  a  time  was  also  engaged  in  newspaper  work  in  Helena, 
Montana.  Returning  to  his  native  county  in  1891,  he  then  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  Crawford  County  News,  in  connection  with  his  brother,  J.  S. 
Hazlett.  The  paper  was  founded  on  the  14th  of  November,  1880,  by  Thomas 
P.  Hopley,  as  a  Prohibition  organ,  and  when  it  passed  intoi  the  possession 
of  the  Hazlett  brothers,  in  October,  1891,  it  was  changed  to  an  independent 
paper.  J.  S.  Hazlett  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  journal  in  1892,  to  M.  A. 
Charlton,  and  the  new  firm  of  Hazlett  &  Charlton  equipped  the  plant  with  a 
large  Cottrell  press  and  gas  engine,  put  in  new  body  type  and  a  good  job 
plant.  The  paper  was  also  changed  from  an  independent  to  a  Democratic 
journal  and  was  issued  semi-weekly.  In  1895  Mr.  Charlton  disposed  of  his 
interest  to  H.  B.  Sears,  who  in  turn  sold  it  to  L.  M.  Smith,  the  present  business 
manager,  in  September,  1898. 

During  all  the  changes  the  present  editor,  A.  J.  Hazlett,  remained  with 
the  paper  and  saw  it  grow  from  a  six-column  folio  weekly  to  a  six-column 
quarto  and  semi-weekly.  A  curious  fact  connected  with  the  changes  in  the 
ownership  is  that  each  of  Mr.  Hazlett's  partners,  upon  leaving,  disposed  of 
his  interest  for  double  the  amount  he  invested  in  the  plant.  During  the  past 
eight  years  the  paper  has  constantly  grown  in  circulation,  patronage  and  in- 
fluence until  it  has  outstripped  all  of  its  competitors  and  is  now  the  official 
organ  of  the  county,  having  practically  all  of  the  county  patronage  at  full 
legal  rates.  During  this  time  it  has  also  added  several  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  material,  has  been  compelled  to  move  into  larger  quarters  twice 
on  account  of  increasing  business,  is  out  of  debt  and  able  to  discount  all 
of  its  bills. 

On  the  10th  of  June,  1890,  Mr.  Hazlett  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Nellie  Carpenter  Baker,  a  college  classmate,  having  been  graduated  in  Heidel- 
berg College  in  1888.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Edward  and  Nancy  (  Carpenter) 
Baker,  and  her  ancestors  came  from  Massachusetts.     Her  father  was  a  sea 


CENTEXNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  221 

captain,  but  at  present  is  engaged  in  mercantile  business.  Unto  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hazlett  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Edwina,  whose  birth  occurred  March 
ir,  1899.  He  is  well  known  in  fraternal  organizations,  belonging  to  Trinity 
Lodge,  No.  556,  F.  &  A.  M.,  to  the  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur,  and  to  the  Phi  Kappa 
Psi,  a  college  fraternity.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  has  served  on  its  board. 

In  politics  he  is  an  ardent  advocate  of  the  Democracy  and  through  the 
columns  of  his  paper  earnestly  labors  to  promote  the  interests  of  his  party. 
That  he  is  a  recognized  leader  in  its  ranks  is  indicated  by  the  honors  that 
have  been  conferred  upon  him.  In  1896  he  was  nominated  on  that  ticket  for 
representative  in  the  general  assembly  and  served  for  two  years,  retiring  from 
the  office  on  the  1st  of  January,  1900.  He  had  considerable  influence  in  fram- 
ing the  legislation  of  the  state  during  that  period  and  gave  to  each  question 
that  came  up  for  settlement  his  careful  consideration,  thus  manifesting  his 
patriotic  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  those  whom  he  represents.  He  is  also 
state  fish  and  game  commissioner,  having  been  appointed  to  the  office  by 
Governor  Bushnell  and  afterward  by  Governor  Nash.  Pie  is  also  city  school 
examiner  and  is  found  as  a  champion  of  ever}-  measure  calculated'  to  benefit 
the  community. 

Since  the  foregoing  sketch  of  Mr.  Hazlett  was  written  there  was  or- 
ganized in  October,  1901,  a  stock  company,  known  as  the  Bucyrus  Publish- 
ing Company,  which  company  purchased  and  combined  in  one  newspaper 
the  Bucyrus  News  and  Forum,  and  thereby  Mr.  Hazlett  became  discon- 
nected with  the  News,  and  at  the  present  writing  is  in  editorial  charge  of  the 
Findlay  Courier. 

G.  WASHINGTON   WILLIAMS. 

Among  the  residents  of  Crestline  who  are  identified  with  the  railroad 
service  is  Mr.  Williams,  who  is  an  engineer  on  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne 
&  Chicago  Railroad.  Numbered  among  Ohio's  native  sons,  his  life  record 
began  in  Richland  county  on  the  4th  of  August,  1843.  His  father,  Joseph 
Williams,  was  also  a  native  of  Ohio  and  became  one  of  the  honored  pioneers 
of  Richland  county,  where  his  last  days  were  spent.  He  married  Rebecca 
Chew,  who  was  born  in  Richland  county,  and  there  her  demise  also  occurred. 
They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  but  only  three  are  now  living. 

G.  W.  Williams  pursued  his  education  in  his  native  county,  attending 
the  district  school  near  his  home,  and  after  he  had  become  old  enough  to 


222  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

handle  the  plow  he  assisted  in  the  work  of  the  fields,  becoming  familiar  with 
every  department  of  farm  labor.  His  time  was  thus  occupied  until  he  at- 
tained the  age  of  eighteen  years,  when,  the  country  having  become  involved  in 
Civil  war,  he  donned  the  blue  as  a  defender  of  the  Union,  enlisting  on  the  toth 
of  October,  1861,  as  a  member  of  Company  E,  Sixty-fourth  Ohio  Volunteers. 
The  regiment  was  assigned  to  Sherman's  brigade,  and  he  served  for  three 
years,  two  months  and  nineteen  days,  during  which  time  he  participated  in 
many  hotly  contested  engagements,  including  the  battles  of  Shiloh  or  Pitts- 
burg- Landing,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain  and  Missionary 
Ridge.  I  lis  division,  under  command  of  General  Thomas  Wood,  was  the 
first  to  land  on  the  top  of  the  ridge.  After  the  engagement  at  that  place 
Air.  Williams  was  with  the  pioneer  corps  until  mustered  out  of  the  service 
in  1864.  On  many  a  field  of  battle  he  had  displayed  marked  bravery  and 
loyalty,  and  with  a  most  creditable  military  record  he  returned  to  his  home  in 
Lucas,  Richland  county,  Ohio. 

Not  long  afterward  he  assumed  the  position  of  brakeman  on  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad,  and  was  thus  employed  for  three  years,  after  which  he 
worked  for  a  short  time  in  the  machine  shops  in  Crestline.  He  next  became 
fireman  on  the  same  road,  devoting  his  energies  to  that  task  for  thirteen 
months,  when  he  became  hostler  in  the  roundhouse.  After  fifteen  months  he 
was  promoted  to  the  position  of  engineer,  on  the  23d  of  March,  1883,  and 
since  that  date  has  been  a  regular  engineer  on  the  road.  His  service  in  the 
employ  of  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad  has  continued 
through  thirty-five  years,  during  which  time  he  has  met  with  but  one  accident, 
and  that  of  a  very  unimportant  character.-  Fidelity  to  duty,  promptness  and 
close  application  are  qualities  which  are  absolutely  demanded  by  railroad  a  >r- 
porations  on  the  part  of  their  employes,  and  that  Mr.  Williams  is  lacking  in 
none  of  these  particulars  is  plainly  indicated  by  the  fact  that  through  more 
than  a  third  of  a  century  he  has  been  retained  in  the  service  of  one  company. 

On  the  4th  of  June,  1866,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  our  subject 
and  Miss  S.  E.  Travis,  who  was  horn  in  Mt.  Vernon,  Ohio.  Her  father  was 
a  native  of  this  country,  but  her  mother  was  born  in  England.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Williams  have  become  the  parents  of  three  children,  of  whom  two  are  living, — 
Charles  A.  and  Mrs.  E.  Moores.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Williams  is  a 
stanch  Republican,  giving  an  inflexible  support  to  the  principles  of  the  party. 
Fie  belongs  to  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  to  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  fraternity  and  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  In  an  analyzation 
of  his  character  it  is  not  difficult  to  determine  that  tidelitv  is  one  of  his  salient 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  223 

characteristics.  It  was  manifest  upon  the  held  of  battle,  and  has  been  con- 
tinuously shown  forth  in  his  business  career.  Although  he  has  lived  a  quiet 
and  uneventful  life,  his  history  is  one  which  has  ever  commanded  respect  and 
confidence,  and  as  one  of  the  reliable  and  representative  citizens  of  Crawford 
county  he  well  deserves  mention  in  this  volume. 

JACOB  SHERER. 

Jacob  Sherer,  one  of  the  leading  and  successful  farmers  of  Crawford" 
county,  is  a  native  son  of  the  Buckeye  state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in. 
Whetstone  township,  Crawford  county,  on  the  18th  of  January,  1835.  He  is- 
a  son  of  Jacob  and  Christine  (Gross)  Sherer.  The  father  was  born  in  Wur- 
temberg,  Germany,  in  1792,  and  in  1805  came  with  his  parents  to  America, 
locating  in  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  Jacob  Sherer  grew  to 
years  of  maturity  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  early  life  he  also  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  looms  for  weaving,  and  in  later  years  worked  at  that  occu- 
pation in  connection  with  his  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1833  he  emigrated  to 
Ohio,  and  after  spending  one  winter  in  Richland  county  he  came  to  Crawford 
countw  locating  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  a  Mr.  Kurtz  in  Whetstone  town- 
ship. A  few  years  later  his  parents  joined  him  in  this  state  and  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  adjoining  the  one  on  which  our  subject  now  resides  on  the 
north,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  passing  away  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-five  years.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  five  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  acres  of  land,  and  was  accounted  one  of  the  prosperous  and - 
representative  citizens  of  the  count}-.  He  made  thirteen  trips  by  wagon  to. 
Pennsylvania,  having  assisted  many  families  to  remove  to  this  state. 

Mr.  Sherer  was  united  in  marriage  with  Christine  Gross,  also  a  native 
of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  born  on  the  5th  of  January,  1797.  She  came  t< 
America  in  1804,  and  her  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
They  became  the  parents  of  three  children,  two  of  whom  still  survive,  and 
the  sister  of  our  subject,  Catherine,  is  now  the  wife  of  Jacob  Hurr,  of  Bucyrus, 
Ohio.  Although  not  a  member  of  any  religious  organization,  Mr.  Sherer 
was  an  active  worker  in  the  Pietist  church,  contributing  liberally  of  his  time 
and  means  to  its  support.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  affiliations,  and 
both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  were  numbered  among  the  worthy  and  honored' 
citizens  of  their  adopted  county. 

Jacob    Sherer,   whose   name   introduces   this    review,    enjoyed   only   the 

educational  advantages  afforded  by  the  pioneer  schools  of  his  locality,  but  as 
12 


224  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  years  have  passed  he  has  greatly  augmented  his  knowledge  by  observation, 
reading  and  by  practical  experience.  At  the  early  age  of  twelve  years  he 
earned  his  first  money  working  for  a  cattle  buyer,  and  by  saving  his  earnings 
he  was  soon  enabled  to  purchase  a  calf,  and  later  on,  a  colt.  He  was  mar- 
ried at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  after  which  he  located  in  a  log  cabin  on 
his  father's  farm  and  was  engaged  with  the  latter  in  agricultural  pursuits  un- 
til 1870.  when  he  and  his  brother  Samuel  took  charge  of  the  homestead  farm. 
Some  time  later  the  father  divided  the  land,  giving  each  of  the  two  sons  a  third 
interest  and  retaining  the  remainder  for  himself.  Mr.  Sherer  is  now  the 
owner  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-eight  acres  of  the  finest  land  to  be  found  in 
Crawford  county,  and  there  he  is  engaged  in  general  farming,  his  efforts  be- 
ing attended  with  a  high  and  well  merited  degree  of  success. 

As  a  companion  on  the  journey  of  life  our  subject  chose  Miss  Mary 
Hurr,  a  native  of  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania.  She  came  to  Ohio,  where 
their  marriage  was  celebrated.  She  was  a  daughter  of  George  Hurr.  Unto 
this  union  were  born  five  children,  all  of  whom  still  survive,  namely  :  Eman- 
uel D.,  a  resident  of  Bucyrus  township,  Crawford  county;  Sarah  E.,  the  wife 
of  John  Heverly,  of  Iowa;  Emma  C.  and  John  \Y.,  at  home;  and  Laura  A., 
the  wife  of  Isaac  Kurtz,  of  Whetstone  township.  The  wife  and  mother  was 
called  to  the  home  beyond  in  1875,  and  three  years  later  Mr.  Sherer  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Beal,  a  native  of  Crawford  count}',  and 
the  daughter  of  Jonathan  Beal.  Two  children  have  graced  this  union, — 
Bertha  E.  and  Ruth  M.,  both  at  home.  Mr.  Sherer  exercises  his  right  of 
franchise  in  support  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Democracy,  and  he  served 
one  term  as  trustee  of  his  township.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  has  held  a  number  of  prominent 
offices,  and  both  are  active  workers  in  the  cause  of  Christianity.  The  family 
is  one  of  prominence  in  their  community,  and  they  enjoy  the  high  regard 
and  esteem  of  many  friends  and  acquaintances. 


EMANUEL  D.  SHERER. 

Emanuel  D.  Sherer,  son  of  Jacob  Sherer,  was  born  in  Whetstone  town- 
ship February  12,  1861,  and  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  given  a  common- 
school  education.  Until  he  was  prepared  to  establish  a  home  of  his  own  he 
remained  under  the  parental  roof,  but  on  June  2,   1885.  he  was  married  to 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  225 

Esther  Stump,  the  estimable  daughter  of  Isaac  Stump,  of  Whetstone  town- 
ship.    To  this  union  two  daughters  have  been  born, — Mattie  and  Elsie. 

Mr.  Sherer  is  an  enterprising  and  prospering  farmer  and  stock-raiser  of 
Bucyrus  township,  where  he  owns  and  operates  a  fine  farm  of  eighty-five  acres 
in  section  24.  Mr.  Sherer  has  made  many  valuable  improvements  on  this 
place,  erecting  a  most  comfortable  frame  dwelling  and  commodious  barns, 
and  so  manages  his  interests  that  he  is  regarded  by  the  community  as  one 
of  its  most  desirable  and  efficient  citizens. 


F.  M.  FOSTER. 

F.  M.  Foster,  a  conductor  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  residing  in 
Crestline,  was  born  in  Boone  county,  Kentucky,  on  the  2d  of  July,  1841. 
His  father,  James  A.  Foster,  was  a  native  of  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  and  was 
there  reared  until  sixteen  years  of  age.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  seven  times  married  and  the  grandmother  of  our  subject  was  his 
fourth  wife.  There  were  three  children  by  this  marriage,  a  daughter  and  two 
sons,  one  of  whom  was  J.  A.  Foster.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  left  home  and 
went  to  Kentucky,  where  for  a  time  he  followed  any  employment  that  he 
could  get,  which  would  yield  him  an  honorable  living.  With  two  of  his  half- 
brothers  he  went  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  in  an  early  day,  but  afterward  re- 
turned to  Kentucky.  He  married  in  Boone  county,  that  state,  ami  then  took 
up  his  abode  there,  making  it  his  place  of  residence  until  about  1851,  when 
he  removed  to  Grant  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  Earlier  in 
life,  however,  he  had  been  connected  with  steamboating  as  a  mate  on  the 
Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers,  running  between  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis.  New 
Orleans  and  other  cities.  After  devoting  some  time  to  farming  in  Grant 
county  Mr.  Foster  went  to  Tipton  county,  Indiana,  where  he  again  carried 
on  farming  until  his  removal  to  Edgar  county,  Illinois,  where  he  spent  two 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  became  a  resident  of  Coles  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  later  he  resided  for 
some  time  in  Montgomery  county,  Illinois.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Prudence  Knight,  and  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county.  Pennsylvania. 
She  was  of  Scotch-Irish  and  German  lineage,  while  her  husband  was  of  Irish 
and  Scotch  descent.  Her  father  entered  the  army  as  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican 
war  and  was  killed  in  the  service,  leaving  to  his  widow  a  large  family.  Mrs. 
Knight  was  in  her  maidenhood  a  Miss  Walker  and  belonged  to  the  same 


226  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

family  with  James  G.  Blaine,  now  deceased.  She  was  a  woman  of  much 
more  than  ordinal"}'  intelligence  and  displayed  ability  in  rearing  her  family. 
Unto  Air.  and  Airs.  Foster  have  been  born  five  sons,  of  whom  F.  M.  is  the 
eldest,  the  others  being:  Robert  K.,  a  resident  of  California;  George,  who 
is  supposed  to  be  in  Texas;  William,  now  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania;  and 
Charles,  who  died  in  Grant  county,  Kentucky,  when  twenty-one  months  old, 
The  father  of  this  family  passed  away  in  East  St.  Lonis,  in  1869. 

Mr.  Foster,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  reared  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  and  when  twenty  years  of  age  started  out  in  life  on  bis  own  ac- 
count. He  had  previously  devoted  his  time  and  attention  to  assisting  his  father 
and  in  the  acquirement  of  his  education  in  the  common  schools,  but  a  year 
prior  to  the  time  when  he  attained  his  majority  he  began  railroading",  on  what 
was  then  the  Indianapolis  &  St.  Louis  road,  building  bridges  and  culverts 
along  the  line.  His  next  railroad  service  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Illinois 
Central,  as  brakeman  on  a  passenger,  the  train  running  from  Centralia  to 
Cairo,  Illinois,  and  subsequently  he  became  a  brakeman  on  the  Ohio  & 
Mississippi  road,  running  on  a  freight  train.  He  was  with  that  company  for 
about  four  years  and  during  the  latter  part  of  the  time  acted  as  conductor. 
After  severing  his  connection  with  the  read  be  traveled  over  the  country  to  a 
considerable  extent,  hoping  to  benefit  bis  health,  which  had  become  impaired. 
He  found  in  travel  and  rest  the  help  be  needed  and  after  a  time  went  to  Scott 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  spent  about  four  years,  engaged  in  farming.  In  1872 
he  came  to  Crestline  and  entered  the  service  of  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne 
&  Chicago  Railroad  as  brakeman,  serving  in  that  capacity  until  the  nth  ot 
October,  1873.  when  he  was  promoted  to  conductor.  He  has  been  constantly 
in  that  service  through  the  past  twenty:eight  years,  running  most  of  the  time 
on  a  freight  train  running  between  Crestline,  Alliance  and  Allegheny.  He  is 
very  reliable  and  painstaking,  is  courteous  and  obliging  in  manner  and  has  won 
the  warm  regard  of  many  of  the  patrons  of  the  road. 

On  the  20th  of  June.  1872,  Air.  Foster  was  united  in  marriage  to  Aliss 
Mary  E.  Wertz,  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  Holmes  county,  and  a  daughter  of 
George  and  Amanda  (Myers)  Wertz.  She  was  reared  and  educated  in  the 
place  of  her  nativity,  and  by  her  marriage  has  become  the  mother  of  one  son, 
vet  living,  Ira  J.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  in  Crestline. 
Two  sous  have  passed  away.  Benjamin  having  died  at  the  age  of  seven 
months,  while  the  eldest  son,  Charles  H.,  died  in  his  twenty-sixth  year.  He 
married  Josephine  Dunlap,  of  Freedom,  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  they 
had  one  son,    Marion  PI.,  who   is  living  with  his  mother  in   Pennsvlvania. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  227 

Charles  F.  was  a  telegraph  operator  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  acting 
as  manager  of  the  office  at  Conway,  Pennsylvania.  At  the  time  of  his  de- 
mise the  following  memorial  was  prepared  by  the  Masonic  lodge,  of  which  he 
was  a  member : 

"in  memoriam. 

"Death,  the  impartial  messenger  of  the  Grand  Master,  has  again  en- 
tered our  ranks.  The  name  of  another  loved  brother  has  been  added  to  the 
long  roll  of  our  fraternal  dead  that  have  their  final  record  in  the  reports  of  our 
committees  Tn  Memoriam.' 

"Brother  Charles  H.  Foster,  of  Arcana  Lodge.  No.  2"j2,  of  Ohio,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  died  at  Freedom,  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania.  June 
5.  1899,  A.  L.  5899,  at  6:00  p.  m.,  in  the  twenty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 
Brother  Charles  H.  Foster  was  born  in  Crestline,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  Au- 
gust 2$.  1873,  his  father  being  Brother  Frank  Foster,  of  Arcana  Lodge,  Xo. 
272,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Arcana  Lodge, 
No.  2/2,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  August  12,  1897. 

"He  was  united  marriage  March  9,  1898,  in  Crestline,  Ohio,  to  Miss 
Josephine  Dunlap,  of  Freedom,  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania.  Nearly  the 
whole  of  his  life  he  lived  in  our  midst,  with  some  of  our  young  brothers  as  a 
schoolmate,  in  his  youth  and  young  manhood  living  in  friendly  intercourse 
with  both  old  and  young,  and  respected  by  all,  for  those  native  endowments 
that  make  a  good  citizen  and  brother.  As  a  husband  he  was  kind  and  af- 
fectionate, as  only  she  can  know  and  tell,  into  whose  home  entered  so  early 
in  life,  the  dark-winged  angel  of  death,  and  carried  away  the  loved  half  of 
life,  and  left  sorrow  and  almost  despair  in  both  heart  and  home. 

"As  a  grandson  he  also  exemplifies  his  character  as  a  son,  by  his  love 
and  considerate  kindness  for  his  aged  grandmother,  Mrs.  Prudence  Foster, 
by  having  his  marriage  solemnized  at  the  home  of  his  parents,  that  she  might 
be  the  honored  one  among  all  the  guests;  but  for  this  love  and  considerate 
kindness,  her  infirmities  of  age  would  have  prevented  her  attendance  at  the 
ceremony  and  would  have  compelled  her  as  though  neglected  to  live  alone  by 
recollection  in  and  with  the  past,  for  she  had  long  passed  the  Psalmist  s 
allotted  time  of  three  score  years  and  ten,  and  for  years  she  had  not  been  able 
to  participate  in  the  affairs  of  the  active  present.  But  recalled  from  the 
memories  of  the  past  to  be  the  honored  guest  at  the  most  important  event  in 
her  grandson's  life,  was  evidence  to  her  aged  heart  that  she  had  not  been  for- 
gotten, and  that  she  was  not  an  unwelcome  guest,  that  here  was  a  grandson 
young  and  strong  who  would  if  necessary  care  for  her. 


228  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

"Filial  devotion  like  that  manifested  by  our  young  brother  that  brings 
throbs  of  joy  and  confidence  to  the  aged  heart,  bears  the  impress  of  a  nobility 
of  soul  that  God  alone  can  bestow  and  that  no  outward  adornment  can  typify, 
and  is  expressive  of  a  feeling  fine  as  pure  gold  and  for  his  parents  is  the 
highest  tribute  to  his  worth  as  a  son  as  well  as  a  grandson. 

"As  a  brother  he  was  devoted  to  the  interests  of  Masonry:  few  of  his 
brothers  were  more  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  their  Masonic  duties;  worthily 
have  warm  tears  bedewed  his  grave;  worthily  did  out  brother  Masons  of 
Rochester  Lodge,  Xo.  229,  of  Pennsylvania,  drop  into  his  grave  in  our  stead 
the  sprig  of  acacia,  that  Masonic  emblem  of  sympathy,  undying  affection  and 
immortality,  and  with  the  hope  that  we,  and  they,  may  meet  our  brother, 
Charles  H.  Foster,  in  the  grander  halls  than  those  of  earth. 

"Bowing  with  reverence  to  the  mandate  of  the  Grand  Master  of  the  uni- 
verse, that  God  whom  all  Masons  must  acknowledge,  it  is  appropriate,  it  is  a 
duty  here  to  place  our  testimonial  to  the  worth  of  our  brother,  Charles  H. 
Foster,  in  life  and  to  his  memory  in  death  upon  the  pages  of  our  enduring 
record : 

"Therefore  be  it  resolved  that  in  the  death  of  Brother  Charles  H.  Foster, 
of  Arcana  Lodge,  Xo.  272,  of  Ohio  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  the  parents, 
our  brother'  Frank  Foster  and  his  wife,  have  lost  a  devoted  son;  the  wife  a 
kind  and  affectionate  husband,  Arcana  Lodge,  Xo.  272,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  a  just  and  upright  brother. 

"Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  in  memoriam  of  Brother  Charles  FL 
Foster  be  made  a  part  of  the  record  of  this  meeting. 

"Resolved ,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  under  seal  of  the  lodge  be 
presented  to  Brother  Frank  Foster  and  to  Mrs.  Josephine  Foster. 

"Resolved,  That  Arcana  Lodge,  Xo.  272,  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
tender  to  Rochester  Lodge.  Xo.  229,  of  Pennsylvania,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  our  Masonic  thanks  for  their  attention  to  Brother  Charles  H.  Foster 
in  his  illness.,  and  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  the  burial  rites  of  the  Masonic 
order  at  his  grave. 

"Resolved,  That  we  extend  to  his  fellow  operators  the  thanks  of  Arcana 
Lodge,  Xo.  272,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  for  their  kind  words  and  floral 
testimonial  to  the  memory  of  our  deceased  Brother,  Charles  H.  Foster. 

"W.  Stahle, 
"Thomas  H.  B.  Clutter, 
"Charles  Redeker, 

"Committee  in  Memoriam.'' 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  229 

For  sixteen  years  Air.  Foster  has  been  identified  with  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, in  which  he  has  taken  the  degrees  of  the  bine  lodge  and  chapter  in  the 
branches  at  Crestline.  For  about  twenty  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  Railway  Conductors,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican  in  the  ques- 
tions of  state  and  national  importance,  but  at  local  elections,  where  no  national 
issue  is  before  the  people  and  the  question  is  merely  to  select  the  must 
capable  man  to  perform  the  business  of  the  office,  he  votes  independently.  As 
a  citizen  he  is  public-spirited  and  progressive,  taking  a  commendable  interest 
in  everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  community.  For  thirty  vears 
he  was  connected  with  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  and  the  record  is 
certainly  a  creditable  one,  indicating  his  prompt  fidelity  to  duty. 

GARRETT  SHARROCK. 

Garrett  Sharrock,  a  farmer  of  Bucyrus  township,  is  a  well-known  citizen 
of  Crawford  county  and  is  the  eldest  son  of  Joseph  Sharrock,  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  this  county,  of  whom  mention  is  made  in  the  personal  sketch  of 
Charles  A.  Sharrock,  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Air.  Sharrock  was  born  in  Morrow  county.  Ohio.  September  17,  1845, 
and  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  county. 
His  choice  of  a  life  pursuit  resulted  in  his  becoming  a  farmer  and  he  has 
always  remained  on  the  old  homestead  in  Bucyrus  township.  This  is  a  very 
valuable  tract  of  land,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  is 
crossed  by  the  Sandusky  river.  Just  south  of  his  residence  is  a  piece  of 
bottom  land,  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  comprising  several  acres,  which  Air. 
Sharrock  arranges  to  overflow  with  a  dam,  rendering  it  an  artificial  lake  in 
the  spring,  and  here  wild  ducks  and  geese  gather  and  the  sport  of  duck  and 
geese  shooting  is  brought  almost  to  his  door.  This  is  very  agreeable,  as  it  is 
an  amusement  of  which  Air.  Sharrock  is  very  fond,  being  a  good  wing  shot. 
Air.  Sharrock  is  also  very  fond  of  other  sports,  particularly  fox-hunting, 
and  owns  several  valuable  dogs  for  that  purpose.  His  farm  is  a  most  hos- 
pitable place  to  visit  during  the  season,  and  as  Air.  Sharrock  is  genial  and 
entertaining,  his  home  is  often  filled  with  guests. 

Two  years  subsequent  to  his  mother's  death  Air.  Sharrock  married,  and 
after  that  time  his  father  made  his  home  with  him  as  long  as  he  survived. 
Prior  to  her  marriage  Airs.  Sharrock  was  Aliss  Ida  May  Gahagan,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Catherine  (  Fagan )  Gahagan,  pioneer  settlers  in  Todd  town- 
ship, but  Airs.  Sharrock  was  born  in  Benton,  Ohio.     One  son  has  been  born 


230  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

to  our  subject  and  wife,  Leroy  G.,  a  popular  young  man,  who  is  still  at  home 
with  his  parents. 

Although  he  has  never  sought  any  public  office  Mr.  Sharrock  has  taken  a 
deep  interest  in  political  matters,  is  an  uncompromising  Democrat  and  has 
considerable  party  influence  in  his  neighborhood. 

FRAXKLTX  ADA} IS. 

Since  the  year  1837  Franklin  Adams  has  practiced  law  in  Crawford 
county,  and  throughout  this  long  period  of  time  he  has  maintained  a  fore- 
most position  in  the  legal  fraternity,  not  alone  on  account  of  his  ability  as 
manifest  before  court  or  jury,  but  also  on  account  of  an  irreproachable  life 
and  marked  fidelity  to  duty. 

Mr.  Adams  was  born  at  Alsted,  Xew  Hampshire,  on  the  16th  of  Novem- 
ber. 1S13.  His  parents  were  John  and  Susanna  (Morse)  Adams.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Nathan  Adams,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and 
a  colonial  soldier  in  the  American  Revolution.  In  the  annals  of  our  country 
no  name  has  figured  more  conspicuously  and  honorably  than  that  of  Adams, 
and  our  subject  belongs  to  the  distinguished  family  that  has  furnished  two 
presidents  of  the  United  States,  while  the  eloquence  of  a  representative  of 
the  name  inspired  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Maternallv  our  sub- 
ject is  descended  from  another  prominent  Bay  state  family,  that  of  Morse. 
His  parents  were  born  in  Massachusetts :  they  lived  in  New  Hampshire;  in 
1820  removed  to  New  York,  thence  to  Michigan  in  1836,  and  in  the  last 
named  state  both  died.  They  had  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  and  of 
the  children  our  subject  was  the  youngest  but  one.  After  attending  the 
common  schools  in  early  boyhood  he  entered  an  academy  at  Middleburg, 
Wyoming  county,  New  York,  and  later  continued  his  academic  course  in 
Henrietta.  Monroe  count}'.  New  York. 

In  the  year  1834,  being  then  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  made  his  way 
westward,  believing  that  better  opportunities  were  afforded  young  men  in  this 
new  but  rapidly  developing  portion  of  the  country.  Going  to  Ashland,  Ohio, 
he  made  his  home  there  for  eighteen  months.  During  that  time  he  took 
up  the  study  of  law,  under  the  direction  of  Silas  Robbins,  and  later,  going  to 
Mansfield,  Ohio,  continued  the  study  of  law  under  James  Purdy,  of  that 
city.  At  the  July  term  of  the  supreme  court  of  Ohio,  held  in  Bucyrus  in 
1836,  Mr.  Adams  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  also  licensed  to  practice  by 
.the  district  court  of  the  United  States,  held  in  Columbus  in  1839.     At  Mans- 


J/^^^tJC^^c     ^^^e^£^ 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  233 

field  Mr.  Adams  began  the  practice  of  law  in  association  with  Mr.  Purdy, 
his  preceptor,  but  on  the  7th  of  August,  1837,  he  came  to  Bucyrus,  and 
has  since  remained  here,  enjoying  throughout  the  intervening  years  a  large 
clientage.  From  1838  to  1845  ne  held  the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney. 
This  is  the  only  office  ever  held  by  him.  He  has  never  sought  political 
preferment.  To  the  practice  of  the  law  his  undivided  time  and  attention  has 
been  given.     In  politics  he  has  ever  been  a  stanch  Democrat. 

As  a  lawyer,  his  has  been  a  general  practice,  covering  the  usual  variety 
of  litigated  interests  that  make  up  the  docket  of  nisi-prius  courts  in  a  country 
town.  To  chancery  he  has  given  special  attention,  especially  to  the  admin- 
istration of  estates.  He  accomplished  much  toward  settlement  of  cases  out- 
side of  the  courtroom.  He  has  always  advised  compromises  rather  than 
settlement  of  difficulties  in  the  courts.  In  early  days  it  was  not  unusual  for 
disputants  to  bring  before  him  their  respective  grievances  for  arbitration, 
and  thus  he  became  in  the  best  sense  counsel  for  both  parties,  and  in  fact 
took  the  part  of  both  counsel  and  judge.  An  amiable  disposition,  unques- 
tioned integrity,  unfailing  tact,  insight  into  human  nature  and  regard  for 
equity  as  well  as  law  enabled  him  to  solve  hundreds  of  difficulties  and  restore 
the  relations  of  friendship  and  confidence  between  men  who  had  become 
antagonistical  over  some  point  and  were  inclined  to  ruinous  litigation. 
Always  a  student,  always  thorough,  and  ever  exact,  Mr.  Adams  has  long  held 
the  reputation  of  being-  a  learned  and  able  lawyer,  accurate  and  exact  in 
his  pleadings,  alert  in  trial,  logical  and  convincing  in  argument. 

He  began  his  professional  career  a  poor  young  man,  and  besides  gain- 
ing for  himself  an  enviable  reputation  in  the  profession  he  has  amassed  a 
desirable  competency. 

A I  any  years  ago  he  became  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  as  a  charter  member  of  La  Salle  Lodge,  of  Bucyrus. 

JAMES  M.  GUNDER. 

In  the  death  of  James  Madison  Guilder,  which  occurred  on  the  17th 
of  March,  1901,  Crawford  county  lost  one  of  its  valued  citizens — one  who 
made  the  world  better  for  his  having  lived.  Although  his  life  was  quietly 
passed,  he  day  by  day  faithfully  performed  the  duties  that  came  to  him  and  in 
his  consideration  for  others  added  much  to  the  happiness  of  existence.  Espe- 
cially was  he  tender  and  thoughtful  of  his  family  and  to  them  his  memory  re- 
mains as  a  blessed  benediction. 


234  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Mr.  Guilder  was  born  in  Marion  county,  Ohio,  December  1 8,  1841,  a 
son  of  Abraham  and  Magdalene  (Young)  Guilder.  They  were  Pennsylvania 
Dutch  people  and  removed  from  the  Keystone  state  to  Ohio,  locating  first  in 
Marion  county,  whence  they  afterward  went  to  Wyandot  county.  The  father 
was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  but  in  this  state  devoted  his  energies  to  farming, 
and  it  was  upon  the  homestead  farm  that  James  M.  Guncler  was  reared.  He 
was  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  nine  children,  and  as  the 
parents  were  in  rather  limited  financial  circumstances  the  children  were  early 
obliged  to  aid  in  their  own  support.  He  attended  the  country  schools  to  a 
limited  extent  and  in  later  years  he  read  extensively.  The  knowledge  thus 
gained,  added  to  wide  business  experience,  made  him  a  well  informed  man, 
his  naturally  strong  mentality  enabling  him  to  acquire  a  broad  fund  of  in- 
formation. He  was,  too,  a  man  of  liberal  ideas,  who  carefully  considered 
every  subject  which  came  up  for  thought  or  settlement  and  his  opinions  were, 
therefore,  never  formed  along  narrow  lines. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  left  his  father's  home  although  he  aided  in 
the  support  of  the  family  until  he  had  attained  his  majority  and  even  after 
that  made  frequent  remittances  to  his  parents.  He  first  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  and  later  began  farming  and  stock-raising  on  his  own  account.  He  first 
operated  on  the  shares,  and  prospered  until  he  was  able  to  buy  eighty  acres  on 
section  24,  Dallas  township.  There  he  settled  soon  after  his  marriage,  and 
as  he  prospered  in  his  undertakings  he  purchased  additional  tracts  of  land,  the 
first  being  an  adjoining  forty  acres.  About  1889  he  bought  the  forty  acres 
upon  which  the  family  residence  now  stands  and  to  which  he  then  removed, 
making  it  his  home  until  he  was  called  to  his  final  rest.  Thus  at  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  the  owner  of  a  valuable  tract  of  land  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  all  of  which,  with  the  exception  of  about  five  or  six  acres,  he 
placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  The  farm  was  well  improved  with 
good  buildings  and  modern  accessories  and  always  indicated  the  careful  super- 
vision of  Mr.  Guilder,  who  was  neat  and  thrifty  in  his  farm  work  and  kept 
everything  upon  the  place  in  excellent  condition.  He  raised  stock,  including 
horses,  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs,  and  also  bought  and  sold  stock  to  a  considerable 
extent.  He  was  a  typical  farmer,  energetic,  progressive  and  capable,  and 
although  his  health  was  somewhat  impaired  for  several  years  prior  to  his 
death,  he  made  his  farm  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  desirable  in  his  part  of 
the  county. 

Mr.  Guilder  was  twice  married.  He  first  wedded  Miss  Emma  Harris, 
who  lived  for  about  six  vears  after  their  marriage  and  died,   leaving  two 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  235. 

children :  Cyntha  Luemma,  who  died  of  consumption  when  twenty-one  years 
of  age;  and  Blanche,  who  became  the  wife  of  Herbert  Shafer,  of  Wyandot 
county,  Ohio.  In  1873  Mr.  Guilder  married  Dora  Kyle,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  Mahoning"  county,  Ohio,  but  who  was  reared  mostly  in  Crawford 
county.  Unto  the  second  marriage  four  children  were  born :  Sadie,  the 
wife  of  Martin  McBeth,  of  Wyandot  county;  James  G.,  Pluma  and  Lela,  at 
home,  the  son  having  the  management  of  the  farm. 

Mr.  Guilder  took  quite  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs  and  in  politics 
was  a  stanch  Republican,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  growth  and 
insure  the  success  of  his  party.  For  eighteen  years,  although  not  for  a  con- 
secutive period,  he  served  as  township  trustee,  rendering  most  acceptable 
service.  In  other  ways  he  capably  served  the  public,  being  ever  ready  to  aid 
in  the  adoption  of  all  measures  or  assisting  in  the  promotion  of  all  movements 
calculated  to  prove  of  general  good.  For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  United  Brethren  church  and  was  an  active  and  consistent  Christian. 
He  held  office  in  the  church  until  within  a  few  years  of  his  death,  when  he 
resigned  on  account  of  his  failing  strength.  He  was  a  kind-hearted  man  and 
his  domestic  tastes  led  him  to  find  his  greatest  happiness  at  his  own  fireside 
in)  'the  midst  of  his  family,  to  whom  he  left  the  rich  heritage  of  an  un- 
tarnished name. 

LORENZ  SCHICK. 

Few  men  are  more  prominent  or  more  widely  known  in  the  enterprising 
city  of  Crestline  than  Lorenz  Schick.  He  has  been  an  important  factor  in 
business  circles  and  his  popularity  is  well  deserved,  as  in  him  are  embraced 
the  characteristics  of  an  unbending  integrity,  unabating  energy  and  industry 
that  never  flags.  He  is  public-spirited  and  thoroughly  interested  in  whatever' 
tends  to  promote  the  welfare,  moral,  intellectual  and  material,  of  Crestline. 

Mr.  Schick  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  December  29,  1833,  and  there 
remained  until  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  learned  the  trade  of  nail-making, 
entering  upon  an  apprenticeship  when  a  youth  of  sixteen  years,  and  he  has 
worked  in  the  vineyards  and  nurseries  of  his  native  land.  Believing,  however, 
that  he  might  better  his  financial  condition  in  the  new  world  where  opportuni- 
ties were  greater,  he  bade  adieu  to  the  fatherland,  and  in  1854  he  sailed  for 
America,  landing  in  Xew  York  on  the  15th  of  August  of  that  year.  He  was 
a  passenger  on  the  French  vessel  Admiral,  which  lost  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  of  its  passengers  within  ten  days,  the  cholera  breaking  out  among  them. 


236  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

After  forty-two  days  spent  upon  the  broad  Atlantic,  the  harbor  of  New  York 
was  reached  and  for  two  weeks  they  were  in  quarantine. 

Mr.  Shick  was  the  only  one  of  the  family  who  came  to  the  United  States, 
but  was  accompanied  by  four  other  young  men,  one  of  whom  died  in  Phila- 
delphia. Another  of  the  party,  Air.  Amelschek,  resides  in  Defiance  county, 
Ohio,  and  with  the  exception  of  our  subject  is  the  only  survivor  of  the  five. 
Mr.  Schick  made  his  way  from  Xew  York  city  to  Philadelphia  and  then  to 
Wilmington,  Delaware.  In  the  vicinity  of  that  city  he  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  and  also  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  cattle.  In  1856  he  came  to 
Ohio,  first  visiting  Crawford  county,  after  which  he  spent  four  months  as  a 
farm  hand  in  Huron  county.  On  the  20th  of  December,  1858,  he  started  for 
California  by  way  of  the  water  route,  going  by  way  of  Aspinwall  and  Panama 
to  San  Francisco,  where  he  arrived  February  2,  1859.  For  five  months  he 
was  engaged  in  coasting  along  the  coast  shore  of  California  and  South 
America  on  two  vessels,  the  Ocean  Queen  and  Don  Pedro,  both  being  regular 
steamers  in  the  coasting  service.  He  did  this  for  the  benefit  of  his  health, 
worked  on  the  decks  in  order  to  pay  his  board  and  received  no  other  compen- 
sation for  his  services.  He  remained  for  six  years  on  the  Pacific  coast  as  a 
miner  and  in  1864  he  went  north  as  far  as  Vancouver  land,  on  a  coasting 
vessel.  He  also  sailed  through  the  gulf  of  Mexico  and  was  in  the  gulf 
stream.  Although  his  voyages  were  accomplished  in  all  kinds  of  weather  he 
can  claim  the  novel  experience  of  never  having  been  seasick,  although  he  was 
in  many  hard  storms  and  gales.  He  was  shipwrecked  at  Vancouver  Island 
and  the  vessel  on  which  he  sailed  was  lost,  but  all  on  board  were  saved.  He 
was  also  on  the  Golden  Age  when  she  broke  her  shaft  in  the  Pacific  ocean. 
They  were  then  two  and  a  half  days  from  San  Francisco,  but  it  took  seven  days 
to  return  to  the  harbor.  They  went  back  with  only  one  wheel  and  thus  their 
progress  was  greatly  retarded.  He  made  the  trip  back  from  Aspinwall  to 
New  York  city  on  the  steamer  Ocean  Queen  in  six  and  a  half  days,  the 
quickest  trip  ever  made  by  the  vessel.  He  then,  in  June,  1865,  embarked  for 
Germany  to  visit  his  old  home,  friends  and  relatives. 

In  1866  Mr.  Schick  again  came  to  the  United  States  and  in  the  autumn 
of  that  year  located  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  where  he  gave  his  attention  to 
farming.  In  1872  he  came  to  Crestline  and  established  a  provision  store, 
which  he  has  since  conducted,  being  very  successful  in  that  work.  He  carries 
a  large  and  well  selected  stock  of  groceries  and  provisions  and  enjoys  a  large 
and  constantly  growing  trade,  which  brings  to  him  an  excellent  income,  but 
his  labors  have  bv  no  means  been  confined  to  one  line.     He  is  a  man  of 


CENTEXXIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  237 

resourceful  business  ability,  is  enterprising  and  energetic,  and  has  been  con- 
nected with  various  industries  and  business  concerns  that  have  proven  of  value 
to  the  community  as  well  as  a  benefit  to  the  stockholders.  He  is  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  Schill  Furnace  &  Range  Company,  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
Burch  Plow  Works. 

In  Richland  county,  Ohio,  in  1866  Mr.  Schick  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Johanna  Horning,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  was  brought  to  this 
country  when  three  years  of  age.  They  are  now  the  parents  of  five  children, 
two  sons  and  three  daughters  :  Emily,  Ellis,  Joseph,  Charles  and  Minnie,  all 
of  whom  are  residents  of  Crestline.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Schick 
is  a  Democrat,  having  always  supported  the  party  since  becoming  an  Amer- 
ican citizen.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  county  and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  for  one  term. 
He  withholds  his  support  from  no  measure  or  movement  which  he  believes 
will  promote  the  general  good,  and  he  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Catholic 
church.  He  is  a  man  of  broad  capacity  as  his  varied  and  extensive  business 
interests  indicate.  He  is  at  all  times  approachable  and  patiently  listens  to 
whatever  others  have  to  say,  is  courteous  and  at  all  times  is  true  to  the  best 
interests  of  his  friends.  He  cares  not  for  notoriety  nor  is  there  about  him  the 
least  shadow  of  muck  modesty.  His  life  has  been  a  varied,  interesting  and 
eventful  one.  Starting  out  for  himself  at  an  early  age  without  capital  he  has 
to-day  gained  a  place  among  the  affluent  citizens  of  his  adopted  country,  and 
moreover  he  enjoys  the  thorough  respect,  confidence  and  highest  esteem  of 
his  business  associates. 

SMITH  C.  CALDWELL. 

Throughout  his  entire  life  Smith  C.  Caldwell  has  resided  in  Crawford 
county  and  has  always  followed  farming.  His  birth  occurred  in  Bucyrus  town- 
ship, March  17,  1856,  his  parents  being  Alexander  J.  and  Harriet  (Chambers) 
Caldwell.  The  Caldwell  family  is  well  known  in  this  county  and  its  representa- 
tives through  many  years  have  been  prominent  in  connection  with  its  agri- 
cultural interests  and  in  promoting  its  progress  and  welfare  along  many  lines. 
His  grandparents,  Samuel  S.  and  Margaret  E.  (Mickle)  Caldwell,  emigrated 
to  Ohio  in  1835,  taking  up  their  abode  in  this  locality.  The  former  was  born 
in  Adams  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  May,  1804,  and  in  the  fall  of  1835  he 
came  with  his  family  to  Crawford  county,  settling  on  the  plains  south  of 
Bucyrus.    There  he  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of  land  and  carried  on  agri- 


238  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

cultural  pursuits  until  1856,  when  he  removed  to  Bucyrus.  For  many  years 
he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  notary  public  and  in  the  former  office 
he  discharged  his  duties  with  marked  impartiality,  his  dicisions  being  noted  for 
their  extreme  fairness.  In  1^44  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature  and  faith- 
fully served  his  constituency  in  the  forty-third  general  assembly,  during  which 
time  he  used  his  influence  to  have  the  county  seat  retained  at  Bucyrus.  His 
wife  survived  him  for  many  years  and  reached  a  very  advanced  age. 

Their  son,  Alexander  J.  Caldwell,  the  father  of  our  subject,  is  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  favorably  known  citizens  in  Crawford  count)-.  He  was  born  in 
Adams  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  27,  1828,  and  remained  in  his  parents' 
home  until  twenty-three  years  of  age.  His  education  was  acquired  in  a  log 
schoolhouse  such  as  was  common  at  that  day  and  he  experienced  the  usual 
hardships  and  trials  of  pioneer  life.  He  was  married  May  25,  1853,  to  Miss 
Harriet  Chambers,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Isabella  (Marshall)  Chambers. 
She  was  born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  July  14,  1830,  and  by  her  marriage 
became  the  mother  of  seven  children  :  Thomas  J.,  a  farmer  of  Bucyrus  town- 
ship, who  married  Mary  Wentz,  a  daughter  of  John  Wentz ;  Smith  C,  of 
this  review;  Edward  C,  a  farmer  of  Whetstone  township;  Mina  B.,  who  died 
in  1897,  at  the  age  of  thirty-four  years;  Hattie;  Mary;  and  Francis  Marion, 
a  farmer  of  Bucyrus  township. 

The  duties  and  labors  of  the  home  farm  early  became  familiar  to  Smith  C. 
Caldwell,  who  worked  in  the  fields  and  meadows  as  occasion  required,  while 
in  the  winter  months  he  attended  the  public  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  He 
has  always  followed  farming  and  when  he  began  work  on  his  own  account  he 
was  well  qualified  for  his  duties  by  previous  practical  experience.  He  con- 
tinued his  work  in  connection  with  his  father  until  twenty-nine  years  of  age, 
and  for  two  years  after  his  marriage  he  rented  land,  which  he  operated  until 
1888,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres, 
on  section  35,  Bucyrus  township.  His  fields  are  highly  cultivated  and 
yield  a  golden  tribute  in  return  for  the  care  and  labor  bestowed  upon  them. 
In  fact  he  has  a  model  farm,  complete  in  all  particulars.  He  raises  considerable 
stock,  especially  sheep  and  hogs,  and  also  buys  and  sells  large  numbers  of 
these  animals  each  year.  As  he  is  an  excellent  judge  of  stock  he  is  thus  en- 
abled to  make  judicious  investments  from  which  he  realizes  a  handsome  profit. 
In  1895  he  erected  a  neat  frame  residence  and  the  following  year  a  good 
barn.  Fences,  buildings,  fields  and  stock  all  indicate  his  careful  supervision  and 
indicate  him  to  be  a  progressive,  enterprising  agriculturist. 

In  1886  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Caldwell  and  Miss  Harriet  J. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  239 

Warner,  a  daughter  of  Robert  K.  Warner,  and  in  the  community  they  have 
many  friends.  In  politics  Mr.  Caldwell  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  be- 
lief he  and  his  wife  are  Presbyterians,  holding  membership  in  the  church 
of  that  denomination  in  Bucyrus.  His  business  principles  are  commendable, 
his  fidelity  to  duty  unquestioned,  and  thereby  he  is  accounted  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative and  valued  citizens  of  his  native  county. 

E.  P.  DAVIS. 

E.  P.  Davis  is  an  important  factor  in  the  business  circles  of  Crestline, 
being  actively  identified  with  the  commercial  interests  of  the  city  as  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  E.  P.  &  L.  R.  Davis,  dealers  in  dry  goods.  He  is  one  of  the 
native  sons  of  the  city,  his  birth  having  occurred  here  on  the  22cl  of  January, 
1856.  His  father,  James  P.  Davis,  was  horn  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  in 
1824,  and  came  to  Crawford  county  about  1830  with  his  parents.  The  grand- 
father, John  Davis,  settled  on  a  farm  near  Dekalb  and  there  resided  until  his 
death.  Upon  the  old  homestead  there  James  P.  Davis  was  reared  between  the 
ages  of  six  and  nineteen  years.  At  the  latter  date  he  left  home,  and  not  desiring 
to  make  farming  his  life  work  he  went  to  Shelby,  Ohio,  where  he  secured  a 
clerkship  in  a  store.  Later  he  came  to  Crestline  and  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Big  Four  Railroad  Company,  being  the  first  agent  of  that  road  in  this  place. 
He  held  the  position  for  four  years,  covering  the  period  of  the  Civil  war. 
He  was  also  employed  by  the  state  to  manage  affairs  connected  with  the  trans- 
portation of  soldiers  through  Ohio.  In  1863  he  engaged  in  the  dry  goods 
business,  which  he  continued  until  his  death,  in  August,  1894.  Throughout 
that  long  period  he  was  actively  associated  with  the  mercantile  interests  of 
Crestline  and  won  a  high  measure  of  success,  his  trade  continually  increas- 
ing as  the  people  recognized  his  honorable  business  methods.  In  his  politi- 
cal views  he  was  a  Republican,  unswerving  in  his  advocacy  of  the  principles 
of  the  part}-.  In  early  manhood  he  married  Catherine  Mickey,  a  native 
of  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to<  Richland  county,  Ohio, 
in  her  girlhood  with  her  parents,  the  family  locating  upon  a  farm  near  Spring 
Mills,  where  Mrs.  Davis  was  reared  and  educated.  She  survived  her  husband 
about  one  year,  passing  away  in  1895.  They  became  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living,  as  follows :  W.  E.,  who  is  train 
master  of  the  Pittsburg,  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chicago-  Railroad  Company,  located 
at  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana:  E.  P.,  of  this  review;  George  P.,  who  is  a  yard  con- 
ductor in  the  employ  of  the  Pittsburg,  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chicago  road;  Lillie  M., 


24o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

wife  of  J.  P.  Vining,  of  Seabreeze,  Florida,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  hotel 
business ;  L.  R.,  who  is  traveling  salesman  for  a  wholesale  house  and  is  also 
a  partner  in  the  dry  goods  business  in  Crestline;  and  G.  A.,  who  is  acting  as  a 
traveling  salesman  for  a  Cleveland  house. 

E.  P.  Davis,  the  second  son  of  this  family,  was  reared  in  Crestline  until 
nineteen  years  of  age  and  during  that  period  acquired  a  good  English  edu- 
cation. He  then  went  to  Columbus,  and  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Big  Four 
Railroad  Company  from  1876  until  1882,  acting  as  clerk  for  four  years,  while 
for  two  years  he  was  chief  clerk  in  the  general  freight  office.  On  the  expira- 
tion of  this  period  he  removed  to  Chicago  as  an  employe  of  the  Trunk  Line 
Association,  occupying  a  clerical  position,  but  later  that  association  was 
merged  into  the  Central  Traffic  Association,  of  which  Mr.  Davis  became 
chief  clerk  in  the  statistical  department  when  the  new  company  was  organ- 
ized. Subsequently  he  was  transferred  to  the  joint-rate  inspection  bureau 
and  was  traveling  inspector  for  two  years,  from  1889  until  1891,  traveling 
fmm  the  Missouri  river  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  He  next  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Inter-state  Commerce  Commision  as  special  agent,  his  duties  being 
to  look  after  the  maintenance  of  railway  rates;  at  this  time  he  was  elected 
in  the  United  States  attorney's  office  in  Chicago,  acting  in  that  capacity 
for  about  a  year. 

After  long  years  of  connection  with  the  railway  service,  in  which  he 
von  promotion  from  time  to  time  with  increasing  salary  as  well  as  increasing 
duties  and  responsibilities,  he  at  length  determined  to  abandon  that  depart- 
ment of  business  activity  and  embark  in  merchandising  on  his  own  account. 
Accordingly  he  came  to  Crestline  and  entered  into  partnership  with  his 
brother,  L.  R.  Davis,  and  opened  a  large  and  well  appointed  dry  goods  store. 
They  carry  a  large  and  well  selected  stock  of  goods  and  their  honorable  busi- 
ness methods  and  courteous  treatment  of  their  patrons  have  secured  to  them 
a  liberal  and  well  merited  patronage.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Davis  is  a 
Republican.  His  advancement  in  business  life  has  resulted  entirely  from  merit 
and  individual  worth  and  as  the  result  of  his  well  directed  efforts.  He  now 
has  a  handsome  competence. 

ALBERT  HAWORTH. 

The  life  of  him  whose  name  initiates  this  review  represents  a  career 
which  is  interesting  and  instructive.  Integrity,  activity  and  energy  have 
been  the  dominant  elements,  while  superadded  to  these  have  been  manifest 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  241 

those  sterling  attributes  of  character,  integrity,  fidelity,  honor  and  kindliness 
which  gain  to  a  man  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  his  fellowmen.  The 
unostentatious  routine  of  private  life,  although  of  vast  importance  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  community,  has  not  figured  to  any  great  extent  in  the  pages  of  his- 
tory, but  the  names  of  those  men  who  have  distinguished  themselves  by  the 
possession  of  those  qualities  which  contribute  to  the  success  of  private  life  are 
most  worthy  of  being  held  in  high  estimation.  Mr.  Haworth  is  a  business 
man  of  the  distinctive  type — alert,  broadminded  and  duly  aggressive — is  one 
who  has  a  capacity  for  affairs  of  great  breadth,  a  discriminating  financier  and  a 
promoter  of  public  good  through  the  avenues  of  legitimate  enterprises.  His. 
prominence  in  political  circles  and  his  position  as  one  of  the  honored  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  Crawford  county  render  most  consonant  this  review  of  his 
life. 

A  native  of  the  world's  metropolis — London,  England — Albert  Haworth 
was  born  March  22,  1848.  and  with  his  parents  came  to  America  when  a 
small  boy.  the  family  locating  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  At  the  time 
of  the  Civil  war  Benjamin  Haworth,  the  father,  enlisted  in  the  Sixth  [Massa- 
chusetts Volunteer  Infantry  and  remained  at  the  front  until  after  the  stars 
and  stripes  were  planted  in  the  southern  confederacv.  His  regiment  was 
the  one  that  was  mobbed  in  Baltimore  while  en  route  to  Washington,  a  fact 
that  aroused  the  country  as  nothing  else  had  done  and  fired  the  loyalty  of 
the  north  so  that  hundreds  and  thousands  responded  quickly  to  the  presi- 
dent's call  for  aid. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  years  Albert  Haworth  became  a  resident  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  where  he  entered  the  service  of  L.  G.  Russell  in  the  Depot  Hotel  as. 
office  boy,  and  there  he  remained  until  1865,  when  he  came  with  Mr.  Russell; 
to  Crestline,  where  Air.  Russell  opened. the  Continental  Hotel.  For  many 
years  Mr.  Haworth  was  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Russell  and  rose  steadily  step 
by  step  through  various  positions  until  he  became  manager  not  only  of  the 
entire  business  interests  of  Air.  Russell  but  of  the  firm  of  which  the  latter  was 
a  member.  In  this  connection  Air.  Haworth  had  the  control  of  the  large 
business  of  the  Continental  and  Gibson  hotels  of  Crestline.  At  one  time  the 
firm  owned  the  largest  hotel  interests  in  Ohio,  Air.  Haworth  acting  as  mana- 
ger of  the  business.  He  was  also  superintendent  of  the  dining  car-  of  the 
Big  Four  Railroad  Company,  owned  by  L.  G.  Russell  &  Company.  He  also 
became  owner  of  the  Central  Hotel  of  Crestline  which  he  conducted  until 
1897,  when  he  retired  and  enjoyed  one  year's  rest  from  the  arduous  duties 
of  business  life.     A  local  publication  said :     "By  reason  of  adverse  circum 

13 


242  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

stances.  Mr.  Haworth  had  little  opportunity  to  attend  school,  but  by  dint  of 
hard  work  ever  'midnight  oil'  and  private  instructions,  he  has  attained  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  practical  part  of  an  education.  Mr.  Haworth  has 
borne  a  leading"  part  in  social,  business  and  political  events  of  Crestline.  If 
there  is  one  thing  more  conspicuous  than  another  in  his  make  up,  it  is  that  of 
tireless  energy,  and  an  unrest  until  the  task  given  him  is  completed.  This 
element  of  his  nature  has  made  him  indispensable  to  his  employers,  and  brought 
him  a  reputation  for  capacity  and  willingness  that  placed  him  in  the  fore- 
front of  affairs." 

In  the  year  1871  Mr.  Haworth  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Magdalena 
McCuthin,  and  they  now  have  one  son  and  one  daughter.  The  former, 
William  J.,  is  a  graduate  of  Kenyon  College,  and  is  now  a  draftsman  residing 
in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  The  daughter,  Effie  A.,  is  at  home  with  her  parents.  Mr. 
Haworth  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  representatives  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  fraternity  of  Crestline,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  and  to-  the  Ohio  Brigade,  serving  on  the  staff  of  General 
Thomas  W.  Minshull.  In  politics  he  has  ever  been  a  stanch  Republican,  un- 
swerving in  his  allegiance  to  the  party  and  its  principles.  He  has  labored  un- 
selfishly for  the  good  of  the  republic  without  hope  or  desire  of  official  re- 
ward, lint  in  1898  there  came  to  him  in  recognition  of  his  ability  and  labor 
the  appointment  to  the  office  of  postmaster  of  Crestline,  the  appointment 
being  made  by  President  McKinley  on  the  22d  of  March,  1898,  coming  to 
Mr.  Haworth  on  his  fiftieth  birthday.  While  conducting  the  hotel  business 
he  had  many  times  performed  some  service  in  the  line  of  his  chosen  vocation 
for  the  president.  The  Crestline  postoffice  has  the  cleanest  record  of  any  in 
the  state  since  Mr.  Haworth  took  charge,  there  having  never  been  an  error 
made  by  the  head  of  the  office  or  by  one  of  its  clerks.  They  dispense  over 
one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  dollars  in  wages  to  railway  and  postal  clerks 
and  to  others  in  the  various  departments  of  the  business,  and  since  our  sub- 
ject assumed  the  duties  of  the  office  no  mistake  has  ever  been  registered  against 
him.  He  will  undoubtedly  be  commended  for  the  position  during  President 
McKinley's  second  term  as  he  has  the  confidence  and  highest  regard  of  the 
business  men  and  general  public.  He  is  a  very  popular  man  owing  to  his  un- 
failing courtesy,  genial  disposition  and  kindly  temperament,  combined  with 
unquestioned  honesty  and  fairness  in  all  business  transactions.  He  cer- 
tainly deserves  great  credit  for  what  he  has  accomplished  in  life,  which  illus- 
trates the  possibilities  that  lie  before  young  men  in  the  land  of  the  free. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  243 

CHARLES  A.   SHARROCK. 

At  the  time  when  the  colonists  were  engaged  in  a  struggle  for  inde- 
pendence with  the  mother  country,  the  Sharrock  family  was  founded  in 
America  by  the  great-grandfather  of  him  whose  name  introduces  this  re- 
view. He  was  a  native  of  England  and  came  to  America  as  a  British  soldier, 
but  becoming  convinced  of  the  justice  of  the  cause  of  the  colonists  he  deserted 
the  English  army  and  joined  the  American  troops,  whom  he  assisted  until  war 
was  ended  and  the  republic  was  established.  He  afterward  took  up  his  abode 
in  New  York,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days.  His  son,  Benjamin  Shar- 
rock, the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  the  Empire  state  and 
fought  for  the  American  cause  in  the  second  war  with  England.  He  had 
become  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  and  from  there 
entered  the  service  for  the  war  of  1812.  After  the  cessation  of  hostilities  he 
made  the  third  settlement  in  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  and  there  he  operated  a 
water-power  gristmill  for  a  number  of  years.  He  continued  a  resident  of  that 
county  until  called  to  his  final  rest.  He  met  death  in  a  tragic  way.  Robbers  ef- 
fected an  entrance  into  his  house  and  not  only  took  from  him  six  thousand  dol- 
lars, but  also  broke  hlis  back  and  he  died  soon  afterward  in  great  agony,  when 
one  hundred  and  four  years  of  age. 

Joseph  Woodward  Sharrock,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  in  1814.  when  his  father  was  engaged  in  the  military 
services  of  his  country  in  the  second  war  with  England.  Amid  the  wild 
frontier  scenes  and  environments  the  son  was  reared  and  after  acquiring  a 
good  English  education  he  devoted  his  attention  to  farming,  which  he  made 
his  life  work.  In  185 1  he  came  to  Bucyrus  township,  Crawford  county,  where 
he  made  his  home  for  more  than  forty  years,  his  death  here  occurring  on  the 
26th  of  October,  1893,  when  he  had  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-nine 
years.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  business  man.  ever  worth}'  of  trust 
and  confidence.  In  his  habits  he  was  very  temperate  and  though  he  was  not 
a  church  member,  his  life  was  in  conformity  to  the  basic  principles  of  Chris- 
tianity, for  he  lived  an  honorable,  upright  life,  never  used  profanity  and  was 
kind,  considerate  and  just.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Wood- 
side.  She  passed  away  eleven  years  prior  to  the  death  of  her  husband,  being 
called  to  the  home  beyond  at  the  age  of  sixty-five.  They  were  the  parents 
of  six  sons,  but  had  no  daughters.  Of  the  family  Gardner  was  accidentally 
shot  when  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  while  the  others.  Garrett.  Charles  A..  Os- 
car K.,  Benjamin  F.  and  James  J.,  are  still  living. 


244  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

On  the  home  farm  Charles  A.  Sharrock  was  reared,  and  no  event  of 
special  importance  occurred  to  vary  the  routine  of  farm  life  for  him.  He 
remained  with  his  parents  until  twenty-three  years  of  age  and  then  estahlished 
a  home  of  his  own.  He  wedded  Mary  A.  Stineman  in  1870,  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Susan  Stineman,  of  Crawford  county,  and  their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  two  children :  Alvertis  D.,  who  married  Emma  Mullenkopf ;  and 
Minnie  A.,  the  wife  of  Tira  E.  Ditty.  Both  the  son  and  son-in-law  are  farm- 
ers of  Bucyrus  township. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Sharrock  began  farming  on  the  old  Stineman 
homestead,  where  he  remained  until  1882,  when  he  came  to  his  present  farm. 
Here  he  owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  and  altogether  he  has 
about  four  hundred  acres  in  Bucyrus  township.  Upon  his  place  he  has  a 
fine  barn,  one  hundred  by  forty  feet,  with  thirty-foot  posts  and  a  basement. 
This  was  built  in  1892  and  in  1897  he  built  another  good  barn.  In  1900  he 
erected  his  present  palatial  residence,  which  is  built  of  brick,  contains  twelve 
rooms  and  is  supplied  with  all  modern  conveniences  and  is  very  tastefully 
furnished.  It  is  one  of  the  most  imposing  country  homes  in  the  county  and 
stands  as  a  monument  to  the  enterprise  and  industry  of  the  owner.  In 
politics  Mr.  Sharrock  is  a  Democrat  and  in  1900  he  served  as  land  appraiser. 
Socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Honor.  In  1876  he  visited 
the  Centennial  Exposition  in  Philadelphia,  and  in  1893  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition  in  Chicago,  and  at  other  times  he  has  traveled  quite  extensively 
over  the  country,  gaining  that  knowledge  and  culture  which  only  travel  can 
bring.  He  is  a  citizen  of  worth,  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him,  and 
in  this  volume  he  well  deserves  representation. 

CAPTAIN  J.  G.  BARNEY. 

Captain  J.  G.  Barney,  who  is  engaged  in  real  estate  and  insurance  busi- 
ness in  Crestline,  is  a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  his  birth  having  occurred 
there  in  Wayne  count}-,  on  the  6th  of  October,  1833.  His  father,  Moses 
Barney,  was  born  in  Herkimer  county.  New  York,  and  was  a  son  of  William 
Barney,  who  served  as  a  private  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  also 
engaged  in  military  service  under  General  Sullivan,  which  resulted  in  the 
expulsion  of  the  Indians  from  the  Empire  state.  He  was  a  brave  and  loyal 
soldier  in  both  wars.  The  Barney  family  is  of  Welsh  lineage  and  was  found- 
ed in  America  by  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  who,  when  a  young" 
man,  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Vermont, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  245 

■whence  the  two  sons  removed  to  New  York.  The  father  of  our  subject  was 
reared  in  the  county  of  his  nativity  and  followed  the  occupation  of  farming 
there  until  his  removal  to  Wayne  county,  where  he  devoted  his  energies  to  the 
same  pursuit.  He  served  as  a  non-commissioned  officer  in  the  war  of  181 2, 
and  died  April  10,  1838.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Matilda 
Powers,  was  a  native  of  Herkimer  county,  Xew  York,  and  in  her  girlhood  re- 
moved to  Wayne  county.  Her  father,  William  Powers,  was  also  a  native  of 
the  Empire  state,  but  was  of  Irish  descent.  Mrs.  Barney  was  left  a  widow 
with  five  children,  the  eldest  being  then  only  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  the 
youngest,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being  a  little  lad  of  five  and  a  half  years. 
He  remained  with  his  mother  until  his  marriage  and  was  reared  upon  the  old 
home  farm. 

After  his  marriage  Captain  Barney  took  up  his  abode  in  Wayne  county, 
New  York,  where  he  lived  until  1859,  when  he  came  to  Richland  county, 
Ohio,  and  engaged  in  the  produce  business  in  Butler  until  1864.  In  that  year 
he  responded  to  the  country's  call  for  aid,  enlisting  as  a  private  in  Company 
A,  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-seventh  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which 
he  was  promoted  to  orderly,  then  to  serg"eant  major  and  later  was  made  sec- 
ond lieutenant  and  first  lieutenant.  He  was  likewise  commissioner  of  the 
Freedmen's  Bureau,  at  Macon,  Georgia,  where  he  served  until  January  26, 
1866,  having  charge  of  refugees  seized  and  abandoned  land,  freedmen's 
churches  and  schools.  At  that  place  he  was  in  command  of  Company  D,  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-seventh  Regiment  of  the  Ohio  Volunteers. 

On  receiving  an  honorable  discharge  Captain  Barney  returned  to  his 
home  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  1868,  when  he  came 
to  Crestline,  where  he  engaged  in  merchandising,  carrying  on  business  with 
success  until  1875,  when  he  sold  out  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  real  estate 
and  insurance  business.  The  latter  line  proved  to  him  profitable  and  he  has 
done  a  large  and  constantly  growing  business.  In  1895  he  extended  his  field 
of  operations  by  becoming  connected  with  the  Building  &  Loan  Association, 
of  which  he  was  secretary  and  agent. 

Captain  Barney  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  L.  Clemens, 
a  native  of  New  York,  where  their  marriage  was  celebrated.  They  became 
the  parents  of  one  daughter,  Emma  E.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  W.  P. 
Bennett.  Mrs.  Barney  is  a  graduate  of  the  Normal  school,  of  Albany,  New 
York,  and  holds  a  life  certificate  as  a  teacher  in  that  state.  She  followed 
the  profession  for  some  years  in  New  York  and  through  a  considerable  period 
was  principal  of  the  schools  of  Clyde,  Wayne  count}'.  New  York.     A  most 


246  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

worthy,  cultured  and  refined  lady,  she  presides  in  a  most  gracious  and  hos- 
pitable manner  over  their  pleasant  home  and  her  influence  in  social  circles  has 
been  marked  and  beneficial.  The  family  is  one  of  prominence  in  the  com- 
munity and  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  is  extended  to  them.  The  Cap- 
tain is  Aery  prominent  in  military  circles  and  he  is  now  commander  of  Sny- 
der Post,  No.  129,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Ohio,  has  taken  an  active  part  in  its  work  and 
has  filled  all  the  offices  in  the  order.  He  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church, 
with  which  he  has  been  identified  forty-five  years,  and  is  serving  as  one  of  its 
elders.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  having  supported  the  party  since 
its  organization.  He  served  as  postmaster  in  General  Harrison's  administra- 
tion, and  while  residing  in  Belleville  he  served  for  six  years  as  justice  of  the 
peace  and  also  filled  the  honorable  position  of  mayor  of  that  town.  He  has 
ever  taken  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  supporting  all  movements  and 
measures  which  he  believes  to  be  for  the  general  good.  He  was  president  of 
the  Crestline  board  of  education  and  was  one  of  its  members  through  a  long- 
period.  By  reason  of  his  connection  with  the  Freedmen's  Bureau  he  served 
as  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Macon,  Georgia,  while  at  that  place,  suc- 
ceeding General  Wild,  of  Maine,  to  the  position.  Captain  Barney  has  led  an 
active,  useful  and  honorable  life  and  whether  in  public  office,  upon  the  field 
of  battle,  in  his  place  of  business  or  in  his  home  he  has  ever  been  found  as  a 
true,  upright  and  honorable  gentleman,  worthy  of  the  genuine  regard  of  his  fel- 
low men. 

JOSEPH   H.   BEARD. 

Joseph  Hiram  Beard,  who  is  now  living  retired  in  Bucyrus,  has  for 
many  years  been  identified  with  the  movements  and  measures  which  have 
contributed  to  advancement  along  agricultural  lines,  and  has  ever  been  a 
citizen  of  value,  taking  an  active  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the 
general  good.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  four  miles  east  of  Hagerstown,  Mary- 
land, May  3,  1830,  a  son  of  John  and  Susan  (  Sager)  Beard.  The  ances- 
try of  the  family  can  be  traced  back  to  Nicholas  Beard,  the  great-grand- 
father of  our  subject,  who  came  from  Germany  to  the  new  world  and  locat- 
ed in  Maryland,  near  the  present  site  of  Beard's  graveyard,  in  AYashington 
county.  In  the  same  locality  stands  a  chapel,  which  is  known  as  Beard's 
church.  He  had  four  sons,  of  whom  Andrew,  the  eldest,  had  three  chil- 
dren— George,  Mary,  the  wife  of  Jacob  Beachtel,  and  Margaret,  the  wife 
of  Nicholas  Beard.      Philip  Beard,  the  second  son,  became  the  grandfather 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  247 

of  our  subject.  Nicholas,  the  third  son,  had  three  children. — Nicholas, 
George  and  Samuel ;  Catherine,  the  wife  of  Andrew  Noerr,  of  Washington.  D. 
C. ;  and  Sarah,  who  married  Samuel  Rice.  George  Beard,  the  fourth  son, 
had  four  children:  George;  Jacob;  Mary,  who  became  the  wife  of  Andrew 
Steffy;  and  Laah,  wife  of  Andrew  Newcomber.  The  daughters  of  Nicho- 
las Beard,  the  original  member  of  the  family  in  America,  were:  Magdalene, 
who  became  Mrs.  Mautzer;  Margaret,  who  married  Jacob  Martin;  and  Eliza- 
beth, the  wife  of  William  Haus.  The  father  of  this  family  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Baltimore  when  it  was  but  a  village  in  the  colonial  epoch  of  our 
country's  history. 

Philip  Beard,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  on  the  old  family 
homestead  in  Maryland,  where  Joseph's  birth  occurred,  and  died  there.  He 
made  farming  his  life  work.  He  married  a  Miss  Haus  and  had  three  chil- 
dren;  John;  Magdalene,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Fiery;  and  Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried Samuel  Lyday. 

The  first  named  was  the  father  of  our  subject,  and  his  birth  occurred 
in  the  old  family  home  where  his  son  Joseph  first  opened  his  eves  to  the 
light  of  day.  There  he  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  when  he  had 
attained  his  majority  he  married  Susan  Sager.  Two  of  their  children  died 
in  infancy,  while  the  others  were:  Ellen,  now  deceased;  Martha,  who  is 
living  in  North  Baltimore,  Ohio;  Joseph  H. ;  Philip  A.,  a  resident  of  Bucy- 
rus  township:  John  F.,  who  is  living  in  Tiffin,  Ohio;  and  Amanda,  deceased. 
In  1852  the  parents  left  Maryland,  removing  to  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  their 
new  home  being  near  Tiffin,  where  they  spent  their  remaining  days.  The 
father  died  in  1867,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years:  and  the  mother  passed 
away  in   1897,  when  about  ninety-three  years  of  age. 

Upon  a  farm  in  Maryland  Mr.  Beard  of  this  review  spent  his  youth, 
and  during  that  time  acquired  a  limited  common-school  education.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  his  marriage,  which  important  event  in  his  life  occurred 
on  Christmas  of  1858,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Catherine  A.  Nus- 
baum,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Rebecca  (Gedultig)  Nusbaum,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Frederick  county,  Maryland,  and  were  of  German  descent. 
In  185 1  they  removed  to  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  and  there  the  father  died 
in  1875,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years,  while  the  mother  departed  this  life 
in  1 86 1,  when  nearly  fifty-six  years  of  age. 

After  their  marriage  "Mr.  and  Airs.  Beard  began  their  domestic  life  upon 
a  farm  near  Tiffin  and  there  remained  until  the  spring  of  1865  when  they 
came  to  Crawford  county,  and  took  up  their  abode  on  their  present  farm  on 


248  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

section  10,  Bucyrus  township.  Mr.  Beard  started  out  upon  his  business 
career  empty  handed,  but  by  indomitable  perseverance  and  unfaltering  energy 
was  enabled  to  gain  a  start  and  work  his  way  upward.  On  coming  to  this 
county  he  purchased  sixty-five  acres  of  land  and  now  owns  two  hundred  acres. 
In  1873  he  erected  a  good  frame  residence  and  has  made  other  desirable 
and  modern  improvements  which  add  to  the  value  and  attractive  appearance 
of  the  place.  There  Mr.  Beard  carried  on  farming  until  1901,  when  he  re- 
tired to  private  life  and  removed  to  Bucyrus.  For  many  years  he  has  also 
been  engaged  in  the  insurance  business.  In  1875  he  was  one  of  the  organi- 
zers of  the  Crawford  County  Mutual  Insurance  Company,  and  was  its  first 
adjuster  of  losses,  filling  that  position  for  twenty-two  years,  since  which 
time  he  has  represented  the  company  as  agent. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beard  has  been  blessed  with  six  children  : 
Celia  Viola,  who  married  John  Beckett,  of  Columbus;  Delia  Helen,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Joseph  Lewis,  who  married  Electa  Denzer  and  is  a  farmer  of 
Bucyrus  township;  Anna  Delia  and  Ralph  H.,  at  home;  and  Mabel  Gertrude, 
the  wife  of  Fred  Wise,  of  Bucyrus. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Beard  is  a  stalwart  Republican,  but  had  never 
aspired  to  office.  He  and  his  wife  and  family  are  members  of  St.  Paul's 
English  Lutheran  church.  He  has  done  much  to  benefit  the  county,  especially 
in  agricultural  circles.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grange  and  has  been  a  pro- 
moter and  supporter  of  the  farmers'  institutes  of  the  county  for  more  than 
twenty  years,  while  for  thirty-five  years  he  has  labored  earnestly  to  advance 
the  interests  of  the  Agricultural  Society,  of  which  he  has  served  as  a  director 
and  vice-president.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Pioneer  Association,  and  at  all 
times  has  heartily  co-operated  in  every  movement  which  he  believed  would 
prove  of  general  benefit. 

JAMES  McKIXSTRY. 

James  McKinstry  is  the  oldest  living  resident  of  Bucyrus,  for  he  has 
reached  the  ninetieth  milestone  on  life's  journey.  His  has  been  a  useful 
and  active  career,  in  which  there  is  much  worthy  of  emulation  and  little  to 
regret,  and  now  in  the  evening  of  life  he  receives  the  veneration  and  respect 
of  all  who  know  him  ;  and  while  he  has  outlived  the  friends  of  his  early 
manhood  he  yet  has  many  warm  friends  and  admirers  among  the  younger 
generation.  He  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  June  18, 
181 1,  and  is  of  Irish  lineage  and  descended  from  good  old  Revolutionary 


uruiyf/i 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  251 

stock.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Nathaniel  McKinstry,  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  and  on  coming  to  America  located  in  Pennsylvania,  dying  in  Frank- 
lin county  at  a  good  old  age.  He  served  his  adopted  country  in  the  war  of 
the  Revolution,  being  most  of  the  time  engaged  in  the  powder  mills.  His 
sun,  John  McKinstry,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Belfast,  county 
Antrim,  Ireland,  and  when  a  little  lad  of  three  summers  was  brought  by  his 
parents  to  the  new  world,  their  first  home  being  in  Philadelphia,  whence 
they  afterward  removed  to  Franklin  county.  He  was  there  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Patton.  a  native  of  Loudon,  Franklin  county,  and  a  daughter  of  James 
Patton,  who  was  born  in  South  Carolina  and  served  throughout  the  war  for 
independence,  being  in  the  command  of  General  Washington.  He  then 
served  in  the  capacity  of  captain  and  did  valiant  service  for  the  cause  of 
liberty.  He  was  of  English  origin,  and  his  ancestors  came  to  this  country 
some  time  before  the  Revolution.  The  parents  of  our  subject  were  mar- 
ried in  Franklin  county.  Pennsylvania,  and  then  located  upon  a  farm  there, 
but  subsecjuently  removed  to  Washington  county,  that  state,  and  in  1833  came 
to  Ohio,  settling  upon  a  farm  in  Marion  county.  Mr.  McKinstry  was  a 
Jackson  Democrat  in  early  life,  afterward  became  a  Whig,  and  later  was 
identified  with  the  Republican  party.  He  held  membership  in  the  Presby- 
terian church  and  took  an  active  interest  in  its  work.  He  died  in  Marion 
county,  in  his  ninetieth  year,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  the  same  locality 
in  her  sixty-seventh  year.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  three 
sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  one  died  at  the  age  of  five  years,  while 
the  others  reached  adult  age.  Only  three  are  now  living,  namely :  Thomas, 
of  Pekin,  Illinois,  who  is  now  more  than  eighty-seven  years  of  age;  Mrs. 
Rebecca  Hayes,  of  Marion  county,  Ohio:  and  James. 

The  last  named  was  the  oldest  son  and  the  third  child  of  the  family, 
and  was  twenty-two  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Ohio. 
He  had  accpiired  his  education  in  an  old  log  schoolhouse  in  his  native  county, 
where  school  was  conducted  on  the  subscription  plan.  He  attended  only 
through  the  winter  season,  while  in  the  summer  months  he  worked  upon  the 
farm.  He  also  engaged  in  teaming,  driving  a  five-horse  team,  in  hauling 
goods  from  Wheeling  to  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania ;  there  were  no  railroads 
or  canals  in  those  days.  After  coming  to  Ohio'  he  assisted  in  clearing  and 
improving  the  farm  in  Marion  county  through  several  years.  He  became 
a  well  known  and  influential  citizen  of  the  community,  and  in  1840  was  the 
Whig  candidate  for  sheriff,  lacking  only  a  few  votes  of  winning  the  election. 

In  1842  Mr.  McKinstry  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Rebecca  Gar- 


252  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

berson,  a  native  of  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio,  and  of  German  lineage.  Colonel 
Crawford,  who  was  burned  at  the  stake,  was  her  great  uncle.  After  their 
marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs  McKinstry  located  upon  a  farm  in  Marion  county, 
where  he  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  and  stock-raising.  He  made  a 
specialty  of  sheep,  keeping  on  hand  about  a  thousand  head.  During  the 
last  two  vears  of  the  war  he  also  had  about  four  thousand  sheep  in  Illinois. 
He  owned  six  hundred  acres  of  land,  constituting  one  of  the  largest  farms 
in  Marion  county.  In  1863  he  rented  his  property  and  came  to  Bucyrus, 
purchasing  the  residence  in  which  he  still  lives.  About  1871  he  sold  his 
farm  in  Marion  county  and  was  afterward  engaged  in  various  lines  of  busi- 
ness. He  conducted  a  grocery  store  and  was  quite  extensively  engaged  in 
the  purchase  and  sale  of  horses,  buying  them  in  Canada  and  shipping  them 
to  Ohio.  At  length,  after  a  long-  and  useful  business  career,  in  which  he 
won  a  handsome  competence,  he  retired  to  private  life,  and  is  now  living  in 
the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  his  former  labor. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKinstry  was  blessed  with  ten  children, 
namely:  One  who  died  in  infancy;  John  Calvin,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
six  years;  William  Thomas,  a  farmer  of  Bucyrus  township;  Mary  E.,  who 
is  the  widow  of  John  R.  Miller,  who  resides  with  her  father;  Ann  Maria, 
deceased ;  Frances  Marion,  who  has  passed  away ;  Amanda,  the  wife  of 
Theodore  Shotwell,  of  Detroit.  Michigan;  James  Briggs,  deceased;  Mathew, 
of  Kansas  City;  and  Joseph,  who  also  has  passed  away.  In  1890  Mr. 
McKinstry  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-eight  years.  He  cast  his  hrst  presidential  vote  for  Andrew 
Jackson  in  1832,  supported  Henry  Clay  in  1836  and  in  1840  voted  for  Will- 
iam Henry  Harrison,  being  an  advocate  of  the  Whig  party  until  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Republican  party,  when  he  joined  its  ranks,  becoming  one  of 
its  stalwart  supporters.  He  has  also  held  various  church  offices.  He  aided 
in  the  organization  of  the  church  at  Caledonia  and  was  one  of  the  building 
committee  having  charge  of  the  erection  of  the  house  of  worship.  He  also 
assisted  in  the  repairing  of  the  Bucyrus  church,  and  he  has  contributed 
liberally  to  the  support  of  Christian  work,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  advance 
the  cause  among  his  fellow  men.  He  also  has  a  military  record,  for  in  1839 
and  1840  he  was  first  lieutenant  of  a  cavalry  company  of  Marion  county. 
When  he  resigned  he  was  succeeded  by  a  Mr.  Shaw,  who  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  colonel  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  A\  nichester.  The 
company  was  the  only  one  of  the  kind  in  Marion  county,  and  only  two  of 
its  members  are  vet  living — lames  Kerr,  of  Marion  county,  and  Mr.   Mc- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  253 

Kinstry.  The  life  record  of  our  subject  forms  the  connecting  link  between 
the  primitive  past  of  Ohio  and  the  progressive  present.  He  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  progress  and  development  of  the  state  for  almost  three-score 
years,  and  now  in  the  evening  of  life  he  has  the  friendship  and  veneration 
which  he  so  richly  merits. 


JOHX  R.  MILLER. 

John  R.  Miller,  deceased,  Mas  born  in  London  clary,  England,  Novem- 
ber 13,  1839,  and  when  a  boy  of  five  years  was  brought  to  America  by  his 
parents,  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Henry)  Miller,  who-  settled  in  Stratford,  Can- 
ada, where  their  son  grew  to  manhood  and  was  educated.  When  about 
thirty  years  of  age  he  came  to  the  United  States.  He  first  located  in  Attica, 
Seneca  county,  Ohio,  where  he  followed  his  trade,  that  of  carpenter.  In  the 
year  1874  he  married  Mary  E.,  the  daughter  of  James  McKinstry,  whose 
sketch  is  just  given.  He  became  a  permanent  citizen  of  Bucyrus  about 
1876,  and  followed  his  trade  here  at  first,  but  at  the  time  of  his  death  he 
was  engaged  in  the  sawmill  business.  His  death  occurred  August  27,  1884,. 
being  killed  by  a  bull  he  was  leading  in  the  barn-yard  of  his  father-in-law, 
the  bull  goring  him  to  death !  LInto  his  marriage  were  born  four  children, 
viz. :  Carrie  Gertrude,  James  William,  Sarah  and  John  Robert.  He  fol- 
lowed contracting  and  building  with  success  for  several  years  in  Bucyrus, 
and  was  a  well  respected  citizen  of  the  place. 

DAX  BABST,  Jr., 

The  ancestors  of  Dan  Babst,  Jr.,  came  from  Alsace-Lorraine,  a  province 
of  France,  known  in  history  from  the  time  of  Henry  I,  of  German}*  ( Der 
Bogler,  876-936).  By  the  treaty  of  Ryswick,  in  1697,  Strasburg  and  the  terri- 
tory surrounding  it  in  Alsace  were  indefinitely  ceded  to  France.  This  was 
during  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV,  of  France,  who  on  his  deathbed  made  the 
confession:  "I  loved  war  too  much."  He  had  loved  it  madly  and  exclusively, 
but  this  fatal  passion  which  had  corrupted  and  ruined  France  did  not  remain 
fruitless.  To  all  people  within  the  bounds  of  civilization  inured  the  benefits 
of  the  enormous  crimes  of  the  repeal  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  and  the  fusilade 
of  1792.  From  these  crimes  against  humanity  arose  those  emigrations 
which  brought  father  Daniel  Babst,  and  the  Yost  family,  as  also  many  other 


254  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

thousands  of  the  truest  and  bravest  children  of  France  to  the  United  States. 
In  this  later  period.  1832.  Daniel  Babst  and  the  Yost  family  crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  the  new  world.  The  former  remained  in  New  York  for  two 
years  and  then  in  1834  removed  to  Kindel  Stark  county,  and  later  to  Canal 
Fulton  in  the  same  count}',  where  he  became  acquainted  with  Miss  Margaret 
Yost,  also  from  the  German-French  Rhine,  and  the}-  were  married  May  10, 
1S41.  In  Alsatia  the  families  Babst  and  Yost  had  enjoyed  special  note  and 
they  lost  nothing  of  this  characteristic  by  emigration. 

Dan  Babst,  Jr.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Canal  Fulton, 
Tuesday,  October  19,  1847.  ^n  1^52  tne  family  removed  to  Crestline,  Craw- 
ford county,  Ohio.  Here  the  son  passed  his  youth  and  in  the  public  schools 
of  that  day  received  his  primary  education.  From  1864  until  1867  he  was 
a  student  in  Oberlin,  Ohio.  He  then  left  college  and  began  the  study  of 
law  under  the  instruction  of  Nathan  Jones,  Esquire,  of  Crestline,  Ohio.  He 
pursued  his  chosen  line  of  work  until  1872  when  after  examination  he 
received  his  diploma  admitting  him  to  practice  and  from  that  time  to  the 
present,  with  the  exception  of  one  year,  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  general 
practice  of  law.  As  city  solicitor  he  served  from  1877  until  1879  and  then 
resigned  to  accept  the  appointment  as  mayor  of  the  city,  tendered  him  by  the 
common  council.  From  1878  until  1885  he  occupied  the  position  of  chief 
executive  of  the  city.  In  1884  he  was  the  candidate  on  the  Republican  ticket 
to  congress,  really  scoring  a  victory  against  his  opponent,  who  won  but  by  a 
majority  so  greatly  decreased  that  victory  was  only  a  name  to  cover  defeat,  and 
this  is  the  thirteenth  congressional  district,  which  is  one  of  the  Democratic 
strongholds  of  Ohio. 

But  public  business  or  political  honors,  however  attractive  thev  may  have 
seemed  to  him,  have  never  seriouslv  won  Mr.  Babst's  attention  from  his  chosen 
profession.  This  under  all  circumstances  and  all  temptations  has  claimed  his 
most  serious  thought  and  most  earnest  efforts.  As  a  citizen  Mr.  Babst  has 
always  taken  a  personal  and  active  part  in  the  local  affairs  of  his  home  city 
and  county.  His  vigor  and  sound  judgment  have  been  specially  felt  in  the 
educational  work  of  the  city.  He  served  for  ten  years  on  the  school  board 
and  on  the  board  of  examiners  of  the  city  of  Crestline,  thus  devoting  to  this 
most  important  of  public  interests  the  benefit  of  his  professional  acquirement 
and  his  careful  literary  training.  In  county  affairs  he  has  constantly  and 
fearlesslv  supported  such  men  and  measures  as  tend  to  promote  public  wel- 
fare. In  all  enterprises  of  a  public  nature  he  has  always  taken  a  prominent 
part.    He  was  largely  interested  in  the  fine  system  of  public  roads  surrounding 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  255 

Crestline,  and  for  this  and  more,  which  it  is  needless  to  mention,  Crestline 
is  a  large  debtor  to  Dan  Babst,  Jr. 

His  education  is  liberal  and  broad,  based  upon  the  old-fashioned  college 
plan.  When  he  laid  down  the  text-books  of  the  college  course  to  take  up  those 
that  belonged  to  his  profession,  it  was  not  to  neglect  them,  as  is  at  present  so 
often  the  case.  His  happiest  hours  are  now,  and  doubtless  always  have  been, 
those  spent  in  the  restful  quiet  of  his  large  and  valuable  literary  library 
— "swapping  thought  with  the  Good  and  Great  of  all  Time"  on  even  terms. 
His  political  opinions,  as  must  be  the  case  with  every  honest  man,  are  based 
upon  his  convictions  of  right,  partake  of  and  are  permeated  through  and 
through  by  the  loyal  fiber  of  his  character.  Associating  on  terms  of  friendly 
intercourse  with  the  leading  state  and  national  politicians  of  his  party,  and 
when  state  and  national  politics  attract  public  attention,  campaigning  with 
them,  he  has  never  been  swayed  from  his  sense  of  right,  nor  lost  his  native 
independence  of  character.  In  address  Mr.  Babst  is  frank,  fearless  and  manly ; 
in  manner,  plain,  systematic  and  practical;  in  argument,  cogent  and  convinc- 
ing; in  matter,  safe,  solid  and  substantial;  his  aim  being  always  to  convince 
men's  minds  rather  than  to  rouse  their  passions  or  excite  their  prejudice.  As 
a  debater  he  is  ready  with  his  material,  exact  and  accurate  in  his  statement. 
On  questions  of  law  he  is  clear,  discriminating  and  forcible,  and  what  few 
possess,  he  has  in  a  singular  degree, — the  power  of  condensation  and  separa- 
tion of  facts  and  their  application  to  principle.  For  many  years  Mr.  Babst 
was  a  member  of  the  Republican  state  executive  committee  and  has  usually 
represented  his  party  in  the  various  state  conventions.  In  1887  he  was  a 
candidate  before  the  Republican  state  convention  for  attorney  general.  In 
1896,  chiefly  because  of  the  money  question,  he  withdrew  from  the  Republican 
party  and  has  since  actively  identified  himself  with   the  Democratic  cause. 

Air.  Babst  was  one  of  the  counsel  for  the  regular  Masonic  lodge  in  its 
prolonged  litigations  through  all  the  courts  with  the  Cerneau  bodies,  in  which 
the  regular  Masons  were  successful.  He  is  a  Freemason  himself  and  there- 
fore, perhaps,  felt  more  vitally  interested  in  the  result  of  the  litigation.  He 
is  past  commander  of  Mansfield  Commander}-.  K.  T.,  and  is  a  member  of 
Alkoran  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  His  views  of  religion  are  broad  and 
libera]  and  he  is  a  generous  contributor  to  all  church  and  charitable  work.  Mr. 
Babst  displays  at  the  bar  the  same  clearness  of  statement  and  the  same  elo- 
quence of  diction,  wit,  sarcasm  and  invective  that  has  distinguished  him  upon 
the  stump.  As  an  advocate  he  guards  with  honorable  jealousy  the  rights  and 
privileges  of  his  profession.     In  the  presence  of  the  court  and  bar  he  is  always 


256  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

dignified  and  courteous,  brief  in  address,  speaking  to  the  point,  and  when  that 
is  reached  resting  his  case.  In  argument  he  is  not  prolix,  is  careful  in  citation 
of  authority  and  concentrates  all  his  energies  upon  the  points  vital  to  his 
case.  In  business  he  is  honorable,  liberal  and  generous  to  a  fault,  while  de- 
serving need  always  finds  in  him  a  friend.  In  personal  intercourse  he  is  kind, 
courteous  and  winning,  and  these  are  qualities  which  are  thoroughly  appre- 
ciated by  his  wide  circle  of  friends,  who  enjoy  the  kindly  companionship  of 
his  pleasant  home,  with  its  genial  intercourse,  its  generous  and  thoughtful  hos- 
pitality. 

Mr.  Babst  has  been  twice  married.  In  1872  he  wedded  Miss  Alice  E. 
Martin,  and  to  them  were  born  two  children :  Lora  M.  and  Carl  M/  Mrs. 
Babst  died  in  1878  and  in  1882  he  married  Miss  Luella  Carlisle.  By  this 
marriage  there  we're  two  children — Clara  Eleanor  and  Guy  Mannering.  The 
daughters  are  now  students  in  college ;  Carl  is  an  attorney ;  and  Guy  is  at 
home — a  pupil  in  the  schools  of  Crestline. 

ALBERT  SHEIBLEY. 

Albert  Sheibley  is  practically  living  retired  in  New  Washington,  but  for 
many  years  was  one  of  the  most  progressive,  enterprising  and  prosperous 
representatives  of  the  agricultural  interests  of  Crawford  county,  and  his  life 
illustrates  most  forcibly  the  advantages  which  America  offers  to  her  citizens 
and  which  have  proved  a  strong  inducement  to  native  citizens  of  foreign 
lands  in  bringing  them  to  the  shores  of  the  new  world.  Mr.  Sheibley  is  one 
of  the  residents  of  Crawford  county  that  Germany  has  furnished  to  Ohio. 
He  was  born  in  Bremgarten,  Baden,  on  the  6th  of  April,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  B.  and  Mary  Magdalena  ( Link)  Sheibley.  The  father  was  called  by 
his  friends  John  the  Baptist.  This  worthy  couple  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  but  only  two  of  the  number  are  yet  living,  the  sister  of  our  subject 
being  Teresa,  widow  of  Peter  Fox,  of  Milan,  Erie  county,  Ohio.  The  father 
was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  in  January,  1800,  and  was  an  only  child.  He 
was  reared  in  the  place  of  his  nativity,  learning  the  tailor's  trade,  and  was  there 
married.  He  also  resided  in  Baden  until  1845,  devoting  his  attention  to  tailor- 
ing and  farming.  He  belonged  to  the  middle  class  of  people,  not  being  rated 
as  wealthy,  yet  being  in  comfortable  circumstances.  On  the  6th  of  March, 
1845,  he  sailed  for  America  with  his  family,  embarking  at  Havre  de  Grace  on 
a  former  war  vessel,  the  St.  Nicholas.  They  reached  New  York  City  after 
thirty-six  days  and  the  vessel  was  there  condemned,  so  that  they  made  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  257 

journey  on  her  last  trip.  On  reaching  the  eastern  metropolis  the  Sheibley 
family  proceeded  by  canal  to  Buffalo,  thence  by  lake  to  Huron  and  from  that 
point  to  Milan  by  way  of  the  canal,  and  from  Milan  they  continued  the  trip 
by  wagon  to  Gabon,  where  the  father  located  his  family.  He  then  began  the 
search  for  a  suitable  home  farm,  and  after  three  months  purchased  a  tract 
of  land  of  forty  acres  in  Vernon  township,  in  that  portion  which  was  a  part  of 
Richland  county,  but  is  now  in  Crawford  county.  T01  the  new  home  he  re- 
moved his  family,  the  farm  having  been  improved  with  a  hewed-log  house  and 
a  round-log  cabin.  There  was  also  a  good  orchard  and  ten  acres  of  land 
had  been  cleared.  There  Mr.  Sheibley  remained  for  more  than  seven  years, 
and  during  that  period  completed  the  task  of  clearing  the  land  and  placing  it 
under  cultivation.  He  was  the  first  man  to  introduce  artificial  drainage,  cut- 
ting a  ditch  through  his  own  land  and  through  that  of  a  neighbor  in  order  to 
get  an  outlet  for  his  ditch.  After  a  number  of  years  spent  upon  his  first 
farm,  he  sold  the  property  and  removed  to  the  southeast  corner  of  Cran- 
berry township,  where  he  purchased  an  eighty-acre  farm,  and  there  he  con- 
tinued the  work  of  ditching  and  improving  his  land  until  i860,  when  he 
sold  out  and  bought  an  eighty-acre  tract  that  is  now  owned  by  our  subject 
and  is  situated  three-fourths  of  a  mile  east  of  the  corporation  limits  of  New 
Washington.  It  remained  his  place  of  abode  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  January,  1885.  He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  energy 
and  did  much  toward  developing  and  upbuilding  the  section  of  the  county 
in  which  he  lived.  A  year  after  reaching  Galion  he  took  out  naturaliza- 
tion papers  and  was  ever  a  loyal  and  faithful  citizen  of  his  adopted 
land.  His  political  support  was  given  the  Democracy,  and  in  religious 
belief  he  was  a  German  Catholic.  His  wife  was  born  in  1802  and 
died  May  15,  1888.  She,  too,  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 
Her  father,  Philo  Link,  was  a  burgomaster  or  mayor  of  Bremgarten,  Ger- 
many, for  sixty  consecutive  years,  a  fact  which  indicates  his  popularity  and 
prominence.  During  that  period  he  was  also  proprietor  of  the  Gasthaus  zur 
Stube,  a  hotel  which  had  been  built  by  his  father.  Mr.  Link  was  one  of  the 
wealthiest  men  and  most  influential  citizens  of  the  town.  In  his  family  were 
two  sons,  Moritz  and  Erhardt.  who  were  with  Napoleon  in  the  Prussian  war. 
Albert  Sheibley,  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  review,  spent  his 
boyhood  days  in  his  parents'  home  and  acquired  a  common-school  education  in 
an  old  pioneer  log  school  house,  being  instructed  in  both  German  and  English. 
His  father  was  for  many  years  crippled  with  rheumatism  and  thus  the  burden 
of  the  fairm  work  devolved  upon  our  subject,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  old 


25S  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

enough  to  drive  the  oxen  became  the  practical  farmer  upon  the  place.  His 
life  has  been  one  of  marked  industry  and  honest  toil,  and  throughout  the 
years  his  labors,  honorably  conducted,  have  brought  to  him  creditable  success. 

On  the  29th  of  September,  1862,  Mr.  Sheibley  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Karl,  a  native  of  Bohemia  and  a  daughter  of  Christopher 
and  Anna  (Mottlin)  Karl,  who  emigrated  to  America  in  1853,  locating  in 
Crawford  county,  where  they  resided  until  death.  After  the  marriage  of  our 
subject  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Shelby,  Ohio,  and  was  employed  by  the  An- 
derson Slaughtering  Company,  having  previously  learned  the  butcher's  trade 
from  William  Weaver,  a  neighbor.  After  five  months  spent  in  Shelby  Mr. 
Sheibley  returned  to  his  home  and  purchased  the  old  homestead  farm,  his 
parents  residing  with  him  until  they  were  called  to  their  final  rest.  The  mar- 
riage of  our  subject  and  his  wife  has  been  blessed  with  eleven  children,  of 
whom  nine  are  yet  living,  namely:  Mathias  is  now  serving  as  township 
trustee  and  is  operating  the  home  farm.  Albert  F.,  of  Ottawa,  Ohio,  is  a 
graduate  of  the  New  Washington  high  school  and  was  supervisor  of  the 
institution  for  the  insane  in  Toledo,  Ohio.  He  had  previously  taught  school, 
and  for  seven  terms  was  a  successful  teacher.  He  was  also  graduated  at  the 
Starling  Medical  College,  of  Columbus,  and  took  a  post-graduate  course  in 
Berlin,  Germany.  He  is  now  successfully  practicing  in  Ottawa  and  has  a 
large  patronage.  Mary  A.  is  the  widow  of  Joseph  Miller  and  is  conducting 
a  dressmaking  and  millinery  establishment  in  New  Washington.  Rosa  is 
the  wife  of  Peter  Heydinger,  a  farmer  of  Cranberry  township.  Catherine  is 
the  wife  of  Frank  Goodman,  a  brick  mason  and  contractor  of  Akron,  Ohio. 
Fannie  is  the  wife  of  M.  E.  Lauerman,  a  merchant  of  Hammond,  Indiana. 
John  B.  is  at  home.  Margaret  is  the  wife  of  Joe  Miller,  of  Van  Wert  county, 
Ohio.  Jacob,  who  resides  in  Delphos,  Ohio,  is  now  a  traveling  salesman  for 
the  McCormick  Machine  Company.  The  children  have  all  been  provided  with 
excellent  educational  privileges   and  are  a   credit   to  their  honored  parents. 

Mr.  Sheibley,  of  this  review,  is  a  stanch  Democrat  in  his  political  affil- 
iations and  for  forty  years  has  served  almost  continuously  in  township  or 
county  offices.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  supervisor  in  his  district, 
and  during  that  period  did  much  toward  ditching  and  improving-  the  roads. 
He  afterward  served  for  three  terms  as  township  trustee  and  refused  to  con- 
tinue longer  in  that  office.  After  an  interval  of  two  years,  however,  he  was 
again  elected  and  remained  in  the  position  for  three  or  four  years  longer, 
although  he  was  decidedly  opposed  to  holding  the  office.  Fidelity  to  duty  and 
the  capable  manner  in  which   he  guarded  the  interests   of  his  constituents 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  259 

made  him  a  very  desirable  official  and  his  fellow  townsmen  again  and  again 
elected  him  to  office.  In  1883  he  was  elected  cctunty  infirmary  director 
and  served  in  that  capacity  for  six  years.  In  1891  he  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  infirmary  and  then  resigned  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  peace,  to  which  he  had  been  elected  in  the  meantime,  in  order 
to  accept  the  new  position,  which  he  held  for  eight  years  and  nine  months. 
He  then  resigned  and  removed  to  New  Washington,  where  he  is  now  enjoy- 
ing the  fruits  of  his  many  years  of  labor.  About  a  year  ago  he  purchased 
a  forty-acre  farm  near  the  town.  This  is  one  of  the  best  improved  properties 
in  the  county,  being  supplied  with  all  modern  accessories  and  conveniences, 
and  to  its  supervision  Mr.  Sheibley  devotes  his  attention.  He  has  however, 
in  former  years  acquired  a  handsome  competence  sufficient  to  supply  him  with 
all  of  the  comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  He  is  a  charter  member 
of  the  Maccabees  Lodge,  of  Bucyrus.  but  is  not  now  in  active  connection 
with  the  organization.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known  men  of  the  county,  a 
substantial  and  prosperous  citizen,  whose  public  and  private  life  are- alike 
above  reproach. 

D.  D.  McCALLUM,  M.  D. 

The  medical  profession  in  Crestline  is  well  represented  by  Dr.  McCallum. 
whu  has  advanced  steadily  to  a  position  of  prominence  as  the  result  of  his 
thorough  understanding  of  medical  principles  and  the  ability  with  which  he 
applies  his  professional  knowledge  to  the  needs  of  suffering  humanity.  He- 
was  born  in  York  county,  Ontario.  Canada,  on  the  24th  of  August,  1868, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  McCallum,  a  native  of  Scotland.  The  father  was  a 
carriage-maker  by  trade,  learning  the  business  in  the  land  of  his  birth.  When 
a  young  man  he  went  to  Canada,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  carriages  through  a  long  period.  For  some  years  prior  to  his  death,  how- 
ever, he  lived  retired,  enjoying  a  comfortable  competence,  which  had  re- 
warded his  earnest  and  well  directed  efforts.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Capner, 
who  was  also  born  in  Scotland.  His  death  occurred  when  he  was  seventy- 
five  years  of  age,  and  his  wife  passed  away  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of 
whom  reached  years  of  maturity,  while  with  one  exception  all  are  yet  living. 

The  Doctor,  the  seventh  child  and  second  son  of  the  family,  pursued  his 
preliminary  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town  and  later  enjoyed 
educational  advantages  afforded  by  Seaforth  College,  in  Huron  county.  On- 

14 


260  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

tario.  Subsequently  he  matriculated  in  the  University  of  Toronto,  Canada, 
where  he  was  graduated In  1896,  on  the  completion  of  a  course  in  medicine. 
He  practiced  for  one  year  in  that  place  and  then  came  to  Crestline,  where 
he  established  his  home  in  1897.  Here  he  has  since  prosecuted  his  profession 
with  excellent  success,  his  broad  reading"  and  investigation  keeping"  him  in 
touch  with  the  most  advanced  thought  and  improved  methods  in  the  line  of 
his  chosen  calling,  and  from  the  faithful  performance  of  each  day's  duties  he 
finds  inspiration  and  encouragement  for  the  labors  of  the  succeeding"  day.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society. 

In  July,  1896,  Dr.  McCallum  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Carry 
Coats,  a  native  of  Clinton,  Ontario  county,  Canada,  and  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Sarah  Coats,  the  former  a  native  of  Scotland.  The  Doctor  and  his  wife 
now  have  two  interesting"  children, — Lillian  and  Jessie.  Their  pleasant  home 
is  a  favorite  resort  with  man}'  friends,  and  they  also  enjoy  the  hospitality  ex- 
tended to  them  by  the  best  families  of  Crestline. 

DAVID  E.  HOSLER. 

While  success  cannot  be  achieved  without  unflagging"  industry,  the  futility 
of  effort  is  often  noticeable  in  the  business  world  and  results  from  the  fact 
that  it  is  not  combined  with  sound  business  judgment.  Many  a  man  who 
gives  his  entire  life  to  toil,  earnest  and  unremitting,  never  acquires  a  com- 
petence, but  when  his  labor  is  well  directed,  prosperity  always  follows.  Mr. 
Hosier  is  one  whose  work  has  been  supplemented  by  careful  management 
and  to-day  he  is  among  those  who  have  triumphed  over  adverse  conditions 
and  won  success.  As  a  manufacturer  of  lumber  he  is  now  actively  connected 
with  the  industrial  interests  of  Crawford  county. 

A  native  son  of  Richland  county,  Ohio,  he  was  born  August  1,  1862.  His 
paternal  grandparents,  Henry  and  Lydia  A.  (  Hoffman)  Hosier,  were  both  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  among  the  early  set- 
tlers. Subsequently  they  removed  to  Noble  county,  Indiana,  where  their  re- 
maining days  were  passed.  The  grandfather  followed  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing as  a  life  pursuit.  Levi  H.  Hosier,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Morrow  county,  Ohio,  April  2.  1845,  an(l  there  spent  his  youth,  learning"  the 
trade  of  a  wagonmaker.  He  married  Miss  Abigail  Bacheldor,  who  was  born 
111  the  same  county  August  26,  1847,  an(l  was  a  daughter  of  New  England 
parents,  who  came  from  Maine  to  the  Buckeye  state  at  an  early  period  in  its 
development.     Soon  after  his  marriage  Levi  H.  Hosier  removed  to  Richland 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  261 

county  and  opened  a  shop  in  the  village  of  Shancks.  Three  years  later  he 
went  to  Noble  county,  Indiana,  and  engaged  in  farming  in  Jefferson  township 
for  four  years,  after  which  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Green  township,  where  he 
made  his  home  for  fourteen  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  went 
to  Cass  county,  where  he  operated  a  sawmill  for  three  years,  when  he  removed 
his  mill  to  Auburn,  DeKalb  county,  Indiana.  After  two  years,  however, 
he  disposed  of  that  property  and  went  to  Alberton,  Williams  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  established  a  mill,  conducting  the  same  for  eleven  years,  and  in 
May,  1900,  he  disposed  of  that  enterprise  by  sale  and  went  to  Hicks ville, 
Ohio,  where  he  is  now  successfully  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber. 
In  his  political  opinions  and  connections  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat  and  while 
in  Williams  county  he  held  the  position  of  township  treasurer  for  a  period 
of  seven  years,  proving  a  careful  guardian  of  the  public  exchecquer.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Airs.  Levi  H.  Hosier  were  born  four  children,  of  whom  three  are 
living,  namely:  David  E.,  William  E.,  a  lumber  merchant  of  Homer,  Michi- 
gan, and  George  L.,  who  is  engaged  in  business  with  his  eldest  brother. 

Surrounded  by  the  refining  influences  of  a  good  home,  Mr.  Hosier 
passed  the  period  of  youth  and  in  the  common  schools  acquired  the  education 
which,  fitted  him  for  the  transaction  of  business  in  later  years.  He  was  not 
yet  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when,  on  the  nth  of  January,  1883,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Florence  N.  Applegate,  of  Noble  county,  Indiana, 
a  native  of  Ohio  and  a  daughter  of  James  M.  Applegate.  one  of  the  pioneer 
fanners  of  Noble  county,  now  deceased.  Her  mother  was  Sophia  (Gray) 
Applegate.  The  young  couple  began  their  domestic  life  upon  a  farm  in  that 
county  and  for  three  years  Mr.  Hosier  cultivated  rented  land,  after  which  he 
removed  to  Albion,  where  he  pursued  a  course  of  study  in  a  business  college. 
There  he  remained  for  three  years  and  his  next  place  of  abode  was  in  Alberton, 
Ohio,  where  he  was  employed  as  bookkeeper  and  secretary  by  his  father.  After 
acting  in  those  capacities  for  eight  years  he  acquired  an  interest  in  the  business, 
but  alter  two  years  the  sawmill  and  lumber  yard  were  completely  destroyed  by 
fire  and  Mr.  Hosier,  of  this  review,  thus  had  swept  away  in  a  few  hours  the  ac- 
cumulations of  years  of  persistent  and  earnest  toil.  In  May,  1899,  he  came 
to  New  Washington,  where  he  began  life  anew,  with  a  bank  account  of  only 
twenty-five  dollars.  With  characteristic  energy,  however,  he  took  up  the 
struggle  whereby  he  is  retrieving  his  lost  possessions.  He  began  buying  logs 
on  a  small  scale  and  had  these  sawed  into-  lumber  in  the  mill  of  Herman  & 
Mahon,  carrying  on  business  in  that  way  until  the  following  December,  when 
he  had  accumulated  enough  to  purchase  his  present  mill.     Becoming  owner 


262  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

of  the  property  which  he  now  controls,  he  has  since  forged  ahead,  and  to-day 
he  is  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  the  town,  furnishing  employment  to 
some  twenty-six  workmen  at  the  present  writing,  while  his  force  usually 
ranges  from  ten  to  thirty.  He  cuts  export  stuff,  largely  for  a  firm  in  Indiana, 
and  is  one  of  the  leading  lumber  manufacturers  of  his  district.  His  business 
has  reached  a  large  volume  and  the  magnitude  of  his  undertakings  results  in 
bringing"  to  him  a  handsome  financial  return. 

The  marriage  of  Air.  and  Mrs.  Hosier  has  been  blessed  with  five  chil- 
dren:  Harvey  E.,  Rosa  M.,  Sylvia  N.,  Lela  A.  and  James  H.,  all  yet  with 
their  parents. 

In  his  social  relations  Air.  Hosier  is  connected  with  Superior  Lodge, 
No.  179,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  West  Unity,  Ohio;  Alberton  Lodge,  No.  655,  K.  of 
P.,  and  has  twice  been  a  delegate  to  the  grand  lodge.  His  political  support 
is  given  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Democracy.  Splendid  business  and 
executive  force  make  him  one  of  the  leading  representatives  of  the  industrial 
interests  in  the  count}-,  and  his  reliable  methods  have  gained  for  him  the  con- 
fidence and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  has  -come  in  contact. 

ALBERT  H.  SCHWEMLEY. 

Albert  H.  Schwemley  was  born  in  Xew  Washington,  Ohio,  November 
9,  1862,  being  one  of  the  eight  children  whose  parents  were  John  G.  and 
Mathilda  (  Hesse)  Schwemley.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Germany,  born 
in  1830,  his  parents  being  George  and  Catherine  (  Gugle)  Schwemley.  The 
grandfather  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Germany,  about  1805.  and  came  to 
America  in  1833.  locating  in  Chatfield  township,  Crawford  county,  where  he 
entered  eight}'  acres  of  wild  land.  With  characteristic  energy  he  began  clear- 
ing the  tract,  being  thus  employed  through  the  winter  season,  while  in  the 
summer  months  he  worked  on  the' canal,  in  order  to  secure  the  money  neces- 
sary to  the  support  of  his  family.  He  built  a  log  cabin  and  for  a  number 
of  years  resided  upon  his  first  claim,  but  he  eventually  sold  that  property  and 
purchased  eighty  acres  adjoining,  upon  which  he  made  his  home  until  1870. 
In  that  year  he  became  a  resident  of  the  home  of  his  son.  John,  an  uncle  of 
our  subject.  He  had  lived  with  our  subject's  father  for  a  short  time,  until  after 
his  wife's  death.  His  own  demise  occurred  in  1872.  In  his  political  faith  he 
was  a  Democrat  and  in  his  religions  belief  was  a  Lutheran. 

John  G.  Schwemley,  the  father  of  him  whose  name  introduces  this  record, 
was  only  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  the  new  world  and  in 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  263 

Chatfield  township,  Crawford  county,  was  he  reared,  learning  the  carpenter's 

trade  m  his  youth.     He  married  Miss  Mathilda  Hesse  and  located  in   New 

Washington,   where  he  followed  his  chosen   vocation  until    1864    when   he 

purchased  a  farm  of  sixty  acres  in  Chatfield  township,  devoting  his  energies 

to  its  improvement  and  cultivation  up  to  the  time  of  the  death  of  his  wife  in 

1870.     He  then  sold  out  and  went  to  Columbus,  where  he  studied  for  the 

Lutheran  ministry.     Three  years  later  he  accepted  a  call  to  preach  the  gespel 

m  the  church  of  this  denomination,  in  Hopewell,  Mercer  county,  Ohio    and 

while  living  there  he  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss 

Caroline  Houk,  of  Delaware,  this  state.     They  became  the  parents  of  four 

children,  ot  whom  three  are  living:     Clara,  the  wife  of  George  Metzger    of 

Columbus;  Rufus,  who  lives  in  the  same  city;  and  Laura,  who  lives  with  her 

mother,  also  of  Columbus. 

After  three  years  passed  in  Hopewell  John  G.  Schwemley  removed  to 
Homerville.  Medina  county,  Ohio,  and  in  February,   1879,  went  to  Kansas 
settling  near  Spearville,  in  Ford  county.,  upon  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.     He  was  engaged  in  preaching  in  that  locality  for  about  two  years, 
after  which  he  did  missionary  work,  while  his  sons  cultivated  the  farm  "    His 
missionary  work  was  a  labor  of  love,  for  he  received  no  remuneration  for 
his  church  work  and  missionary  services.     In  November,   1891,  he  returned 
to  Ohio,  locating  in  Grove  City,  where  he  followed  gardening  and  canvassing. 
In  April,   1898,  he  became  a  resident  of  Columbus,  but  was  not  long  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  his  new  home,  for  his  death  occurred  on  the  25th  of*  May 
following.     He  voted  with  the  Democracy,  but  had  no  desire  for  office,  pre- 
ferring to  devote  his  energies  to  his  business  affairs  and  to  the  gospel  work- 
He  possessed  superior  ability  as  a  vocalist  and  for  a  number  of  years  engaged 
111  leading  the  singing  in  his  district  and  also  taught  vocal  music/    The  mother 
of  our  subject  was  born  in  New  Washington,  Ohio,  about  1836,  and  her  father 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  merchants  of  the  city.      While  on  a  trip  to  Buffalo  to 
buy  goods  the  boat  on  which  he  had  embarked  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  he 
was  drowned.      Mrs.  Schwemley  departed  this  life  in  1870,  and  our  subject  is 
the  only  survivor  of  her  eight  children.     The  others  of  the  family  were: 
tt  ilham,  who  died  in  August.  1870.  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years ;  Jacob  F    who 
was  a  ranchman  at  Del  Xorte.  Colorado,  and  died  in  1892  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
two  years;  Mary  L,  who  resided  with  her  grandparents  at  Xew  Washington 
and  died  December  26,  1887,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years:  Robert  A.,  who 
was  a  miner  and  died  at  Lake  City,  Colorado,  in  February,  1897,  at  the  age  of 


264  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

twenty-nine;  Franklin  and  Margaret,  who  died  in  early  life;  and  an  infant  who 
died  unnamed. 

Mr.  Schwemley,  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  review,  was  only 
eight  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  death,  after  which  he  made  his 
home  with  his  nncle,  Jacob  Sheetz,  during  the  greater  part  of  the  time  until 
1879,  when  he  went  to  Kansas  with  his  father.  In  December,  1881,  he  re- 
turned to  New  Washington.  Previous  to  this  time  his  educational  privileges 
had  been  those  afforded  by  the  common  schools,  but  on  again  coming  to  Ohio 
he  entered  the  Xew  Washington  high  school  and  was  a  member  of  its  first 
graduating  class  in  June,  1883,  at  which  time  he  had  the  honor  of  delivering 
the  salutatory  address.  On  putting  aside  his  text-books  he  entered  upon  his 
business  career  as  an  employe  in  the  store  of  J.  Sheetz  &  Brother,  and  con- 
tinued to  serve  as  salesman  until  1894,  with  the  exception  of  a  period  of  one 
year,  from  February,  1888,  until  February,  1889,  when  he  was  in  the  employ 
of  L.  C.  Hall  &  Company,  dry  goods  merchants  of  Bucyrus.  In  January, 
1894,  he  secured  a  position  in  the  store  of  J.  M.  Guiss,  a  hardware  merchant 
of  New  Washington,  with  whom  he  remained  until  March  10,  1898,  when  he 
engaged  in  the  dry  goods,  notions  and  grocery  business  for  himself.  Since 
that  time  he  has  secured  a  liberal  and  constantly  growing  patronage  and  is 
now  accounted  one  of  the  enterprising,  wide-awake  and  progressive  merchants 
of  his  native  city. 

On  the  30th  of  December,  1891,  Mr.  Schwemley  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mathilda  R.  Biber,  a  native  of  Cranberry  township,  Crawford  county, 
and  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Christina  (Utz)  Biber,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Germany.  Her  father  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents 
during  his  childhood,  the  family  settling  in  Cranberry  township  at  a  very 
early  period  of  its  development.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schwemley 
was  blessed  with  four  children:  Louisa  M.,  who  was  born  November  2$, 
1892;  Paul  H.,  born  August  31,  1894;  Mary  C,  burn  February  10,  1897;  and 
George  WT.,  born  May  10,  1900. 

Mr.  Schwemley  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  active  workers  in  the  Demo- 
cratic ranks  and  for  the  past  three  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  while  for  several  terms  he  has  held  the  office  of  corporation  treasurer. 

name  is  on  the  membership  roll  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  in  its  work 
he  is  actively  and  deeply  interested.  For  several  years  he  has  served  as  a 
teacher  in  the  Sunday-school  and  did  all  in  his  power  to  promote  Christian 
education  among  the  children  of  the  community.  He  and  his  family  occupy 
a  comfortable  residence  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Scharf  and  Rossman  streets 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  265, 

and  the  household  is  celebrated  for  its  gracious  hospitality.  Mr.  Schwemlev 
is  now  accounted  one  of  the  substantial  business  men  of  his  native  place  and 
is  a  highly  esteemed  resident.  His  close  application  in  business,  unfaltering- 
purpose  and  sound  judgment  have  enabled  him  to  progress  steadily  on  the 
path  to  prosperity. 

JOHN  H.   SHEETZ. 

Rising  above  the  head  of  the  masses  are  many  men  of  sterling  worth  and 
value,  who  by  sheer  perseverance  and  pluck  have  conquered  fortune  and  by 
their  own  unaided  efforts  have  risen  from  the  ranks  of  the  commonplace  to 
positions  of  eminence  in  the  business  world,  and  at  the  same  time  have  0  >m- 
manded  the  trust  and  respect  of  those  with  whom  they  have  been  in  any  way 
thrown  in  contact.  Among  the  earnest  men  whose  depth  of  character  and 
strict  adherence  to  principle  excite  the  admiration  of  his  contemporaries  Air. 
Sheetz  is.  prominent.  He  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  merchants 
of  his  portion  of  Crawford  county  and  is  not  only  in  control  of  one  of  the 
extensive  commercial  enterprises  of  Xew  Washington  but  is  also  successfully 
engaged  in  the  banking  business,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  financiers 
in  this  part  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Sheetz  was  born  in  the  city  which  is  still  his  home,  his  natal  day  being 
August  29,  1852.  His  parents  were  John  A.  and  Margaret  (Donnenwirth) 
Sheetz.  He  remained  with  his  parents  during  the  period  of  his  boyhood  and 
youth  and  acquired  his  preliminary  education  in  the  New  Washington  dis- 
trict schools,  supplementing  his  early  study  by  a  course  in  Oberlin  College 
and  in  Mount  Union  College.  During  the  last  two  years  of  his  school  life  he 
spent  the  summer  months  on  his  father's  farm.  Agricultural  pursuits  were 
congenial  to  him  and  he  rather  desired  to  carry  on  farming,  but  in  1872.  at  the 
earnest  solicitation  of  his  father,  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  hitter's  store  and 
served  in  that  capacity  until  1874,  when  he  purchased  his  father's  interest  in 
the  business  and  became  a  partner  of  his  brother  Jacob.  This  connection  has 
since  been  maintained.  Our  subject  soon  manifested  superior  ability  in  the 
line  of  commerce  and  as  a  merchant  took  front  rank  among  the  leading  rep- 
resentatives of  trade  interests  in  his  native  town.  The  store  which  the 
brothers  own  is  large  and  well  stocked  and  they  enjoy  a  very  liberal  patr 
age.  In  1876  the  banking  firm  of  the  John  A.  Sheetz  Company  was  organized 
and  our  subject  became  cashier  and  financial  manager.     The  success  of  the 


266  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

institution  is  largely  due  to  his  efforts,  which  have  resulted  in  making  this  one 
of  the  leading  financial  concerns  in  this  portion  of  the  county. 

On  the  2d  of  October,  1889,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Sheetz  and 
Miss  Theresa  AY.  Michaelis.  a  native  of  Bucyrus  and  a  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
August  Michaelis,  a  minister  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Her  father  was  born 
in  Prussia  and  came  to  America  about  1840,  when  a  young  man.  Unto  our 
subject  and  his  wife  have  been  born  two  sons, — John  A.  and  Walter  F.  Air. 
Sheetz  votes  with  the  Democracy  and  is  a  recognized  leader  in  its  ranks. 
He  has  served  for  six  or  seven  years  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  for 
six  or  eight  years  has  been  treasurer  of  the  board.  His  religious  belief  con- 
nects him  with  the  Lutheran  church,  and  for  three  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  church  council,  while  for  a  similar  period  he  served  as  deacon  and  was 
secretary  of  the  building  committee  when  the  present  substantial  and  com- 
modious house  of  worship  was  erected.  Mr.  Sheetz  is  a  man  of  distinctive 
ability,  and  his  character  is  one  which  is  above  a  shadow  of  reproach.  He 
has  been  faithful  in  the  offices  to  which  he  has  been  called,  loyal  to  the  duties 
of  public  and  private  life  and  is  widely  known  and  respected  by  all  who  have 
been  at  all  familiar  with  his  honorable  and  useful  career. 

CHARLES  J.  SCROGGS. 

Charles  Jacob  Scroggs,  the  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Scroggs 
&  Monnett,  is  the  only  child  of  the  late  Hon.  Jacob  Scroggs,  attorney  at 
law,  and  his  wife,  Julia  A.  Walwork.  7  he  Scroggs  family  in  America  was 
founded  by  three  brothers,  Alexander,  Allan  and  John,  who  came  from  Edin- 
burg  to  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  about  1740,  and  who,  according 
to  family  tradition,  were  either  nephews  or  grandnephews  of  Chief  Justice 
Scroggs  of  the  King's  Bench  under  Charles  II.  Allan  Scroggs  died  in 
Cumberland  count}-  in  177.6,  leaving  a  numerous  family,  of  whom  the  second 
son,  John,  made  his  way  to  Baltimore,  where,  in  1786,  he  was  married  to 
Frances  Hook.  Their  third  son.  also  named  John,  was  born  in  Baltimore 
June  9.  1794,  and  continued  to  live  there  until  18 19,  taking  part  in  the  war 
of  181 2  and  being  present  at  the  bombardment  of  Fort  McHenry  and  at 
North  Point.  Fie  then  removed  to  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
one  vear  later  to  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  where  in  1821  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Ann  Shawke,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Dorothea  (Kester)  Shawke. 
Her  father  was  born  in  Lebanon  county,  Pennsylvania,  November  15,  1759, 
and  was  of  Bavarian  ancestry,  beino-  able  to  trace  his  familv  back  to  the 


C^c^^^>^>^^^ 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  269 

fourteenth  century.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  serving  during 
portions  of  seven  years  in  a  number  of  Pennsylvania  companies,  and  dying 
at  Lisbon,  Ohio,  in  1832. 

John  Scroggs  was  a  hatter  by  trade  and  followed  this  business  at  Lisbon 
and  Canton,  Ohio,  and  afterward  at  Bucyrus,  moving  to  this  place  in  1839 
and  settling  on  the  site  of  the  present  residence  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
his  house  at  that  time  being  the  last  one  but  one  on  Walnut  street  and  the 
last  one  on  Rensselaer  street.  Here  he  resided  until  his  death,  in  1861, 
having  lived,  not  an  eventful  life,  but  one  which  won  for  him  the  highest 
respect  of  all  who  knew  him.  After  his  death  his  widow  made  her  home 
with  her  only  living-  daughter,  Mrs.  W.  T.  Giles,  until  her  death  in  1882, 
at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-six  years.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scroggs  were  life- 
long and  faithful  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  the  pres- 
ent beautiful  edifice  in  Bucyrus  contains  memorial  windows  in  their  honor. 

They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children:  Joseph  R.,  who  died  in  Free- 
port,  Illinois,  unmarried,  in  1867,  a  newspaper  man  by  profession,  and  a 
prominent  Mason  and  Odd  Fellow ;  AYilliam  M.,  for  two  terms  county 
auditor,  married  Miss  Margaret  Byron  in  1849,  an<^  cuec^  a^  Bucyrus  in 
1874,  leaving  surviving  him  his  widow  and  two  children,  all  since  deceased; 
Jacob;  Mary,  wife  of  W.  T.  Giles,  one  of  the  veteran  newspaper  men  of  the 
west,  who  died  at  Freeport,  Illinois,  in  1898,  his  wife  having  passed  to  the 
spirit  world  in  1889,  leaving  two  children, — W.  S.,  a  railway  mail  clerk, 
and  Mira  L..  a  teacher  in  the  Chicago  schools;  Mira,  wife  of  C.  W.  Butter- 
field,  died  at  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  in  1859;  Amanda,  who  died  young;  and  John 
B.,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Kansas  City,  Kansas,  where  he  died  in  1899, 
leaving  surviving  him  a  widow  and  three  step-children. 

Jacob  Scroggs  was  born  in  Canton,  Ohio,  August  11,  1827,  and  died 
at  Bucyrus,  Ohio.  March  23.  1897.  During  his  boyhood  he  acquired  such 
education  as  the  frontier  schools  could  furnish,  and  also  learned  his  father's 
trade,  but  that  not  proving  congenial  employment  he  taught  school  for  five 
terms,  worked  on  the  local  newspapers  and  in  clerical  positions  in  the  court- 
house, clerked  in  Toledo  for  a  year  and  traveled  for  one  year  for  Winthrop- 
Smith  &  Company,  the  predecessors  of  the  American  Book  Company.  He 
then  studied  law,  under  the  direction  of  Judge  Hall  and  D.  W.  Swigart, 
was  graduated  at  the  Cincinnati  Law  School  in  1854.  and  the  following  year 
opened  an  office  in  Bucyrus,  where  for  forty  years  he  occupied  an  honored 
position  at  the  Crawford  county  bar.  Never  sanctioning  the  "sharp  prac- 
tice"' which  too  many  consider  a  necessarv  concomitant  of  the  practice  of 


2;o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

law,  others  had  more  success  than  he  in  making  a  jury  believe  ''the  worse 
were  the  better  cause;"  but  in  profound  knowledge  of  the  law,  fine  reasoning 
powers  and  in  that  integrity  of  character  which  enabled  and  compelled  him 
on  occasion  to  fearlessly  tell  a  client  he  was  in  the  wrong,  he  stood  easily 
in  the  front  rank.  From  the  memorial  to  him  adopted  by  the  Ohio  State 
Bar  Association,  we  extract  the  following : 

"Upon  his  fair  fame  the  breath  of  suspicion  never  dared  to  rest.  His 
word  was  a  bond  that  was  never  forfeited  and  his  rugged  manhood  com- 
manded confidence  and  won  respect  from  all.  With  few  early  advantages, 
he  made  himself,  by  industry  and  energy,  a  peer  of  the  ablest  lawyers  of  the 
state,  a  man  of  liberal  education,  broad  views  and  affluent  circumstances. 
He  was  held  in  universal  esteem  by  men  of  all  parties  throughout  the  city, 
the  county  and  the  state." 

Always  an  active  Republican  and  Crawford  county  being  heavily  Demo- 
cratic, circumstances  prevented  his  ever  holding  important  public  office.  He 
was  mayor  of  Bucyrus  for  four  years  and  for  twelve  years  a  member  of  the 
board  of  education,  being  for  ten  years  the  president  of  that  body,  and  for 
nine  years  his  name  being  upon  both  tickets.  He  was  a  presidential  elector 
in  1864  and  again  in  1880,  was  the  Republican  candidate  for  circuit  judge 
in  1 88-| .  and  two  years  later  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  Repub- 
lican nomination  for  supreme  judge. 

He  was  married  to  Julia  A.  Walwork  on  September  22,  1859.  She 
was  born  in  Philadelphia  August  4,  1833,  and  died  at  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  July 
23,  1901.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Walwork,  a  native  of  England, 
and  Alary  Stephens,  of  Glens  Falls,  New  York,  her  mother's  family  tracing 
back  to  the  early  Puritan  settlers.  She  commenced  to  teach  school  at  the 
age  of  fourteen,  her  first  experience  being  gained  near  Syracuse,  Xew  York, 
and  had  a  life  certificate  empowering  her  to  teach  in  any  school  in  Xew  York 
state.  In  1855  she  went  to  Georgia  as  a  teacher,  but  her  anti-slavery  views 
led  to  her  return  north  in  1857.  sne  coming  to  Bucyrus  to  take  charge  of  the 
high  school,  a  position  she  filled  with  marked  success  and  continued  to  hold 
until  three  years  after  her  marriage.  The  rest  of  her  life  was  devoted  to  her 
home,  family  and  friends.  For  many  years  before  her  death  she  was  an 
invalid  and  virtually  confined  to  the  limits  of  her  own  home,  vet  her  per- 
sonality was  such  that  so  long  as  she  lived  she  remained  one  of  the  most 
prominent  factors  in  the  intellectual  and  social  life  of  the  city. 

They  had  but  one  child.  Charles  Jacob  Scroggs,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
He  was  born  in  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  July  14.  1863,  was  educated  by  his  mother 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  271 

and  in  our  public  schools,  at  which  he  graduated  in  1877,  the  youngest  high- 
school  graduate  on  record.  He  attended  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at  Dela- 
ware one  year,  and  then  took  a  four-years  course  at  Michigan  University, 
Ann  Arbor,  graduating  at  that  institution  in  1884  with  the  degree  of  A. 
M.,  being  one  of  seven  in  a  class  of  ninety  to  receive  the  master's  degree 
instead  of  the  customary  A.  B.  Two  years  later  he  was  graduated  at  the 
Cincinnati  Law  School  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  and  since  then  has  been 
actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Bucyrus,  being  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  until  the  latter's  death,  and  since  then  with  his  present 
partner.  He  has  inherited  many  of  his  father's  characteristics,  and  as  a 
safe,  accurate  advisor,  particularly  in  matters  of  commercial  and  corpora- 
tion law,  he  is  excelled  by  none  in  the  county.  He  has  also  been  actively 
identified  with  the  business  life  of  the  community.  He  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Bucyrus  Loan  &  Building  Association,  of  which  he  has  been 
attorney  and  director  since  its  inception,  and  helped  organize,  and  is  one  of 
the  board  of  directors  of,  the  Home  Mutual  Fire  Association. 

Outside  of  business  he  finds  employment  for  his  time  in  his  books,  secret 
orders  and  the  game  of  whist.  Lie  has  one  of  the  finest  private  libraries  in 
Bucyrus  and  has  it  thoroughly  at  his  command,  is  a  member  of  all  c«f  the 
local  Masonic  bodies  and  of  Ohio  Consistory,  thirty-second  degree,  at  Cin- 
cinnati; is  a  past  chancellor.  Demas  Lodge,  Xo.  108,  K.  of  P.,  and  under 
Grand  Chancellor  Young  was  his  deputy  for  the  sixteenth  Pythian  district, 
composed  of  Crawford,  Seneca  and  Wyandot  counties;  was  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  Bucyrus  Lodge,  Xo.  156,  B.  P.  O.  E..  and  is  a  life  member  of  the 
grand  lodge  of  j:hat  order.  He  also  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution,  and  has  been  one  of  the  board  of  managers  of 
its  Ohio  society  and  was  a  delegate  to  its  last  national  congress.  He  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  whist-players  of  the  state,  and  is  a  frequent 
contributor  to  the  literature  of  the  ''silent  .°"ame."     He  has  never  married. 


WALLACE  L.  MOXXETT. 

Wallace  Lafayette  Monnett,  the  junior  member  of  the  law  firm  of 
Scroggs  &  Monnett,  was  born  at  Bucyrus.  Ohio.  September  18.  1871,  his 
parents  being  Abram  Cahill  and  Jennie  E.  (Walwork)  Monnett.  The 
ancestry  of  the  Monnett  family  can  be  traced  back  to  Abraham  Monnett,  who 
came  to  Ohio  from  Virginia  in    1800,  taking  up  his  abode  in   Chillicothe. 


272  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

He  had  eight  children, — Isaac,  Thomas,  Margaret,  Jeremiah,  John,  William, 
Osborne  and  Elizabeth.  Isaac  married  Elizabeth  Pittinger,  and  in  1813 
removed  to  Pickaway  county,  moving  again  in  1828  to-  Crawford  county, 
where  he  entered  fourteen  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  south  of  Bucyrus 
and  engaged  in  stock-raising  on  an  extensive  scale. 

His  son,  William,  was  born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio,  April  22,  1808. 
When  about  eighteen  he  taught  school  a  few  terms,  and  at  twenty  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Crawford  county,  where  he  became  prominently  identi- 
fied with  stock-raising  interests.  About  the  time  of  his  removal  to  this 
county  he  joined  the  Methodist  church,  and  when  thirty-two  years  of  age 
received  a  license  as  a  local  preacher.  The  same  day  he  wTas  appointed  col- 
onel of  the  First  Regiment,  Third  Brigade,  Eleventh  Division,  Ohio  militia, 
and  filled  this  position  acceptably  for  seven  years.  In  1851  he  moved  to 
Bucyrus  and  opened  a  general  store  in  partnership  with  Patterson  Marshall, 
but  in  1854  returned  to  stock-raising,  purchasing  four  hundred  acres  of 
land  near  Bucyrus.  part  of  which  is  now  in  the  city  limits,  and  eleven  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  Cranberry  township.  This  land  he  continued  to  occupy 
until  his  death,  March  21,  1885.  He  was  prominent  in  county  affairs  and 
in  church  work,  and  lent  his  influence  to  all  measures  calculated  to  prove  of 
good  along  material,  intellectual  and  moral  lines.  He  was  married,  in  Jan- 
uary 11,  1831,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Cahill,  a  sister  of  the  late  Hon.  R.  W. 
Cahill,  of  Vernon  township,  and  a  daughter  of  Abram  and  Nancy  (Wallace) 
Cahill.  She  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  12, 
1810,  and  died  at  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  May  3,  1891.  Her  father  resided  in 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  at  one  time  was  connected  with 
the  state  militia.  Colonel  Monnett  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren:  Mary  J.,  wife  of  Hon.  S.  R.  Harris;  Rachel,  wife  of  W.  H.  Kinnear, 
of  Bucyrus  township:  Sarah  L.,  wife  of  L.  L.  Walker,  of  Whetstone  town- 
ship; Isaac  W.,  formerly  of  Walla  Walla,  Washington;  and  Abram  C.  Of 
these.  Mrs.  Walker  is  the  only  one  now  living. 

Abram  Cahill  Monnett,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  in  Bucyrus  township  March  31,  1839,  and  died  in  Bucyrus  April  17, 
1879.  Pie  was  educated  in  the  county  schools  and  at  Ohio  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity, Delaware,  Ohio.  From  1861  to  1864  he  was  a  member  of  Com- 
pany E,  Thirty-fourth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  of  which  he  was  orderly 
sergeant,  and  participated  in  all  the  engagements  of  the  Army  of  Virginia. 
He  was  married,  December  11,  1867,  to  Miss  Jennie  E.  Walwork,  a  daugh- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  273 

ter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Stephens)  Walwork,  who  was  born  at  Saratoga, 
New  York,  June  6,  1840.  She  was  educated  in  the  Albany  State  Normal 
School  of  Albany,  Xew  York,  at  which  she  graduated  in  i860,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  became  a  teacher  in  the  Bucyrus  schools,  a  position  she  satis- 
factorily filled  for  five  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children: 
Frank  \Y..  Wallace  L.,  Elizabeth,  Julia  and  Rachel.  Frank  W.  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Bucyrus  schools  and  at  the  Cincinnati  Law  School,  and  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  1893.  He  located  in  Albuquerque,  New  Mexico, 
where  he  remained  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Spanish  war,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  in  the  army,  being  now  in  charge  of  a  company  of  native 
scouts  in  the  Philippines.  Elizabeth  was  educated  at  the  New  England 
Conservatory  of  Music  and  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  James  M.  Cass,  a  Methodist 
minister  now  located  at  Jay,  Essex  county.  New  York.  Julia  and  Rachel 
are  graduates  of  the  elocution  department  of  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Music  and  reside  in  Bucyrus  with  their  widowed  mother.  They  are  teachers 
of  elocution,  of  ability,  and  have  an  enviable  reputation  as  public  readers,  an 
occupation  to  which  they  give  a  large  part  of  their  time. 

Wallace  Lafayette  Monnett  was  born  in  Bucyrus  September  18,  1871. 
After  graduating  in  the  Bucyrus  schools  and  at  Eastman  Business  College, 
of  Poughkeepsie.  New  York,  he  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Scroggs  & 
Scroggs  and  afterward  at  Cincinnati  Law  School,  at  which  he  graduated  in 
1896.  Hon.  Jacob  Scroggs  having  meanwhile  retired  from  practice,  he 
returned  to  his  old  office  and  on  April  1.  1897,  was  admitted  to  partner- 
ship, the  firm  since  then  having  beejn  Scroggs  &  Monnett.  He  is  now  serv- 
ing his  second  term  as  referee  in  bankruptcy,  discharging  his  duties  in  a 
manner  that  has  won  him  the  commendation  of  the  profession  and  the  public, 
and  has  acquired  a  high  reputation  in  his  general  practice.  In  politics  he 
is  an  aggressive  Republican,  having  been  chairman  of  the  county  executive 
committee.  He  belongs  to  but  one  of  the  large  secret  orders,  Demas  Lodge, 
No.  108,  K.  of  P.,  of  which  he  is  past  chancellor  and  has  been  county  deputy 
grand  chancellor.  April  6,  1897,  ne  was  married  to  Mary  Zouck,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Martha  ( Millinder)  Zouck,  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  where 
the  family  is  widely  known  in  official  and  social  circles.  Mrs.  Monnett  was 
born  near  Baltimore  December  26,  1876,  and  was  educated  at  Maryland  Col- 
lege, formerly  Lutherville  Seminary,  and  at  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Music, 
at  which  she  graduated  in  1896.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children, — 
Martha  Elizabeth  and  Margaret  Louise. 


274  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

WILLIAM  S.  TAYLOR. 

William  Stacy  Taylor,  a  popular  passenger  conductor  on  the  Big  Four 
Railroad  residing  at  Galion,  Ohio,  was  born  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  on 
the  ioth  of  February,  1845,  and  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  early  families 
of  that  state.  His  grandfather,  Joseph  Gore,  was  a  native  of  the  same  county, 
as  was  Mahlon  K.  Taylor,  the  father  of  our  subject,  whose  birth  occurred  about 
the  year  1810.  In  1830  the  latter  was  married  to  Miss  Amanda  M.  Gore 
and  in  the  year  1849  removed  to  Logan  county,  Ohio,  locating  on  a  farm 
two  miles  northwest  of  Bellefontaine,  where  he  continued  to  reside,  engaging 
in  the  business  of  farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred  October  18,  1868. 
The  children  of  this  marriage  were  as  follows :  Sarah  J.,  the  widow  of 
Henry  Casebolt,  of  Bellefontaine:  Ruth  H.,  wife  of  John  Grimes,  a  retired 
farmer  of  Bellefontaine;  Thomas  O.,  who  for  a  number  of  years  has  been  an 
employe  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  located  at  various  points  and  is  now 
a  resident  of  Columbus,  Ohio;  Annabelle,  wife  of  R.  B.  Keller,  cashier  of  the 
People's  National  Bank,  of  Bellefontaine;  Frank  G.,  a  resident  of  Sioux 
City,  Iowa,  and  is  now  in  the  employ  of  the  street  railway  company  of  that 
place;  Alice,  who  is  living  in  Springfield,  Ohio;  Elizabeth,  who  died  at  the 
old  home  farm  near  Bellefontaine,  in  1864,  when  three  years  of  age;  and 
William  S.,  whose  name  introduces  this  review. 

William  Stacy  Taylor,  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  sketch,  was 
a  little  lad  of  three  summers  when  the  parents  came  with  their  family  from 
Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Logan  count}-,  near  Belle- 
fontaine. There  from  early  youth  until  manhood  Mr.  Taylor  continued  to 
reside  on  the  farm  contributing  such  labor  and  assistance  as  his  age  and 
strength  would  enable  him  to  perform.  On  the  27th  of  October,  1868,  at 
the  age  of  nearly  twenty-four  years,  he  chose  as  a  companion  and  helpmeet 
on  life's  journey  Miss  Rachel  Melinda  Clabaugh,  a  daughter  of  Nicholas 
Clabaugh,  of  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  who  died  in  185 1.  This  union  was 
blessed  with  the  following  children :  Cornelia  Amanda,  born  October  4, 
1869;  Agnes  Belle,  born  September   10,   1870;  Grace  Edna,  born   May   10, 

1872,  and  died  March  23,  1878;  and  Iva  Adel,  who  was  born  November  19, 

1873.  The  eldest  daughter  is  the  wife  of  Joseph  Belser,  of  Bellefontaine,  and 
Agnes  Belle  is  the  wife  of  William  H.  Heffner.  of  Galion,  while  Iva  married 
the  Rev.  O.  D.  Baltzly,  pastor  of  St.  Luke's  church  of  Mansfield,  Ohio. 

William  S.  Taylor  is  a  veteran  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  He  re- 
sponded to  the  call  of  his  country,  promptly  enlisting  in  Company  L.  Second 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  275 

Ohio  Heavy  Artillery,  with  which  he  served  throughout  the  war.  His  con- 
nection with  the  Big  Four  Railroad  Company  was  begun  in  May,  1874,  when 
he  was  made  brakeman.  He  successively  passed  through  different  positions 
of  importance  and  trust  and  was,  in  1888,  promoted  to  the  position  of  pas- 
senger conductor,  which  he  has  held  continuously  through  thirteen  years. 
Judged  by  his  advancement  during  the  term  of  his  connection  with  the  Big- 
Four  Company,  merit  and  efficiency  seem  not  to  have  been  lacking  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  duties  assigned  to  him.  At  this  writing  he  is  still  a  passenger 
conductor  on  the  Big  Four  road  and  resides  in  a  handsome  residence  on 
North  Columbus  street  in  Galion.  He  owns  this  property,  together  with 
other  realty  in  the  city,  and  there  he  is  living,  surrounded  by  the  comforts 
and  pleasures  of  life  amid  an  affectionate  family  of  noble  children  and  grand- 
children to  whom  he  is  fondly  attached.  He  is  happy  in  the  evening  of  life 
knowing  that  he  has  provided  well  for  his  loved  ones.  In  October,  1873,  he 
took  up  his  abode  in  Galion,  where  he  has  lived  ever  since.  In  religious 
faith  the  family  are  Lutherans  and  in  the  church  for  many  years  past  Mr. 
Taylor  has  held  various  offices  at  different  times,  ever  giving  his  aid  to  church 
work  with  a  willingness  and  cheerfulness  commensurate  with  his  means,  and 
he  was  respected  and  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him. 

EBENEZER  B.  FINLEY. 

Ohio  has  always  been  distinguished  for  the  high  rank  of  her  bench  and 
bar.  Perhaps  none  of  the  newer  states  can  justly  boast  of  abler  jurists  or  at- 
torneys. Many  of  them  have  been  men  of  national  fame,  and  among  those 
whose  lives  have  been  passed  on  a  quieter  plane  there  is  scarcely  a  town  or 
city  in  the  state  that  can  boast  of  one  or  more  lawyers  capable  of  crossing 
swords  in  forensic  combat  with  many  of  the  distinguished  legal  lights  of  the 
United  States.  While  the  growth  and  development  of  the  state  in  the  last  half 
century  has  been  most  marvelous,  viewed  from  any  standpoint,  yet  of  no  one 
class  of  her  citizenship  has  she  greater  reason  for  just  pride  than  her  judges 
and  attorneys.  In  Judge  Finley  we  find  united  many  of  the  rare  qualities 
which  go  to  make  up  the  successful  lawyer  and  jurist.  He  possesses  perhaps 
few  of  those  brilliant,  dazzling  meteoric  qualities  which  have  sometimes  flashed 
along  the  legal  horizon,  riveting  the  gaze  and  blinding  the  vision  for  the 
moment,  then  disappearing,  leaving  little  or  no  trace  behind,  but  rather  has 
those  solid  and  more  substantial  qualities  which  shine  with  a  constant  luster, 
shedding  light  in  the  dark  places  with  steadiness  and  continuity.     Mr.  Finley 


276  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

possesses  oratorical  ability  of  high  order  and  has  in  a  manner  secured  that 
rare  ability  of  saying  in  a  convincing  way  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time. 
This  has  won  him  fame  not  only  as  a  lawyer  but  as  a  lecturer,  for  he  is  widely 
known  throughout  the  country  by  reason  of  his  prominence  as  a  speaker  on 
historical  and  literary  topics. 

A  resident  of  Bucyrus,  Mr.  Finley  has  long  been  a  recognized  leader  at 
the  bar  and  in  Democratic  circles  in  Crawford  county,  and  has  won  dis- 
tinction in  the  legislative  halls  of  the  nation.  He  was  born  in  Orville, 
Wayne  county.  Ohio,  July  31,  1833.  and  is  still  an  active  member  of  the 
legal  profession.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and,  determining  to 
make  the  practice  of  law  his  life  work,  after  careful  study  and  preparation 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1862.  He  then  took  up  his  abode  in  Bucyrus, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  had  scarcely  entered  upon  his  profes- 
sional career,  however,  before  he  offered  his  services  to  his  country,  assisted 
to  raise  a  company  as  the  Sixty-fourth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  became 
first  lieutenant  of  Company  K,  of  said  regiment,  with  which  he  served  until 
wounded  in  the  service  and  was  honorably  discharged.  After  being  mustered 
out  of  the  service  he  resumed  the  private  practice  of  law  and  rose  to  a  position 
of  eminence  in  the  profession.  Along  with  those  qualities,  indispensable  to 
the  lawyer — a  keen,  rapid,  logical  mind,  plus  the  business  sense,  and  a  ready 
capacity  for  hard  work — our  subject  brought  to  the  starting  point  o<f  his  legal 
career  gifts — eloquence  of  language  and  a  strong  personality.  An  excellent 
presence,  an  earnest,  dignified  manner,  marked  strength  of  character,  a  thor- 
ough grasp  of  the  law  and  the  ability  accurately  to  apply  its  principles  are 
factors  in  Mr.  Finley's  effectiveness  as  an  advocate. 

Mr.  Finley  is  no  less  widely  known  in  connection  with  political  affairs. 
He  has  long'  been  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  his  party  in  Crawford  county, 
and  in  1876  was  elected  to  the  forty-fifth  congress  from  the  fourteenth  district, 
consisting  of  the  counties  of  Crawford.  Wyandot,  Richland,  Ashland  and 
Holmes.  He  served  so  acceptably  that  in  1878  he  was  re-elected  to  the  forty- 
eighth  congress  from  the  eighth  district,  comprising  Crawford,  Hardin, 
Marion,  Morrow,  Seneca  and  Wyandot  counties.  He  made  an  excellent 
record  in  the  national  congress  and  acquitted  himself  brilliantly  in  debate. 
To  every  question  that  came  up  for  consideration  he  gave  earnest  thought  and 
attention,  laboring  untiringly  for  the  measures  which  he  believed  would  prove 
of  general  good.  In  1884  he  was  made  adjutant  general  of  Ohio  by  Governor 
George  Hadlev  and  brought  militia  to  a  high  state  of  organization.  In  1897 
he  was  elected  circuit  judge  of  the  third  circuit  and  displayed  great  ability  in 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  277 

his  judicial  capacity.  In  1896  he  was  elected  as  one  of  the  delegates  at  large 
from  Ohio  to  the  national  Demi  icratic  convention  at  Chicag<  >,  and  took  a 
prominent  part  as  a  leader  in  the  convention,  as  chairman  of  one  of  the  im- 
portant committees.  His  mind  is  analytical,  logical  and  inductive.  With  a 
thorough  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  law 
he  combines  a  familiarity  with  statutory  law  and  a  sober,  clear  judgment,, 
which  makes  him  not  only  a  formidable  adversary  in  legal  combat  but  has 
given  him  the  distinction  while  on  the  bench  of  having  few  of  his  decisions  re- 
vised or  reversed. 

He  attended  all  of  the  Democratic  national  conventions  from  1876  until 
1896.  He  has  long  been  prominent  in  the  councils  of  his  party  in  Ohio,  and 
his  opinions  carry  weight  with  Democratic  leaders.  For  some  years  he  was 
on  the  platform  as  a  lecturer  on  historical  and  literary  topics  and  was  very 
successful  in  that  line.  His  study  and  reading  have  been  broad  and  com- 
prehensive, and  he  is  a  man  of  scholarly  attainments  and  strong  mentality, 
qualities  which  render  him  an  entertaining  and  convincing  speaker,  while  his 
oratorical  ability  of  high  order  was  always  sure  to  please. 

ADAM  G.  LEDERER. 

Various  business  interests  have  claimed  the  attention  of  Mr.  Lederer,  and 
enterprise  and  energy  have  secured  his  advancement  along  the  path  of  pros- 
perity. He  is  now  a  well  known  auctioneer  and  is  also  proprietor  of  a  livery 
barn  at  Xew  Washington.  He  was  born  in  Cranberry  township,  December 
19,  1852,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Magdalene  (Donnenwirth)  Lederer,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  German}-,  the  father  born  in  Wurtemberg  and  the 
mother  in  Alsace,  and  came  to  America  with  their  respective  parents  when 
about  five  years  of  age.  The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  Stark  county, 
Ohio,  and  in  his  early  manhood  worked  in  a  livery  stable  in  Wooster,  Ohio, 
for  two  or  three  years.  He  then  came  to  Crawford  county  and  entered  from 
the  government  eighty  acres  of  land  a  mile  south  and  a  mile  west  of  Xew 
Washington.  Not  long  afterward  he  was  married,  and  upon  the  farm  he 
made  his  home  until  his  death.  In  subsequent  years  he  added  thirty-seven 
acres  to  his  place,  which  then  comprised  one  hundred  and  seventeen  acres,  and 
his  labors  and  energy  transformed  it  into  a  valuable  and  attractive  farming 
property.  As  an  auctioneer  he  won  wide  fame  and  cried  all  of  the  sales  in 
this  portion  of  the  country  in  his  day.  He  was  a  man  of  social  nature,  genial 
disposition  and  unflagging  energy,  and  those  qualities  made  him  popular, 
15 


278  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

gaining  for  him  man}-  friends.  Of  the  Lutheran  church  he  was  a  most 
ardent  and  influential  member  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  securing  the 
erection  of  the  house  of  worship  in  Xew  Washington.  He  voted  with  the 
Democracy.  His  death  occurred  August  19,  1857,  when  he  was  only  thirty- 
nine  years  and  eleven  months  old.  His  wife  was  born  in  1822,  and  after  the 
death  of  her  husband  she  cared  for  her  family,  residing  upon  the  old  home- 
stead until  the  earlv  '80s.  when  she  removed  to  Xew  Washington,  where  she 
has  since  made  her  home  with  her  daughter.  Although  she  is  now  in  her 
eightieth  vear  she  retains  possession  of  her  faculties  unimpaired  and  is  a 
most  highly  esteemed  old  lady.  Her  father  was  George  Donnenwirth,  who 
belonged  to  one  of  the  well  known  families  of  Crawford  county.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lederer  became  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  the  following  are 
living:  John  F.,  who  makes  his  home  in  Dundee,  Michigan;  Jacob,  who  is 
living  on  the  old  homestead  in  Cranberry  township ;  Adam  G. ;  and  Odella, 
wife  of  Andrew.  Cronenberger,  of  Xew  Washington. 

Adam  Lederer  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  his  early  education  was 
acquired  in  the  public  schools,  was  supplemented  by  study  in  the  Lexington 
Seminary  and  in  the  Fostoria  high  school.  He  met  the  expenses  of  his  edu- 
cation by  his  own  labor,  and  the  resolute  will  which  enabled  him  to  secure  this 
ntellectual  advancement  indicated  the  elemental  strength  of  his  character, 
which  has  been  developed  as  the  years  have  passed,  making  him  a  self-reliant 
and  energetic  man.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  began  work  as  a  farm 
hand,  and  the  money  thus  earned  paid  his  tuition  in  the  Lexington  Seminary. 
When  twenty  years  of  age  he  began  teaching,  and  after  following  that  pro- 
fession for  a  year  he  continued  his  studies  in  the  high  school  of  Fostoria. 
For  fifteen  terms  he  followed  the  teacher's  profession,  and  during  twelve 
terms  of  the  time  was  connected  with  the  schools  of  XTew  Washington.  In 
the  summer  season  he  and  his  brother  Jacob  engaged  in  farming"  in  partner- 
ship, and  in  1878  they  began  breeding  fine  short-horn  cattle,  in  which  they 
gained  a  wide  reputation  by  reason  of  their  success  and  the  splendid  stock 
which  they  handled.  In  1882  they  established  a  livery  business  in  New 
Washington,  and  with  the  exception  of  two  periods  of  two  and  a  half  and 
three  years  Mr.  Lederer,  of  this  review,  has  since  been  connected  with  the 
enterprise.  In  1895  he  and  his  brother  terminated  their  partnership.  Three 
years  previous  our  subject  had  purchased  the  grocery  store  of  J.  Bear  and 
conducted  the  same  for  eighteen  months.  In  connection  with  his  livery  busi- 
ness  he   is   also  well   known   as   an   auctioneer   of   Crawford   county.        He 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  279 

seems  to  have  inherited  his  father's  ability  in  this  direction  and  has  cried 
sales  throughout  this  portion  of  the  county. 

On  the  8th  of  February,  1877,  Mr.  Lederer  married  Miss  Ella  A. 
Hartupee,  a  native  of  Mansfield,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Logan 
and  Phebe  O.  (Patterson)  Hartupee,  her  father  born  in  Richland  county. 
They  now  have  two  children  and  have  lost  three.  The  living  are :  Ora 
D.,  who  possesses  much  talent  in  both  vocal  and  instrumental  music;  and 
Estella.  Mr.  Lederer  is  independent  in  politics,  supporting  the  men  and 
measures  that  he  thinks  are  best  adapted  to  secure  good  government.  He 
served  for  four  years  on  the  school  board,  for  two  years  in  the  city  council 
and  was  the  first  man  to  carry  a  petition  for  the  building  of  pikes.  In  this 
matter  he  incurred  the  ill  will  of  many  men  opposed  to  the  pike  system,  but 
to-day  they  are  among  his  best  friends,  for  time  has  demonstrated  the 
great  value  of  good  roads.  Socially  he  is  connected  with  Hyperion  Lodge, 
No.  651,  K.  P.  His  worth  is  widely  acknowledged,  and  wherever  he  is 
known  he  has  gained  many  warm  friends,  who  esteem  him  for  his  trust- 
worthiness and  social  qualities. 

FREDERICK  WISMAN. 

Among  the  prosperous  farmers  of  Bucyrus  township  is  Frederick  Wis- 
man,  who  owns  and  operates  a  large,  well  cultivated  and  finelv  situated 
farm,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  fort}-  acres  of  fertile  Crawford  county 
land. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Wisman  was  in  this  same  township,  on  November  2, 
1833.  His  parents  were  Frederick  and  Elizabeth  (Heinlen)  Wisman,  both 
natives  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  from  which  country  they  came  when  they 
were  children.  After  their  marriage  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1828,  they  came 
and  located  in  Crawford  county,  where  the  remainder  of  their  lives  were 
spent,  the  mother  dying  in  1843,  the  father  surviving  until  1867.  By  trade 
Mr.  Wisman  was  a  wagonmaker,  but  after  locating  in  Ohio  he  pursued  farm- 
ing. His  life  was  an  honest  and  industrious  one,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
lived  and  died  enjoying  the  respect  of  all  who  knew  them. 

Frederick  Wisman  was  one  of  nine  children  •born  to  his  parents,  and  he 
was  reared  on  the  farm,  thus  becoming'  well  prepared  for  the  active  duties  of 
an  agriculturist.  His  education  was  in  the  schools  of  his  neighborhood.  In 
1 86 1  he  married  Malissa  Aumiller,  and  then  left  the  parental  roof  to  set  up 
his  own  home.     For  a  time  the  young  couple  lived  on  a  farm  located  just 


28o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

west  of  his  birthplace,  but  later  removed  to  Holmes  township.  In  1864  Mr. 
VVisman  moved  to  the  farm  he  now  occupies,  which  consisted  of  eighty 
acres  and  belonged  to  his  father.  After  the  death  of  the  latter  Mr.  Wis- 
man  purchased  this  farm  and  has  added  to  it  until  he  now  owns  one  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  and  in  addition  to  this,  he,  in  association  with  his  son 
Charles  E.,  owns  a  tract  comprising  ninety  acres.  In  1874  Mr.  VVisman 
built  his  fine,  brick  residence  and  has  made  many  improvements  of  a  sub- 
stantial character  which  not  only  add  to  the  attractive  appearance  of  the 
place  but  materially  to  its  value  also.  One  feature  of  Mr.  Wisman's  business 
is  the  raising  of  great  numbers  of  sheep. 

The  three  children  of  Mr.  Wisman  are  all  comfortably  settled  in  life, 
in  Crawford  county,  Alfred  E.,  being  a  successful  farmer  in  Holmes  town- 
ship; Emma  Alice,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Starner,  lives  in  Todd  township;  and 
Charles  E.  is  a  farmer  with  his  father.  Mr.  Wisman  is  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party,  and  is  generally  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  Bucyrus  township. 

JAMES  O.  HOLLAND. 

Among  the  prominent  agriculturists  of  Bucyrus  township,  James  O. 
Holland  takes  a  leading  position,  both  as  a  successful  farmer  and  as  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  war.  His  birth  was  in  Mahoning  county,  Ohio,  on  December 
20,  1841.  His  parents,  Nehemiah  and  Lucinda  (Bentley)  Holland,  were 
married  on  August  13,  1836,  and  resided  for  several  years  in  Mahoning 
county,  later  removing  to  Hancock  county,  Ohio,  where  the  father  died  July 
3,  1847,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight  years.  The  children  born  to  him  and  wife 
were:  William  C,  who  resides  in  Marshall  county,  Indiana;  John  A.,  who 
resides  in  the  same  count)-;  Chauncy  F.,  who  is  deceased;  James  O.,  who  is 
the  subject  of  this  biography;  Richard  M.,  who  has  passed  away;  and  Austin, 
who  is  a  resident  of  Crawford  county.  The  widow  of  Mr.  Holland  married, 
on  December  31,  1849,  James  Reid,  by  whom  she  had  three  children:  Nancy 
L. ;  Alfred  C. ;  and  Esther  M.,  deceased.  The  mother  outlived  her  second 
husband,  surviving  until  1802,  when  she  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years. 

lames  O.  Holland  was  between  six  and  seven  years  of  a.ge  when  his 
father  died,  and  remained  with  his  mother  only  until  he  had  reached  his 
tenth  year.  Then  he  began  the  struggle  of  life  for  himself,  beginning  by 
working  at  odd  jobs  for  those  who  would  employ  him,  principally  farmers  of 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  2S 1 

his  neighborhood.  His  educational  advantages  were  thus  limited.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen,  with  commendable  forethought,  he  decided  to  learn  a  trade, 
•selecting  that  of  carpenter,  and  remained  employed  at  it  for  three  years. 

The  Civil  war,  breaking  out  just  at  this  time,  found  in  Air.  Holland  a 
patriotic  young  soldier.  On  August  22,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  B, 
Twenty-first  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  participated  in  twenty-two  battles 
and  skirmishes,  including  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Jonesboro,  Atlanta, 
and  those  of  Sherman's  "march  to  the  sea."  Mr.  Holland  did  not  escape  all 
the  dangers  of  war,  as  at  Nolansville,  North  Carolina,  he  was  taken  prisoner, 
but  after  fourteen  days  was  paroled  and  sent  back  to  the  Union  lines.  After 
a  faithful  service  he  was  mustered  out  at  Columbus,  June  20,  1865. 

Air.  Holland  married  the  year  following  his  return  from  the  army,  the 
ceremony  taking  place  on  October  10,  1866,  to  Miss  Ellen  Starner,  and  he  and 
wife  removed  to  Nevada,  Ohio,  where  he  followed  his  trade  for  several  years, 
but  later  engaged  in  farming  in  Bucyrus  township.  In  1882  he  removed  to 
his  present  fine  farm,  on  section  22,  in  this  township. 

In  politics  Mr.  Holland  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  is  a  man  interested 
deeply  in  the  success  of  his  country  in  all  public  affairs.  George  W.  Holland, 
his  only  son,  born  October  4,  1870,  assists  in  the  conduct  of  the  farm. 

GEORGE  W.  STARNER. 

The  late  George  W.  Starner  was  a  good  citizen  and  a  prosperous  farmer 
-of  Crawford  county,  and  was  born  November  12,  1812,  and  was  a  native  of 
Monroe  county,  Pennsylvania.  His  lamented  death  occurred  April  6,  1887. 
"He  was  a  son  of  George  M.  and  Katie  M.  (  Van  Vleet)  Starner.  His  youth 
Avas  spent  upon  the  farm  and  received  limited  schooling,  as  the  facilities  were 
wanting  in  those  early  days.  The  school-house  was  a  log  structure  and  the 
instruction  correspondingly  crude. 

On  July  12,  1835,  Mr.  Starner  was  united  in  marriage  to  Susan  Stiff,  of 
Monroe  county  at  that  time,  but  her  birth  took  place  in  Sussex  county,  New 
Jersev,  July  20,  1810,  she  having  removed  to  Monroe  county  when  fourteen 
years  of  age.  To  this  marriage  these  children  were  born :  Elizabeth,  who 
-married  Jacob  Yeagley ;  Ellen,  who  married  James  O.  Holland ;  Harriet,  who 
married  John  Dobbins;  and  William. 

Air.  Starner  removed  to  Ohio  in  the  month  of  September,  1832,  coming 
in  a  two-horse  wagon,  making  the  trip  in  four  weeks,  and  settling  in  Perry 
•county.     For  six  vears  the  family  resided  there  on  a  farm.     In   1843  the 


282  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

family  removed  to  Crawford  county  and  located  in  Bucyrus  township.  Air. 
Starner  soon  became  well  known  through  the  township  as  a  very  reliable 
man  and  good  citizen.  He  voted  with  the  Republican  party  and  passed 
away  regretted  by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  His  widow  died  July  3,  1901, 
being  almost  ninety-one  years  of  age.  The  last  thirteen  years  of  her  life, 
were  spent  in  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  James  O.  Holland. 

JOHN  W.  CUPP. 

In  the  history  of  the  men  and  forces  that  have  contributed  to  the  growth 
and  success  of  the  Republican  party  in  Ohio  reference  must  be  made  to  Mr. 
Cupp,  and  the  journal  company  of  which  he  is  secretary  and  general  manager. 
The  paper  has  ever  been  an  advocate  of  Republican  principles,  its  columns 
championing  the  measures  of  the  party  setting  forth  strong  arguments  in 
favor  of  its  planks  and  policy,  and  laboring  for  its  progress  and  rejoicing  in 
its  victories.  But  not  alone  along  this  line  has  Mr.  Cupp  been  connected  with 
the  public  interest  of  Galion  and  Crawford  county.  At  the  present  time  he 
is  postmaster  of  the  city,  having  been  appointed  to  the  position  by  President 
McKinley  in  1898.  In  the  office  he  has  given  entire  satisfaction  to  its  pa- 
trons, his  administration  of  its  affairs  being  business-like,  prompt  and  reliable. 

A  native  of  Sandusky  county,  Ohio,  Mr.  Cupp  was  born  November  20, 
1864,  a  son  of  Philip  and  Eliza  Heter  Cupp.  His  paternal  grandfather  came 
from  Alsace-Lorraine,  at  that  time  a  province  of  France  but  later  of  Ger- 
many. He  landed  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  with  his  wife,  but  in  a  short  time- 
the  young  couple  went  into  the  then  wilderness  of  Ohio,  settling  in  what  is 
now  Thompson  township,  Seneca  county.  There  they  made  a  home  and 
raised  a  large  family,  and  there  Philip  Cupp,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  and  reared.  In  early  manhood,  shortly  after  marriage,  he 
removed  to  Bellevue  and  from  that  time  until  his  death,  April  17,  190.1,  in 
the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  he  was  identified  with  the  business  interests 
of  that  town.  He  was  married  to  Eliza  Heter,  daughter  of  John  and  Salome 
Freese  Heter,  and  five  children  were  born  to  them:  Mrs.  Addie  Higbee, 
Emma,  deceased,  Charles  V.,  John  W.  and  Otis  P. 

John  Heter,  the  maternal  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  was 
the  fifth  of  this  name  of  whom  any  record  is  had,  the  first  coming  from 
Bavaria,  Germany,  and  landing  at  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  in  1735. 
John,  fifth,  was  born  in  Berks  county,  that  state,  in  1794,  and  was  a  soldier 
of  the  war  of  181 2.  under  Captain  Warr  Middlesworth  and  General  Smythe,, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  283. 

of  Virginia,  serving  at  Black  Rock  on  the  Niagara  river.  He  came  to  Ohio 
in  1825,  settling  first  in  Wayne  county,  but  two  years  later  removing  to 
Seneca  county,  where  he  acquired  eighteen  eighty-acre  tracts  of  land,  some 
of  the  original  deeds  signed  by  John  Ouincy  Adams  still  being  held  in  the 
family. 

John  Wesley  Cupp  acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools  at  Belle- 
vne,  Ohio,  supplementing  his  knowledge  gained  there  by  the  learning  which 
he  acquired  in  a  newspaper  office.  He  became  connected  with  the  "art 
preservative  of  arts"  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  and  mastered  the  business 
in  every  department,  working  on  the  Bellevue  News.  After  learning  the 
trade  in  that  office  he  became  editor  of  the  paper,  which  he  conducted  success- 
fully for  two  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  went  to  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota,  where  he  engaged  in  the  job  printing  business,  but  later  returned 
to  Bellevue  and  became  a  partner  in  the  Gazette,  being  one  of  the  owners  of 
that  journal  until  1892,  when  he  removed  to  Gabon.  Here  he  organized 
a  stock  company  and  purchased  the  Sun-Review  of  the  assignee  and  changed 
it  from  a  weekly  to  a  semi-weekly  journal  in  1894.  In  1896  his  company 
also  became  the  owner  of  the  Leader.  The  Sun-Review  Printing  Company 
was  organized,  with  Mr.  Cupp  as  secretary  and  manager.  The  company 
does  a  general  printing,  publishing  and  binding  business,  and  under  the  new 
control  both  papers  have  increased  rapidly  in  circulation.  The  enterprise  is 
a  successful  one,  and  the  trade  enjoyed  in  their  line  is  large  and  profitable. 
The  office  is  well  equipped  with  the  latest  improved  machinery,  and  the 
paper,  while  advocating  the  interests  of  the  Republican  party,  is  also  devoted 
to  the  publication  of  local,  general  and  miscellaneous  news  and  treats  in  a 
fair  and  unprejudiced  manner  the  questions  of  the  day.  It  supports  local 
enterprises  calculated  to  prove  of  public  benefit  and  stanchly  upholds  the 
banner  of  Republicanism. 

Mr.  Cupp  has  ever  been  an  advocate  of  the  grand  old  party,  and  his 
labors  in  its  behalf  have  been  effective  and  enduring.  He  has  served  on  the 
county  executive  committee,  being-  a  member  thereof  from  1892  until  1898, 
when  he  resigned,  having  been  appointed  to  the  position  of  postmaster  of 
Gabon.  This  honor  was  conferred  upon  him  by  President  McKinley,  and  it 
is  needless  to  say  that  the  trusts  reposed  in  him  have  never  been  betrayed 
ever  in  the  slightest  degree.  He  carefully  looks  after  the  business  of  the 
office,  which  is  performed  in  a  prompt  manner,  and  its  patrons  have  expressed 
the  highest  satisfaction  with  his  administration. 

May  25,  1893,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Cupp  and  Miss  Emma 


284  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Wood,  of  Bellevue,  daughter  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  McElhenny  Wood,  widow 
of  Henry  Wood.  Her  father  was  a  stock-raiser  and  dealer,  and  served  his 
country  in  the  Union  army,  retiring"  at  the  end  of  the  war  with  the  rank  of 
lieutenant.  His  father  was  Bourdette  Wood,  one  of  the  largest  land-own- 
ers in  northern  Ohio.  The  marriage  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  been  blessed 
with  one  son,  Robert  Otis,  born  July  25,  1895.  ^ir-  Cupp  is  identified  with 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity,  with  the  Masonic  Order  and  with  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  charitable  and  tolerant, 
though  positive  in  his  convictions  and  aggressive  in  defending  them,  and  he 
enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 

SAMUEL  J.  KIBLER. 

Prominent  among  the  business  men  of  New  Washington  who  for  eight 
years  has  been  closely  identified  with  the  history  of  the  city  as  a  representa- 
tive of  one  of  its  most  important  business  interests  is  Samuel  Jefferson 
Kibler.  who  is  a  man  of  keen  discrimination  and  sound  judgment,  and  his 
executive  ability  and  excellent  management  have  brought  to  the  concern  with 
which  he  is  connected  a  large  degree  of  success.  The  safe,  conservative 
policy  which  he  inaugurated  commends  itself  to  the  judgment  of  all,  and  he 
secured  to  the  company  a  patronage  which  makes  the  volume  of  trade  trans- 
acted over  its  counters  of  great  importance  and  magnitude.  The  firm  of 
Kibler  Brothers  has  enjoyed  a  reputation  for  reliability  that  is  known  in  all 
sections  of  the  country  in  which  their  dealings  are  extended. 

Samuel  J.  Kibler  of  this  review  was  born  in  New  Washington,  on  the 
9th  of  March,  185 1,  and  is  a  son  of  Matthias  and  Frederica  (Pfahler) 
Kibler.  As  the  name  indicates,  the  family  is  of  German  origin.  The  father 
of  our  subject  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  June  11,  1822,  and  was 
the  youngest  of  the  eight  children  born  unto  John  and  Maria  Kibler.  In 
1829,  when  a  child  of  only  seven  vears,  he  came  with  his  parents  to  the 
United  States,  locating  in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  where  he  was  reared  to 
manhood,  working  on  the  farm  and  on  the  canal.  As  he  found  opportunity 
he  attended  school,  and  being  of  a  studious  nature  he  acquired  a  good 
common-school  education,  so  that  at  the  age  of  sevent/en  he  was  qualified 
to  teach  in  the  neighboring  schools.  In  1841,  in  company  with  his  brother, 
Christian  Kibler,  he  came  to  Cranberry  township,  Crawford  county,  the 
brother  purchasing  a  tannery  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Abraham  McNutt 
and  after  some  months  spent  in  the  employ  of  his  brother,  our  subject  pur- 


<^£&>^?y£t<*r    /^C-i^^ 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  287 

chased  an  interest  in  the  business.  In  the  winter  of  1844-5,  shortly  after 
the  death  of  Christian  Kibler,  the  tannery  was  burned  to  the  ground  and  in 
the  spring  of  the  latter  year  Matthias  Kibler  removed  to-  New  Washington, 
where  he  purchased  of  Robert  Robinson  a  small  tannery  which  had  been 
established  in  1834.  This  Mr.  Kibler  rebuilt,  increasing  its  facilities  and 
enlarging  its  capacity  as  the  demand  warranted.  He  also  improved  upon  the 
quality  of  his  goods  until  the  output  of  his  tannery  was  not  only  equal  in 
kind  to  any  other  but  often  commanded  the  highest  market  price.  Mr. 
Kibler  was  one  of  the  leading  and  influential  men  in  the  upbuilding'  of  the 
village  of  Xew  Washington  and  in  securing  for  the  town  a  sober  and  intelli- 
gent class  of  citizens.  His  interest  in  educational  affairs  led  him  to  take 
an  active  part  in  the  work  of  improving  the  school  facilities  of  the  town 
and  it  was  greatly  due  to  his  influence  that  the  citizens  were  aroused  from 
their  lethargy  in  educational  matters  and  erected  commodious  and  com- 
fortable log  schoolhouses  in  the  town  and  in  neighboring  school  districts. 
He  served  in  many  of  the  town  offices  and  co-operated  heartily  in  the 
movement  to  secure  the  division  of  the  township  into  school  districts — eight 
in  number.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in  the  work  of  inducing-  the 
citizens  to  furnish  their  children  with  ample  school  privileges  and  was  a 
contributor  of  time,  effort  and  money  toward  the  promotion  of  any  movement 
calculated  to  prove  for  the  general  good.  At  the  time  he  located  in  New 
Washington  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  adjoining  the  town  and  in  subse- 
quent years  he  laid  out  an  addition  to  the  original  village,  one  of  the  principal 
streets  of  the  city  now  bearing  his  name.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace  for 
some  twenty-five  years,  and  was  the  first  mayor  of  New  Washington  and 
was  acting  in  that  capacity  at  the  time  of  his  demise,  Sept.  23,  1876. 
His  political  support  was  given  the  Democracy  and  in  religious  faith  he  was 
a  Lutheran  and  did  much  for  the  progress  of  the  church.  His  death  proved 
a  serious  loss  to  the  town,  owing  to  his  splendid  business  ability  and  his 
aggressive  labors  in  behalf  of  every  measure  for  the  general  welfare.  His 
wife  died  September  28,  1900.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children : 
Maria,  deceased.  Samuel  J.,  Franklin  P.,  deceased,  James  M.,  Lovina,  John 
W.,  Caroline,  deceased,  and  Louisa  M. 

The  majority  of  men  who  accomplish  most  in  life  are  self-made  men, — 
the  men  who  are  taught  the  value  of  industry  and  perseverance  in  youth 
and  who  exemplify  those  lessons  in  the  work  of  life  as  the  years  progress. 
Mr.  Kibler  of  this  sketch  pursued  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
New  Washington  and  in  his  boyhood  days  he  worked  in  the  tan  yard  with 


288  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

his  father.  In  1873  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  business  and  soon  after 
assumed  the  entire  management  of  the  enterprise,  owing  to  his  father's  ill 
health.  In  1876  his  father  died  and  Air.  Kibler  continued  to  manage  the 
business  with  his  mother  as  a  partner  until  some  time  in  1881,  when  she 
sold  her  interest  to  her  son  John  Wesley,  and  the  business  has  since  been 
continued  under  the  firm  name  of  Kibler  Brothers.  Soon  after  his  entrance 
into  the  firm  our  subject  began  dealing  in  hides  on  a  small  scale,  but 
constantly  his  efforts  in  this  line  increased  in  magnitude  and  early  in  the 
'90s  the  brothers  gave  up  their  tanning  business  in  order  to  devote  their 
entire  time  and  attention  to  their  rapidly  growing  trade  as  dealers  in  hides. 
About  1895  they  purchased  the  C.  C.  Keech  Company's  hide  business  in 
Sandusky  City.  This  was  at  one  time  one  of  the  largest  fur  houses  in  the 
northwest,  and  they  now  conduct  it  as  a  branch  house  of  their  business  in 
Xew  Washington.  Their  trade  has  rapidly  increased  both  in  volume  and 
importance  until  they  are  now  among  the  largest  dealers  in  raw  hides  and 
tallow  in  the  entire  country.  They  purchase  almost  all  of  the  hides  in  Ohio, 
Indiana  and  Michigan  and  almost  the  entire  amount  sent  to  Cleveland.  It 
requires  splendid  executive  ability  and  skill  as  a  manager  to  control  such 
extensive  interests,  but  the  partners  are  well  qualified  and  ably  direct  the 
important  concern  with  which  they  are  associated. 

In  April,  1875,  Samuel  J.  Kibler  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Herr,  a  native  of  Crawford  county  and  a  daughter  of  George 
Herr,  who  for  many  years  was  a  prominent  farmer  of  Seneca  county,  but 
died  in  Xew  Washington  in  January,  1892,  having  removed  to  the  town 
in  the  previous  December.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kibler  have  been  born  seven 
children,  of  whom  six  are  now  living:  Alfred  G.,  who  married  Miss 
Mildred  Donnenwirth  and  is  engaged  in  traveling  for  his  father;  Clara  O., 
at  home;  Milton  M.,  who  is  attending  the  Tri-State  Business  College,  of 
Toledo;  Aaron  Sylvester,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Xew  Washington  high 
school;  Ida  P.,  who  is  attending  the  high  school;  and  Florence  E.,  who  is 
also  a  student. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Air.  Kibler  is  a  Democrat  and,  like  his  father, 
he  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  cause  of  education,  for  which  he  has  done  active 
work  while  acting  on  the  school  board  for  fifteen  consecutive  years.  For 
ten  or  more  years  he  was  president  of  the  board  and  was  untiring  in  his 
efforts  to  advance  the  best  educational  interests  of  the  town.  He  was 
serving  on  the  board  at  the  time  the  present  school  building  was  erected, 
a  structure  that  stands  as  a  monument  to  the  intelligence  and  enterprising 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  289 

efforts  of  the  board  and  citizens.  For  three  or  four  terms  after  his  father's 
death  Mr.  Kibler  served  as  township  treasurer,  becoming  his  father's  succes- 
sor. He  lias  also  been  a  member  of  the  town  council.  He  belongs  to  the 
Lutheran  church  and  was  a  member  of  the  building-  committee  that  erected 
the  present  handsome  church  edifice,  one  of  the  finest  in  the  country  to  be 
found  in  a  village  of  this  size.  He  has  served  for  many  years  as  trustee 
and  deacon  in  the  church  and  withholds  his  co-operation  from  no  measure 
intended  for  the  general  good.  Wherever  he  is  found  he  is  a  social,  affable, 
genial  gentleman  whose  friends  are  legion  and  all  honor  and  esteem  him  for 
his  many  virtues  and  genuine  worth.  His  record  is  one  of  which  he  may 
justly  be  proud.  Success  is  not  measured  by  the  heights  which  one  may 
occupy,  but  by  the  distance  between  the  starting  point  and  the  altitude  he 
has  reached ;  therefore  Air.  Kibler  has  gained  a  most  brilliant  success, — a 
just  reward  of  meritorious,  honorable  effort,  which  commands  the  respect 
and  admiration  of  all. 

GEORGE  W.  HEINLE. 

Prominent  among  the  successful  farmer  residents  of  Bucyrus  township, 
who  is  known  and  esteemed  as  one  of  the  industrious  and  upright  citizens, 
is  George  W.  Heinle,  whose  birth  was  in  this  township,  on  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Ben  Sinn  farm,  on  February  18,  1845.  His  parents  were  John 
G.  and  Maria  (Leitzy)  Heinle,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Wurtembery,  Ger- 
many, but  were  married  in  America,  having  come  to  this  country  on  the 
same  vessel.  The  father  was  accompanied  by  his  brother,  Mathias  Heinle, 
and  the  mother  came  with  her  parents,  who  settled  about  one  mile  north 
of  Bucyrus,  where  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Both  of  the 
parents  of  our  subject  were  about  eighteen  years  old,  and  the  friendship 
formed  on  board  the  ship  continued  for  three  years,  by  which  time  Air.  Heinle 
had  become  established,  and  then  they  were  married,  settling  first  in  Bucyrus 
township,  but  soon  after  purchased  land  in  Holmes  township,  where  they 
ever  after  lived.  The  mother  died  in  1897,  aged  seventy-five  years,  and  the 
father  survived  until  1899.  when  he  was  eighty-one.  Their  eight  children 
were:  Eliza,  Francis,  George  W.,  Catherine,  Mary  Ann,  John  M.,  Philip  and 
Joseph,  all  of  whom  survive.  Although  Mr.  Heinle  had  but  one  dollar  when 
he  landed  in  America,  he  accumulated  a  fair  estate,  by  the  exercise  of  in- 
dustry and  economy,  and  was  well  known  as  one  o<f  the  pioneers  who  did  his 
full  share  toward  the  development  of  the  resources  of  Crawford  county.  Air. 
Heinle  was  present  at  the  land  sale,  when  the  Indians  disposed  of  a  vast  tract 


290  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

■  of  land  in  the  northwestern  portion  of  the  county.  He  could  relate  many  very 
interesting  tales  of  the  Indians,  who  were  still  numerous  when  he  settled  in 
the  county.  Both  he  and  wife  were  consistent  and  worthy  members  of  the 
German  Lutheran  church  and  were  universally  respected  by  all  who  knew 
them,  and  reared  a  family  which  has  reflected  credit,  not  only  upon  them,  but 
also  on  the  community.  All  were  reared  on  the  farm,  were  given  a  common- 
school  education  and  taught  in  the  household  those  principles  of  honesty  and 
industry  which  have  been  useful  in  their  lives  until  the  present  day. 

George  W.  Heinle  remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-six  years  old, 
marrying  at  that  age,  and  then  settled  down  as  a  farmer,  passing  the  first 
five  years  in  Holmes  township,  and  then  moving  to  Bucyrus  township,  where 
he  has  since  remained.  His  business  in  life  has  always  been  that  of  a  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  and  his  industrious  efforts  have  been  amply  rewarded.  He 
now  owns  a  fine,  well-improved  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty-three  acres 
and  is  able  to  enjoy  all  of  the  comforts  of  life. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Heinle  was  to  Matilda  Zimmerman,  a  daughter 
of  Martin  Zimmerman,  a  pioneer  of  Crawford  county,  coming  here  from  his 
native  place,  Wurtemberg,  Germany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heinle  have  three  chil- 
dren :  Susan,  Amos  and  James.  Susan  married  William  Traxler,  a  farmer 
of  Bucyrus  township,  and  Amos  married  Blanch  Mason,  and  is  also  a  farmer 
in  this  township,  both  of  them  residing  near  enough  to  their  parents  to  be 
able  to  enjoy  their  companionship. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heinle  are  consistent  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
•church  and  are  among  the  most  respected  residents  of  the  county.  In  pol- 
itics Mr.  Heinle  has  always  supported  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  but  has  never  been  an  office-seeker.  All  his  life  he  has  been 
frugal  and  industrious  and  has  honestly  earned  the  comfort  which  now  is  his. 

REV.  GEORGE  MATHER. 

Rev.  George  Mather  is  one  who  has  had  signal  influences  in  Galion. 
where,  as  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  he  has  labored 
among  the  people  f<  r  many  years.  There  often  seems  a  barrier  between 
the  representatives  of  the  ministry  and  the  men  in  business  life,  but  this  is 
not  so  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Mather.  He  is  in  close  touch  with  the  people, 
has  their  confidence  and  regard  in  an  unusual  degree  and  enjoys  the  warm 
friendship  of  many  of  the  residents  of  this  city  in  all  walks  of  life.  He  is 
a  native  of  England,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Derbyshire,  on  the  17th  of 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  291 

February,  1832.  His  grandfather  lived  to  be  ninety-six  years  of  age  and 
was  never  ill.  For  seventy-six  years  he  was  a  member  of  one  church.  His 
son,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  well  known  resident  of  his  locality  in 
England,  where  he  had  charge  of  railways  and  mines.  In  his  native  land 
our  subject  was  educated  as  a  civil  engineer,  after  which  he  was  employed  in 
Cambridgeshire  and  North  Wales  on  the  Cambridge  &  Newmarket  and 
the  Chester  &  Flolyhead  Railroads.  After  coming  to  the  United  States  he 
spent  two  years  as  civil  engineer  in  southern  Ohio,  in  the  employ  of  what 
is  now  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  Company.  His  education  was  com- 
pleted in  the  Ohio  YVesleyan  University,  at  Delaware,  Ohio,  with  the  class 
of  1858,  and  for  the  four  succeeding  vears  he  was  professor  of  natural 
science  and  mathematics  in  the  female  department  of  that  institution.  On 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  began  regular  ministerial  work,  but  previous 
to  this  time  had  engaged  in  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  entering  the  min- 
istry at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years,  as  a  member  of  the  Central  Ohio 
Conference.  Fie  has  served  as  presiding  elder  of  the  Cleveland  district  for 
one  term  and  of  the  Wooster  district  for  one  term,  and  in  his  church  work 
he  has  met  with  excellent  results,  witnessing  a  wonderful  growth  in  Meth- 
odism in  this  state  and  taking  a  very  active  part  in  promoting  the  labors 
of  his  denomination.  In  1881  he  came  to  Bucyrus,  as  pastor  of  the  Methodist 
church  of  this  city,  remaining  there  through  the  full  term  of  three  years. 
In  1886  he  was  appointed  to  the  church  in  Galion,  where  he  also  remained 
for  three  years,  and  in  1899  he  took  up  his  permanent  abode  in  Galion,  for 
his  health  does  not  now  permit  him  to  engage  in  active  ministerial  work. 
His  influence  and  efforts  have  been  far-reaching  and  beneficial.  He  took  up 
his  work  with  zeal  and  energy,  and  in  the  pulpit  his  words  of  wisdom  and 
strength,  supplemented  by  eloquence  born  of  the  theme  and  of  the  occasion, 
left  their  impress  upon  the  minds  of  his  hearers,  and  in  a  way  this  has 
produced  much  rich  fruit. 

In  1875  Rev.  Mather  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Neal,  a 
native  of  Knox  county.  Ohio,  born  near  Fredericktown,  and  a  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Neal,  who  was  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  died  many  years  ago.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mather  have  been  born 
two  children, — Arthur,  who  is  now  a  lawyer  in  Seattle,  Washington,  and 
Mary,  who  is  successfully  engaged  in  teaching"  in  the  schools  of  Galion. 

Mr.  Mather  yet  actively  performs  his  work  as  a  local  member  of  the 
church,  and  is  a  public  spirited  citizen  who  is  deeply  interested  in  everything 
pertaining  to   the   progress   and   welfare  of  his   community.     He   does   not 


292  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

belong  to  that  class  of  ministers  who,  somewhat  narrow-minded,  feel  that 
they  have  naught  to  do  with  the  practical  and  active  interests  concerning 
political  life  and  the  duties  of  citizenship.  With  a  full  realization  that  this 
life  is  a  preparation  for  the  one  to  come  he  believes  in  performing-  each  duty 
dav  by  day  and  joining  forces  with  the  work  of  progress  and  improvement 
in  all  lines.  He  was  elected  mayor  of  Galion  April  i,  1901.  His  high 
character  and  honorable  purpose  win  him  the  good  will  and  confidence 
of  all  with  whom  he  is  associated,  and  wherever  known  his  influence  is  felt 
on  the  side  of  all  that  is  right,  true  and  beneficial. 

WILLIAM  ARBUCKLE. 

William  Arbuckle,  a  successful  farmer,  who  for  many  years  has  car- 
ried on  agricultural  pursuits  in  Crawford  county,  makes  his  home  on  sec- 
tions 15  and  16,  Bucyrus  township.  He  was  born  in  Juniata  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, on  the  5th  of  September,  1832,  a  son  of  John  and  Isabella  (Innis) 
Arbuckle,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  same  county.  The  father  was  of 
Irish  lineage  and  the  mother  was  of  both  Irish  and  Scotch  descent.  Will- 
iam Arbuckle,  the  paternal  grandfather,  was  likewise  a  native  of  the  Key- 
stone state  and  there  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  In  the  state  of 
their  nativity  the  parents  of  our  subject  were  married  and  then  took  up  their 
abode  on  a  farm,  where  were  born  unto  them  three  children,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy,  the  others  being  William  and  James.  The  last  named  died 
in  Marion  county,  Ohio,  in  1874.  The  mother  passed  away  in  Pennsylvania, 
in  1 85 1,  at  the  age  of  forty  years,  and  in  1853  William  Arbuckle  came  to 
Ohio,  settling  in  Marion  county.  The  following  year  he  and  his  father  re- 
moved to  Macon  county,  Illinois,  the  father  remaining  in  that  state  until 
1862,  when  he  became  a  citizen  of  Bucyrus,  which  was  his  place  of  abode  for 
four  vears.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  his  death  occurred  about  1893,  when  he  was  eighty-six  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  second  time  married,  Mary  Dobbs  becoming  his  wife. 

In  the  common  schools,  William  Arbuckle  of  this  review,  pursued  his 
education  and  in  his  early  youth  he  worked  on  the  home  farm.  Later  he  was 
emploved  by  others,  but  his  father  received  his  wages  until  he  had  attained  his 
majority.  For  six  years  he  was  employed  as  a  salesman  in  one  store  in  Penn- 
sylvania. As  before  stated  he  came  to  Ohio  in  1853  and  for  one  year  engaged 
in  clerking  in  Marion  county,  after  which  he  went  to  Illinois.  For  seven 
years  he  resided  in  Macon  county,  that  state,  and  was  there  engaged  in  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  293 

stock  business,  but  in  1861  he  returned  to  Marion  county,  where  he  again 
spent  a  \»ear  handling  stock.  In  the  spring  of  1861  he  went  to  New  York 
with  a  shipment  of  stock  and  was  in  that  city  when  Fort  Sumter  was  tired 
upon. 

In  the  spring  of  1862,  Mr.  Arbuckle  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Susan  Kerr,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy  (Towers)  Kerr,  of  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  and  then  took  up  his  abode  upon  his  present  farm  in  Bucyrus 
township,  where  he  has  now  lived  for  almost  forty  years.  At  first  the  farm 
comprised  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres,  given  his  wife  by  her  father,  and 
to  this  he  has  since  added  sixty  acres;  and  his  wife  has  a  valuable  farm  of 
one  Hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Whetstone  township,  Crawford  county. 
He  makes  a  specialty  of  sheep-raising  and  has  large  flocks  of  fine  sheep.  His 
farm  is  well  improved  with  modern  accessories,  indicating  his  careful  super- 
vision and  progressive  spirit,  and  the  place  is  characterized  by  neatness  and 
thrift. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arbuckle  has  been  blessed  with  six  chil- 
dren:  James  Franklin,  who  is  living  in  Cleveland;  Elmer,  who  died  when 
four  years  of  age;  Clara,  the  wife  of  William  Price,  of  Bucyrus;  William 
I.,  who  was  a  railroad  brakeman  and  was  killed  on  the  road  November  28, 
1900,  leaving  a  little  daughter,  Ethel,  her  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Cora  Sauer,  being  also  deceased :  Grace,  the  wife  of  Oscar  S.  Ouaintance, 
of  Whetstone  township;  and  John  K.,  at  home.  The  parents  are  members  of 
the  Christian  church,  and  in  his  political  views  Mr.  Arbuckle  is  a  Democrat, 
but  he  never  seeks  or  desires  office,  preferring  to  devote  his  time  and  energies 
to  his  business  affairs,  in  which  he  is  meeting  with  creditable  and  gratifying 
success.  He  started  out  in  life  on  attaining  his  majority,  having  no  capital 
to  aid  him  in  the  commencement  of  his  business  career,  but  by  close  applica- 
tion, industry,  economy  and  perseverance  he  has  gradually  increased  his 
possessions  until  he  is  now  numbered  among  the  men  of  affluence  in  the  com- 
munity. 

LOUIS  K.   REISINGER. 

This  well-known  and  popular  proprietor  of  a  drug  store  in  Gabon  is 
also  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  pioneer  families  of  the  city.  He  was 
born  here,  in  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  John  S.  Reisinger,  one  of  the  first 
practicing  physicians  of  this  locality.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Jacob  Reis- 
inger,  was   a   resident   of   Hanover.    Pennsylvania,     and    married     Susanna 


294  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Schultz.  Among  their  children  was  Dr.  Reisinger,  who  was  born  on  the 
6th  of  October,  1811,  in  Hanover,  Pennsylvania.  He  furthered  his  educa- 
tion in  the  Willoughby  Medical  College,  in  which  he  was  graduated  in  1845, 
and  then  continued  the  practice  of  medicine,  to  which  he  devoted  his  energies 
throughout  his  active  business  career.  In  1832  he  came  to  Galion,  being  one 
of  the  first  physicians  in  the  city.  For  thirty-four  years  he  was  a  member 
of  the  medical  fraternity  here  and  throughout  a  long  period  was  a  leader  in 
the  line  of  his  chosen  calling.  His  patronage  was  extensive  and  of  an  im- 
portant character.  He  was  also  recognized  as  a  leader  of  public  thought 
and  action.  He  was  twice  chosen  to  represent  his  district  in  the  state  legis- 
lature, serving  from  1859  until  1862,  and  he  left  the  impress  of  his  individ- 
uality upon  the  laws  that  were  enacted  during  that  period.  He  carefully 
considered  each  question  which  came  up  for  discussion  and  his  support  was 
given  or  withheld  from  a  measure  after  due  reflection.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  German  Reformed  church  of  Galion,  took  an  active  part  in  its 
work,  was  known  as  one  of  its  leaders  and  long  served  as  one  of  its  trus- 
tees. He  held  membership  in  the  State  Medical  Society,  which  he  joined  in 
1819,  becoming  one  of  its  first  representatives.  He  married  Miss  Sarah 
Ditzler,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Ditzler,  of  Hanover,  Pennsylvania,  the  marriage 
being  celebrated  on  the  13th  of  December,  1832.  They  became  the  parents 
of  the  following  named  children:  Samuel  D.  Reisinger  was  a  student  in 
the  Miami  Medical  College,  of  Cincinnati,  in  1866,  and  was  there  taken  ill 
with  cholera.  His  father.  Dr.  Reisinger,  went  to  that  city  in  order  to  attend 
him  and  both  the  son  and  father  died  of  the  disease.  The  son  was  a  member 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Ninety-first  Regiment  of  the  Ohio  Volunteers  in 
the  Civil  war,  from  1863  to  [865,  serving  as  hospital  steward.  George  Z.,  the 
third  of  the  family,  spent  his  entire  life  in  Galion,  where  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  he  was  engaged  in  the  hardware  business.  He  died  in  this  city  in 
1900,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three  years.  James  P.  died  in  July,  1900,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-one  years,  being  at  that  time  a  resident  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri, 
where  he  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  stock  exchange.  Homer  V.  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  dentistry  in  Galion  and  died  in  1886,  at  the  age  of  thirty-three 
years.  Sarah  E.  is  the  wife  of  James  Leibert,  of  Pasadena,  California;  Louis 
K.,  of  this  review;  and  John,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Louis  K.  Reisinger  we  .present  to 
our  readers  the  record  of  one  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known  in  the 
county.  He  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Galion  and  then  entered 
a  drusr  store,  where  he  became  familiar  with  the  business.     His  connection 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  295 

with  this  line  of  trade  dates  from  1873.  He  opened  a  store  of  his  own  in 
1873  and  has  since  conducted  the  enterprise  with  success,  it  proving  very 
profitable  to'  him.  He  carries  a  large  and  well  selected  line  of  drugs  and 
other  commodities  kept  in  a  first-class  establishment  of  that  kind  and  his  trade 
is  constantly  and  steadily  increasing,  his  business  methods  commending  him 
to  the  confidence  and  patronage  of  the  public. 

Air.  Reisinger  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  White,  of  Fremont,  Ohio,, 
daughter  of  William  B.  and  S.  A.  White.  Her  father  served  for  four  years 
in  the  Civil  war.  Their  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  three  daughters  and  n 
son,  namely :  Estella.  who  graduated  in  the  high  school  of  Galion  and  is 
now  the  wife  of  E.  R.  Lovett,  of  Delaware,  Ohio;  Alice,  who  was  also 
graduated  in  the  high  school;  Rollin  Ditzler,  who  completed  the  high  school 
course  and  is  now  associated  with  his  father  in  business;  and  Ethel,  who  is 
one  of  the  graduates  of  the  Galion  high  school.  The  family  attend  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  in  which  Air.  Reisinger  holds  membership.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  his  political  affiliations,  and  socially  he  is  a  prominent  Mason,  be- 
longing to  the  blue  lodge  and  t<  1  the  So  ittish  rite,  in  which  he  has  attained  the 
thirty-second  degree.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity.  The  cause  of  education  finds  in  him  a  warm 
friend  and  for  fifteen  consecutive  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  having  acted  as  its  secretary  since  1900.  He  is  interested  in  everything 
pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his  city  and  his  labors  have  been  of  benefit  to  the 
public  along  many  lines. 

REUBEX  STAHLEY. 

Reuben  Stanley  is  now  living  in  Crestline.  He  was  for  many  years  an 
active  factor  in  public  affairs  and  his  official  career  is  without  blemish,  for 
he  discharged  his  duties  in  a  manner  at  once  prompt,  capable  and  trustworthy. 
He  was  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  January  25,  1852.  and  is  descended  from 
Revolutionary  stock.  His  paternal  great-grandfather,  a  native  of  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  was  proprietor  of  a  hotel,  which  he  was  conducting 
at  the  time  the  Revolutionary  war  was  inaugurated.  The  spirit  of  inde- 
pendence burned  strong  within  him,  and  when  the  colonies  attempted  to 
throw  off  the  yoke  of  British  tyranny  he  joined  the  Pennsylvania  troops  and 
served  throughout  the  conflict.  He  was  with  Washington  in  the  memorable 
winter  at  Valley  Forge,  where  the  army  suffered  untold  hardships,  but  at  the 
same  time  manifested  the  spirit  of  resolution,  which  was  the  potent  factor  in 

16 


296  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

winning  independence  for  the  country.  When  victory  had  crowned  the 
army  Mr.  Stahley  returned  to  his  Pennsylvania  home,  and  in  connection  with 
general  farming  he  conducted  a  hotel,  remaining  in  Pennsylvania  until  his 
demise.  His  son,  the  grandfather  of  our  suhject,  was  born  in  Lancaster 
county,  that  state,  and  was  a  clock-maker  by  trade.  He  removed  to  Stark 
count}-.  Ohio,  at  an  early  period  in  the  development  of  that  section  of  the 
state  and  was  there  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  clocks,  building  up  a 
good  trade.  His  death  occurred  when  he  had  attained  the  venerable  age  of 
eighty-three  years. 

Jacob  Stahley,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Lancaster  count}', 
Pennsylvania,  in  1815,  and  in  early  life  learned  the  tailor's  trade,  which  he 
followed  through  many  years.  In  1840  he  became  a  resident  of  Stark  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  conducted  a  tannery  until  his  removal  to  Crawford  county, 
making  the  journey  on  one  of  the  first  trains  that  ran  over  the  Pennsyl- 
vania road.  In  Crestline  he  opened  its  first  clothing  and  tailoring  shop 
and  received  a  liberal  patronage  from  the  best  class  of  citizens,  his  large 
and  constantly  increasing  business  gaining  for  him  a  good  income.  He  was 
also  a  leader  in  public  thought  and  action  and  his  opinions  carried  weight 
among  his  friends  and  neighbors,  who,  recognizing  his  ability,  called  him 
to  public  office.  For  two  terms  he  served  as  mayor  of  the  city,  and  his  ad- 
ministration was  practical,  business-like  and  progressive.  He  exercised  his 
1  official  prerogatives  in  support  of  all  measures  for  the  general  good  and  in- 
troduced many  needed  reforms  and  improvements.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  education  and  was  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  movement  which 
led  to  the  erection  of  the  west  school  building.  He  continued  to  make  his 
home  in  Crestline  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1873.  In  early  man- 
hood he  married  Rebecca  Moser,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  was  born  in 
Berks  county,  near  Reading,  whose  father  was  a  near  relative  of  Governor 
Heister,  of  the  Keystone  state.  Mrs.  Stahley's  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Catherine  Ludwig,  was  also  born  in  Pennsylvania,  but  spent  her  last 
days  in  Crawford  county. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Reuben  Stahley  we  present  to  our 
readers  the  life  history  of  one  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known  and  whose 
upright  character  has  commended  him  to  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  all 
with  whom  he  has  been  associated.  In  his  boyhood  he  came  to  Crawford 
ci  mnty  and  has  since  been  a  resident  of  Crestline.  In  the  public  schools  here 
he  acquired  his  primary  education,  but  completed  it  by  a  course  in  the  Ohio 
University,  at  Delaware,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  home  and  took  up 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  297 

the  practical  duties  of  a  business  career.  For  fifteen  years  he  was  employed 
by  the  American  Express  company  at  this  place  and  was  a  trusted  representa- 
tive of  that  corporation.  For  four  years  he  was  postmaster  of  the  city  and 
for  six  years  he  filled  the  office  of  county  auditor,  discharging  his  duties  in  a 
manner  that  enabled  him  to  retire  from  the  office  as  he  had  entered  it,  with 
the  confidence  and  good  will  of  all.  For  twelve  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  school  board  and  for  some  time  served  as  its  president,  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation finding  in  him  a  warm  friend,  who  had  strict  regard  for  the  best 
interests  of  the  schools,  and  is  at  present  serving  as  one  of  its  directors. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  county  board  of  school  examiners  for  nine  years, 
and  his  political  support  has  ever  been  given  to  the  Democracy,  his  labors  in 
its  behalf  being  efficient  and  valuable. 

JACOB  LUST. 

The  farming  interests  of  a  country  are  apt  to  have  great  influence  in 
determining  the  position  that  country  occupies  in  the  world.  In  a  like  degree 
such  is  the  case  with  a  county,  and  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is  most  fortunate 
an  having  its  agricultural  affairs  so  well  looked  after.  Among  those  of  this 
county  who  have  become  well  and,  favorably  known  as  excellent  farmers 
able  to  bring  from  the  soil  an  abundant  harvest,  is  Jacob  Lust,  one  of  the 
progressive  and  successful  citizens  of  Holmes  township.  The  birth  of  Jacob 
Lust  was  in  Lykens  township,  in  this  county,  on  March  17,  1855,  a  son  of 
David  and  Catherine  (Yeiter)  Lust,  and  he  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  still  survive.  These  are:  Jacob;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of 
William  Heiber,  of  Liberty  township ;  Simon,  of  Liberty  township ;  Mary, 
the  wife  of  Philip  Cook,  of  Whetstone  township ;  Noah,  of  Whetstone  town- 
ship; Sarah,  the  wife  of  William  Hayden,  of  Mount  Gilead,  Ohio;  Lydia, 
the  wife  of  Isaac  Stump,  of  Lykens  township;  Wesley,  of  Holmes  township; 
Abe,  of  Holmes  township;  and  Amos,  of  Lykens  township. 

David  Lust,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Marion  county,  Ohio, 
in  1829,  his  parents  dying  when  he  was  still  an  infant.  He  was  taken  by 
his  uncle,  Conrad  Lust,  and  was  reared  through  his  boyhood  by  him,  earn- 
ing his  own  way  by  working  for  his  relatives.  In  1832  the  family  came  to 
Crawford  county,  settling  in  Chatfield  township,  and  here  David  grew  up  to 
manhood  and  later  married  a  most  estimable  lady.  A  tract  of  Indiana  land 
had  been  left  him,  from  his  parents,  and  this  he  exchanged  for  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  which  comprises  his  farm  in  Lykens  township.     Flere  he  set- 


298  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

tied  and  has  long  been  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  the  locality.  At  one 
time  he  owned  rive  hundred  and  six  acres,  but  has  recently  disposed  of  one 
hundred  and  four  acres.  His  political  sympathies  make  him  a  Democrat. 
For  a  great  many  years  he  has  been  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist 
church,  in  which  he  held  office  for  a  lengthened  period. 

Jacob  Lust  grew  up  in  his  comfortable  and  happy  home  and  obtained 
his  education  in  the  public  schools.  In  1880  he  was  married  to  Miss  Amanda 
Brown,  a  native  of  this  township,  who  was  born  on  the  farm  where  the 
family  now  resides.  After  marriage  Mr.  Lust  began  domestic  life  on  one 
of  his  father's  farms,  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  in  Liberty  township, 
and  operated  it  for  three  years  on  shares;  but  in  1884,  in  partnership  with 
his  father,  he  purchased  eighty  acres  in  Bucyrus  township  and  Jacob  re- 
moved to  that  farm,  residing  upon  that  place  until  about  1893,  when  he 
purchased  of  his  brother-in-law,  George  W.  Brown,  one  hundred  and  four- 
teen acres  of  his  present  home  farm,  which  was  a  portion  of  the  old  Brown 
estate.  In  the  spring  of  1900  our  subject  bought  an  additional  thirty-five 
acres,  making  his  present  farm  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  acres.  This  is 
an  estate  of  which  any  agriculturist  might  be  proud,  well  improved  and 
cultivated. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lust  numbered  six,  four  of  whom 
survive.  Of  those  deceased,  one  died  in  infancy  and  Effie  May  died  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  years.  The  others  are:  Lavern  J.  D.,  Leroy  L.,  Leara  E.  and 
Gordon  R. 

The  political  belief  of  Mr.  Lust  retains  him  in  the  Democratic  party  and 
he  has  considerable  influence  through  the  township.  He  takes  an  active  in- 
terest in  educational  matters,  and  for  the  past  four  years  has  acted  as  school 
director.  In  his  immediate  vicinity,  where  he  is  best  known,  he  is  most  highly 
esteemed,  and  ranks  as  one  of  the  representative  men  of  Holmes  township. 

JOHN  ENGLISH. 

1 

John  English  has  for  thirty-eight  years  been  a  resident  of  Galion  and 
is  one  of  its  most  esteemed  and  worthy  citizens.  His  father,  Samuel  English, 
was  a  native  of  Lancaster  count}',  Pennsylvania,  born  in  the  year  18 13,  and 
on  leaving  the  Keystone  state  took  up  his  abode  at  Blooming  Grove,  Rich- 
land county,  Ohio,  about  the  year  1836.  Here,  in  1838,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  Hall,  who  was  a  native  of  Richland  count}-.  Their 
union  was  blessed  with  the  following  children:     William  Henry,  who  was 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  299 

born  in  1839  and  was  killed  in  a  sawmill  near  Spencerville,  in  Van  Wert 
county,  Ohio,  in  July,  1870;  John,  of  this  review:  Mary  Ann,  who  was  born 
in  1842  and  is  the  wife  of  Robert  Park,  their  home  being  new  in  the  southern 
part  of  Crawford  county ;  Margaret  Ann,  wife  of  Freeman  L.  Corey,  of  Osce- 
ola county,  Michigan ;  Calista  Jane,  wife  of  Edward  Panghorn,  a  resident  of 
Leavittsburg,  Ohio;  Harry  L.,  of  Gabon  ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Henry  Boltz,  a 
resident  of  Wood  county,  Ohio;  Minerva,  wife  of  Adelbert  Farnsworth,  who 
is  living  in  Gabon;  David  Allen,  of  Fayetteville,  Missouri;  and  Nelson  Bar- 
nett,  who  is  residing  with  his  family  at  Akron,  Ohio.  Samuel  English,  at 
the  age  of  forty-eight,  enlisted  in  the  Fuedeber  Regiment,  of  Chicago,  and 
in  two  months  was  discharged,  and,  returning  to  Gabon,  he  re-enlisted,  in 
April.  1862,  in  Company  K,  Twenty-third  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
served  three  years,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged.  He  and  three  sons 
all  came  home  safe,  excepting  our  subject,  who  was  seriously  wounded. 

John  English  was  born  in  Johnsville,  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  on  the  9th 
of  April,  1840,  and  throughout  his  entire  life  has  resided  in  the  Buckeye 
state.  He  remained  in  Blooming  Grove  until  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  and 
then  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  what  was  known  as  the 
Adam  Christman  farm,  four  miles  west  of  Gabon.  There  he  aided  in  the 
work  of  held  and  meadow,  performing  his  share  in  the  labors  of  the  old  home- 
stead, and  in  response  to  the  call  of  President  Lincoln  for  troops  for  the 
defense  of  the  Union,  on  the  1st  of  March,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  a  member  of 
Company  D,  Twenty-third  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  At  the  battle  of  An- 
tietam,  on  the  17th  of  September  of  that  year,  he  was  seriously  wounded  in 
the  leg  and  the  following  month  the  member  was  amputated.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  serious  loss  which  he  had  sustained,  he  was  unable  to  do  active 
service  and  was  honorably  discharged  on  the  3d  of  March,  1863,  and  re- 
turned to  his  home.  For  ten  years  after  the  war  he  was  in  the  employ  of 
the  Erie  and  Big  Four  Railroad  Companies  and  for  twelve  years  following 
his  retirement  from  railway  service  he  acted  as  notary  public  in  Crawford 
count)'.  At  the  present  time  he  is  engaged  in  the  confectionery  business  in 
Gabon,  where  he  has  a  large  and  well-selected  stock,  his  store  being  neat  and 
attractive  in  appearance.  He  is  enjoying  a  liberal  patronage  and  his  business 
is  constantly  increasing. 

Mr.  English  has  been  twice  married.  In  Gabon,  on  the  18th  of  No- 
vember, 1870,  he  married  Miss  Maria  Noblet  and  unto  them  were  born  five 
children,  but  only  one  is  now  living,  Anna  May  Burgener,  now  a  resident  of 
Gabon.     After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  English  wedded  Miss  Mary  C. 


300  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

'West,  a  daughter  of  Montreville  West,  who  resided  at  Marsailles,  Wyandot 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  the  year  1857.  For  thirty-eight  years  he  has 
been  a  continuous  resident  of  Galion  and  is  a  citizen  of  sterling  worth,  who 
commands  and  enjoys  the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  fellow  men  by  reason 
of  his  fidelity  to  duty,  and  he  is  in  the  highest  and  best  sense  of  the  term 
a  gentleman,  courteous  in  manner  and  in  his  own  home  is  considerate  and 
hospitable.  He  made  for  his  country  a  great  sacrifice  and  therefore  is  en- 
titled to  the  everlasting  gratitude  of  the  nation  for  the  part  which  he  per- 
formed in  preserving  the  Union. 

REUBEN  O.  MORGAN. 

Reuben  O.  Morgan  is  one  of  the  native  sons  of  Galion,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  this  city  on  the  2d  of  September,  1873.  His  father,  George 
Morgan,  was  born  in  Webster,  Darke  county,  Ohio,  and  is  now  a  resident 
of  Bellefontaine,  Ohio,  being  employed  as  a  passenger  engineer  by  the  Big 
Four  Railroad  Company.  In  the  city  schools  of  Galion  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view pursued  his  education  until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the 
service  of  the  Big  Four  Railroad  Company.  After  a  year  he  was  promoted 
to  the  position  of  telegraph  operator  and  acted  in  that  capacity  until  1896,. 
when  he  resigned  the  office  in  order  to  engage  in  the  coal  business  in  Galion. 
He  dealt  in  that  commodity  until  1898,  when  he  was  appointed  superintendent 
of  the  Galion  Gas  Light  Company,  in  which  capacity  he  is  still  serving.  Every 
business  change  which  he  has  made  has  been  a  promotion,  with  increasing 
responsibility  and  increasing  income.  These  attest  the  merit  of  the  man  and 
his  advancement  is  a  deserved  tribute  to  his  injierent  worth.  As  the  manager 
of  the  Galion  Gas  Light  Company  he  has  shown  himself  to  be  a  man  of  su- 
perior executive  force,  keen  discrimination  and  sound  judgment,  and  the  en- 
terprise is  meeting  with  prosperity  under  his  care. 

In  1895  Mr.  [Morgan  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Grace  Bryan,  a 
native  of  Galion,  and  they  now  have  a  pleasant  home  in  the  city,  which  is 
celebrated  for  its  charming  and  gracious  hospitality. 

HERMAN  HENRY  FIARTMAN,  M.  D. 

In  the  subject  of  this  review  we  have  one  who  has  attained  distinction 
in  the  line  of  his  profession.  He  has  been  an  earnest  and  discriminating 
student,  and  he  holds  a  position  of  due  relative  precedence  among  the  medical 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


301 


practitioners  of  this  section  of  Ohio.     He  is  now  successfully  practicing  in 
Gahon,  where  he  has  a  large  and  distinctively  representative  patronage.  & 

The  Doctor  is  a  native  of  this  city,  his  birth  having  here  occurred  in 
1869,  Ins  parents  being  A.  H.  and  Catherine   (Bohl)   Hartman.     For  forty 
years  the  father  has  been  engaged  in  business  as  a  druggist  of  this  city  and 
is  one  of  the  most  prominent  representatives  of  commercial  interests  here.  He 
is  a  native  of  Germany,  whence,  in  early  life,  he  came  to  America.     His  wife 
was  born  in  Polk  township,  Crawford  county,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Bohl, 
one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  that  township,  now  deceased.     He.  too.  was 
a  native  of  the  fatherland,  and  on  coming  to  the  new  world  cast  in  his  lot 
with  the  early  settlers  of  this  portion  of  Ohio.     The  Doctor  pursued  his  pre- 
liminary education  in  the  common  schools,  and  supplemented  his  studies  there 
by  a  course  in  the  Capital  University,  at  Columbus.     Determining  to  make 
the  practice  of  medicine  his  life  work,  he  began  study  in  Columbus,  and  was 
graduated  at  the  Columbus  Medical  College  with  the  class  of  1890.     He  after- 
ward pursued  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  polyclinic  of  New  York,  com- 
pleting his  studies  there  in  1893.     He  then  began  practice  in   Jacksonville, 
Ohio,  where  he  remained  until   1896,  when  he  returned  to  Gabon.     He  has 
been   very  successful   in  following  his   chosen  calling,   his  success   resulting 
from  his  skill  and  ability,  his  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  principles  of 
medical  science  and  his  correct  methods  in  applying  remedies  to  relieve  the 
suffering  of  his  fellow  men.     As  the  years  have  passed  his  patronage  lias 
steadily  increased  in  volume  and  importance,  and  he  has  kept  in  touch  with 
the  advanced  thought  and  progress  of  the  day. 

Dr.  Hartman  has  always  been  quite  prominent  in  public  affairs.  While 
residing  in  Jacksonville  he  was  a  candidate  of  the  Democracy  in  1895  for 
the  office  of  representative  in  the  state  legislature.  He  was  also  elected 
mayor  of  Jacksonville,  and  was  filling  that  position  at  the  time  of  his  re- 
moval to  Galion,  resigning  in  order  to  take  up  his  abode  in  the  latter  city. 
He  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  health  officer  of  Galion,  and  since  1898 
he  has  been  city  physician.  His  political  support  has  ever  been  given  to  the 
Democracy  and  he  takes  an  active  interest  in  its  work,  laboring  untiringly 
and  effectively  for  the  adoption  of  its  principles  and  the  election  of  its  can- 
didates. 

Dr.  Hartman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Effie  L.  Woodworth,  of 
Athens  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  C.  Woodworth,  a  merchant,  who  is  now 
deceased.  Their  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  two  interesting  little  daugh- 
ters,—Mary  and  Alma.     The  Doctor  is  connected  with  the  German  Lutheran 


302  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

■church.  He  and  his  wife  enjoy  the  high  regard  of  many  friends  in  Galion, 
and  the  circle  is  constantly  increasing  as  their  acquaintance  is  widened.  He 
is  a  gentleman  of  strong  mentality,  marked  individuality  and  sterling  worth, 
and  his  prominence  in  his  chosen  profession  is  a  merited  tribute  to  his  inde- 
fatigahle  labor  and  ability. 

STEPHEX  R.  HARRIS. 

Hon.  Stephen  R.  Harris,  who  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  seven 
miles  west  of  Massillon,  Ohio.  May  22,  1824,  sprang  from  patriotic  stock. 
His  grandfather  was  John  Harris  and  his  paternal  grandmother  Mary 
Hamilton.  The  former  was  a  soldier  in  the  army  of  Washington  and  dis- 
tinguished himself  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  where  his  brother-in-law, 
John  Hamilton,  was  killed  beside  him. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  worked  on  the  farm  and  attended  district 
school  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  started  out  for  himself.  He 
was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  at  Canal  Fulton,  Stark  county,  about 
four  years,  attended  a  select  school  at  Dalton,  taught  by  John  W,  Rankin, 
afterward  a  distinguished  lawyer  and  a  partner  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  of  the  late 
Justice  Miller,  of  the  United  States  supreme  court.  In  1842  he  was  a  student 
in  the  preparatory  department  of  Washington  College,  Pennsylvania,  which 
institution  recently  conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts.  In  1843  an(l  !^44  ne  studied  in  Norwalk  Seminary,  under  the  late 
Edward  Thomson,  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  For  the 
next  two  years  he  was  a  student  in  the  classical  department  of  the  Western 
Reserve  College,  at  Hudson.  In  the  winter  of  1846-7  he  taught  school  at 
Canal  Fulton. 

Having  by  this  time  acquired  a  liberal  education  through  his  own  un- 
aided and  persistent  efforts,  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  his  uncle,  John  Harris,  a  pioneer  lawyer  of  ability,  at  Canton.  After 
reading  under  instruction  for  two  years  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the 
spring  of  1849,  and  on  the  14th  day  of  June  of  that  year  opened  an  office 
for  practice  at  Bucyrus.  From  that  time  to  the  present,  more  than  half  a 
century,  he  has  continued  to  practice  at  the  same  place.  He  became  the  law 
partner  of  the  late  Judge  Josiah  Scott  in  1850.  and  the  partnership  was  con- 
tinuous until  the  death  of  the  latter  in  1879,  except  for  the  period  of  Judge 
Scott's  service  on  the  state  supreme  bench.  Mr.  Harris  served  as  deputy 
United  States  marshal  and  member  of  the  county  military  committee  during 


■1MSUL, 


(7&.    /r&u^^Cd 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  305 

the  war.  He  was  elected,  in  1894,  to  represent  his  district,  which  has  been 
strongly  Democratic,  in  the  fifty-fourth  congress  of  the  United  States,  and 
was  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  re-election  in  1896,  but  the  free-silver 
sentiment  and  fusion  of  the  Populists  were  sufficiently  strong  to  defeat  the 
ticket.  Mr.  Harris  has  been  a  Republican  ever  since  the  organization  of 
the  party,  and  prior  to  that  was  a  Whig. 

He  has,  however,  given  his  chief  thought  to  the  duties  of  his  profession, 
and  has  for  years  stood  in  the  fore  front  of  practitioners  in  Crawford  county. 
His  reading  is  deep  and  broad ;  he  is  successful  in  the  trial  of  cases,  and 
remarkably  successful  in  the  argument  of  cases  before  the  supreme  court. 
It  has  become  proverbial  in  the  bar  where  he  is  well  known  that  if  Mr. 
Harris  has  the  slightest  ground  for  appeal  or  error  to  the  higher  courts 
his  adversary  may  as  well  give  up  at  once,  because  he  nearly  always  wins  in 
the  appellate  court.  He  holds  the  esteem  of  his  brethren  at  the  bar  and  the 
confidence  of  the  courts.  His  methods  are  such  as  to  commend  themselves 
to  the  best  and  most  respected  members  of  the  profession.  He  also  stands 
well  in  the  highest  political  circles,  and  his  personal  popularity  rests  upon 
merit. 

He  was  married  September  15,  1853,  to  Miss  Mary  Jane  Monett,  who 
died  in  1888,  leaving  two'  sons  and  two  daughters,  offspring  of  the  union. 

He  has  been  very  successful  as  a  financier,  and  as  a  result  is  a  man  of 
large  possessions.  He  is  quite  an  extensive  landed  proprietor  in  the  state 
of  Ohio  and  Iowa.  As  an  amateur  sportsman  he  is  a  frequent  contributor 
to  the  Turf,  Field  and  Farm,  and  Forest  and  Stream.  Now,  over  seventy- 
five  years  of  age.  he  is  an  excellent  shot  on  the  wing,  either  in  the  open 
or  from  the  trap. 

Mr.  Harris  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  State  Bar  Associa- 
tion, and  has  been  an  active  member  from  the  beginning,  serving  as  president 
of  the  association  in  1894.  He  is  now  chairman  of  the  committee  on  legal 
biography.  As  a  public  speaker  he  is  clear,  logical  and  convincing,  rather  than 
eloquent.  He  entertains  decided  views  on  all  question  of  political  importance 
or  popular  interest.  The  following  is  an  extract  from  his  annual  address 
delivered  in  1894,  before  the  Ohio  State  Bar  Association,  of  which  he  was 
then  president : 

STRIKES. 

"'Another  topic  I  approach  with  diffidence,  for  the  reason  that  no  ex- 
pression has  been  uttered  on  the  subject  by  our  Association.  What  the 
views  of  our  members    here    assembled    may   be   are   unknown  to  me,  but  I 


306  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

cannot  refrain  from  expressing  my  own  feelings  and  convictions,  whether 
they  be  acceptable  to  this  Association  or  not.  I  allude  to  the  growing  state 
of  anarchy  to  which  our  beloved  republic  is  rapidly  drifting  under  the  un- 
checked growth  of  communism,  which  takes  the  specious  form  and  name  of  so- 
called  strikes.  Thousands  upon  thousands  of  laborers  have  had  ample  em- 
ployment with  good  living  wages,  on  the  railroads,  in  the  mines  and  manu- 
facturing establishments  of  our  country.  On  the  other  hand  there  are  triple  the 
number  of  honest  laborers  in  miscellaneous  pursuits,  uncertain  in  their  nature, 
liable  to  fluctuate  in  wages  and  of  uncertain  duration,  such  as  the  common 
day  laborer.  The  latter  class  may  well  envy  the  miner,  the  railroader  and  the 
factory  hand.  They  would  gladly  change  places  for  the  same  wages,  but  what 
state  of  things  confront  them?  They  are  met  and  repulsed  by  strikers,  who 
voluntarily  go  out  themselves  and  refuse  to  permit  the  other  laborers  to  take 
their  places. 

"Here  we  see  the  work  of  the  seditious  demagogues  with  political  aspira- 
tions and  a  burning  desire  for  notoriety.  With  incendiary  eloquence  they 
seek  to  embitter  labor  against  capital,  when  they  well  know  that  labor  and 
capital  are  mutually  dependent  on  each  other.  They  tell  the  laborers,  who 
are  the  strongest  numerically,  that  they  are  abused  and  oppressed  by  their 
employers,  at  times  when  the  laborers  are  well  compensated  and  contented. 
They  incite  discontent  and  resentments  where  none  existed  before.  They 
arouse  the  dormant  passions  and  cupidity  of  the  laborer.  They  frame  and 
formulate  organizations  and  societies  for  them,  and  incite  them  to  strike  down 
and  ruin  their  benefactors.  They  dupe  their  followers  with  the  doctrine  that 
capitalists  and  corporations  are  powerful  and  oppressive,  but  fail  to  tell  the 
other  truth  that  a  host  of  hostile  and  unreasonable  laborers  are  also  oppressive 
and  dangerous.  The  result  is  that  they  have  prevented  the  running  of  railroad 
trains,  the}-  have  tied  the  hands  of  property  owners,  they  have  closed  factories 
and  they  have  shut  up  coal  mines  on  which  private  families,  factories,  railroads 
and  steamers  on  our  navigable  waters  depend  for  fuel.  They  have  impeded  the 
carrying  of  mails  and  have  inflicted  untold  injury,  either  directly  or  indirectly, 
upon  every  business  pursuit. 

"For  the  vacant  position  of  every  striker  there  are  three  equally  honest 
laborers  with  families  in  need  of  their  earnings,  who  are  ready  and  willing 
to  go  to  work,  but  the  horde  of  strikers,  under  the  instructions  of  designing 
leaders,  sullenly  and  forcibly  repulse  every  non-union  laborer  who  ventures  to 
-tart  the  train,  to  open  the  mine  or  set  the  idle  machinery  to  running  in  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  307 

factory,  and  that  to  the  extent  of  assassination,  if  necessary,  to  carry  the 
point.    There  can  be  a  tyranny  of  labor  as  well  as  a  tyranny  of  capital. 

"Suppose  a  change  of  places.  Imagine  an  employer  who  would  discharge 
a  laborer  and  at  the  same  time  say  to  him,  T  will  neither  give  you  employment 
nor  permit  you  to  work  for  anybody  else.'  The  same  designing  and  insidious 
leader  who  first  inaugurated  a  strike  would  be  ready  to  turn  around  and  incite 
the  rich  against  the  poor,  if  he  could  thereby  obtain  political  power  and 
notoriety.  A  demagogue  in  a  republic  and  a  courtier  in  a  monarchy  are  the 
same.  They  both  fawn  and  flatter  the  governing  power  for  the  sake  of 
personal  gain  and  notoriety.  The  designing  orator  and  demagogue  who  in- 
cite a  happy  and  contented  class  of  well  paid  laborers,  as  well  as  the  poor  who 
are  out  of  employment,  to  mutiny  against  their  employers  and  benefactors; 
who  make  inflammatory  speeches  to  convince  them  that  the  rich  have  no  other 
designs  than  to  crush  the  poor,  deserves  to  be  classed  with  the  blood}-  an- 
archist and  should,  like  him,  be  stamped  out  by  the  government  for  its  own 
protection.  The  organized  strikers  compose  less  than  one-third  of  the  laboring 
men  of  the  United  States,  and  of  them  a  considerable  majority  are  foreigners. 
Our  land  has  been  latterly  made  the  receptacle  into  which  foreign  nations  have 
dumped  their  paupers  and  criminals.  The  honest,  intelligent,  industrious,  law- 
abiding  foreigner  will,  in  the  future,  as  in  the  past,  be  welcome  to  our  shores. 
We  see  the  neatness  and  thrift  of  the  Germans,  who  have  clad  these  lovely 
islands  with  their  vines,  and,  like  Werhle,  have  beautified  them  with  struc- 
tures. I  allude  to  these  people  only  in  words  of  praise,  lint,  unhappily,  statistics 
show  that  class  of  immigration  to  be  on  the  wane,  and  in  their  stead  we  are 
flooded  with  dangerous  criminals  like  the  Italian  bandit,  born  with  a  stiletto  in 
his  hand. 

"This  republic  has  been  kind  to  the  laboring  man.  Political  parties  have 
vied  with  each  other  as  to  which  could  best  promote  his  interests.  Under 
congressional  legislation  the  Chinese,  with  their  cheap  labor,  have  been  ex- 
cluded in  the  interest  of  the  American  laboring  man.  The  construction  of 
the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  was  completed  by  Chinese  labor,  and  the  same  class 
can  live,  work  and  thrive  on  wages  that  would  starve  an  American  laborer  and 
his  family.  Hence  they  have  been  excluded  purely  for  tire  benefit  of  com- 
pensatory wages  for  Americans. 

''The  legislature  of  Ohio  has  enacted  laws  peculiarly  beneficial  to  the 
laboring  classes.  It  protects  wages  against  the  homestead  and  other  exemp- 
tions of  the  debtor.  It  gives  them  priority  over  all  others  in  case  of  their 
employers'  failure.     It  gives  them  mechanics'  and  workmen's  liens  on  struc- 


308  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

tures  of  all  kinds,  and  our  courts  construe  all  those  laws  liberally  in  the 
interests  of  the  mechanics  and  laborers  whose  work  is  in  the  structures.  I 
would  go  farther:  I  would  have  our  legislature  and  our  courts  protect  the 
honest  laborer,  who,  seeking"  employment,  finds  a  vacant  place  with  ah  em- 
ployer ready  and  willing  to  set  him  to  work,  but  finds  himself  met,  halted  and 
threatened,  not  by  the  owner  of  the  property,  but  by  a  striker  who  has  vacated 
the  position,  stopped  the  business,  depreciated  the  property  of  his  former 
employer  and  now  forbids  a  fellow  citizen  to  work  when  his  services  are 
needed  and  the  wages  offered  are  satisfactory.  It  becomes  at  this  point  an 
issue,  not  between  employer  and  employe,  but  it  is  the  oppression  of  one  class  of 
laborers  against  another  class.  It  is  the  tyranny  of  those  who  abandon  their 
work  and  deprive  other  worthy  and  needy  laborers  of  employment.  It  pre- 
sents the  spectacle  of  an  unreasonable  and  tyrannical  class  of  laborers  ar- 
rayed against  another  and  less  favored  class  seeking  employment. 

"Personally,  I  am  not  interested  in  the  conflict  between  the  strikers  and 
their  employers.  I  allude  to  it  without  personal  feeling  for  either  class.  In 
fact  I  have  a  friendly  feeling  for  the  laboring  man.  'I  have  been  there  myself." 
The  first  money  I  ever  earned  for  myself  was  by  chopping  wood  for  forty 
cents  a  cord.  I  have  a  sympathy  with  the  laboring  man,  and  especially  for  one 
who  is  out  of  employment  and  kept  out  by  another.  I  have  no  especial  affec- 
tion for  an  unreasonable  capitalist.  I  am  not  in  love  with  George  M.  Pull- 
man. I  have  on  sundry  occasions  'blowed  in'  two  of  the  silver  dollars  of  our 
fathers  for  the  privilege  of  a  sleep  in  one  of  his  cars.  I  have  also  helped 
enable  him  to  pay  his  taxes  and  keep  up  his  style  of  living  by  adding  the 
tribute  of  a  quarter  of  a  dollar  toward  the  wages  of  his  colored  porter.  We 
have  all  done  the  fair  thing  by  George.  In  fact  we  have  been  liberal  toward 
him  almost  to  a  fault :  consequently  he  has  no  preferred  lien  on  our  affections. 
The  state  of  our  feelings,  however,  has  little  to  do  with  the  subject  under 
consideration.  The  constitution  of  our  own  state  as  well  as  the  federal  con- 
stitution is  broad  enough  to  support  appropriate  legislation  to  remedy  these 
evils ;  to  practicallv  afford  equal  and  exact  protection  to  the  poor  against  the 
rich;  to  protect  the  property  of  the  rich  against  mob  violence;  and,  what 
appears  to  be  more  needed  at  the  present  time,  to  afford  protection  to  one 
class  of  laborers  against  the  tyranny  of  another  class. 

THE    MISSION    OF    LAWYERS. 

"In  all  the  political  history  of  our  country,  when  emergencies  have 
arisen,  lawyers  were  depended  on  to  guide  legislation,  to  frame  treaties  and  to 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  309 

draft  acts  of  legislature  so  that  they  might  be  in  conformity  of  law.  De 
Tocqueville,  that  accurate  and  sagacious  observer  of  our  country,  as  early 
as  1835,  wrote  these  remarkable  words:  'I  cannot  believe  that  a  republic 
could  subsist  at  the  present  time  if  the  influence  of  lawyers  in  public  busi- 
ness did  not  increase  in  proportion  to  the  power  of  the  people.'  Thirty  of  the 
fifty-five  members  of  the  convention  which  framed  the  federal  constitution 
were  lawyers,  and  all  of  those  who  put  it  in  proper  legal  shape  were  lawyers. 
Of  all  the  United  States  senators  since  1787  two-thirds  have  been  lawyers, 
and  of  the  entire  number  of  representatives  more  than  one-half  were  lawyers. 

"While  it  is  true  that  men  of  other  vocations  have  been  useful  and  per- 
haps indispensable  as  legislators,  because  of  their  knowledge  and  experience  in 
the  various  wants,  industries  and  business  interests  of  the  country,  yet  upon 
the  lawyers  rested  and  still  rests  the  responsibility  of  framing  laws  to  meet 
and  protect  those  wants  and  business  interests,  that  they  may  stand  when 
contested  in  the  courts.  Ludicrous  results  sometimes  appear  when  the  work 
of  lawyers  is  left  out.  In  Kansas  at  one  time  the  people  sat  down  on  the 
lawyers  and  elected  a  granger  legislature.  The  session  laws  of  that  year  sub- 
sequently faded  away  like  mists  when  they  came  before  the  courts.  In  one 
circuit  they  elected  a  granger  judge  who  was  down  on  lawyers.  He  refused 
to  render  decrees  for  the  foreclosure  of  mortgages,  giving  as  a  reason  that 
times  were  too  hard  and  no  foreclosures  could  be  had  in  his  court  until  times 
improved;  In  one  case  the  supreme  court  rendered  a  decree  of  foreclosure  and 
sent  a  mandate  to  the  granger's  court,  but  the  same  judge  refused  to  obey 
the  mandate,  refused  to  carry  the  judgment  into  execution  and  was,  I  believe, 
attached  for  contempt  by  the  supreme  court.  In  Iowa  they  had  a  similar  ex- 
perience as  to  the  transitory  character  of  granger  legislation.  A  joke  was 
once  scored  against  the  legislature  of  Ohio,  when,  by  the  act  of  March  11, 
1875,  they  made  it  unlawful  to  spear  fish  through  the  ice  between  the  1st  of 
May  and  the  1st  of  September.  A  similar  joke  came  near  passing  into  our 
last  legislature  when  an  act  went  through  one  house  which  empowered  a 
justice  of  the  peace  to  appoint  receivers  for  railroad  companies  who  failed  to 
pay  the  squire's  judgment  with  due  promptness.  « 

"My  friends,  the  longer  I  have  practiced  law  the  more  do  I  learn  to 
admire  the  profession  to  which  I  have  the  honor  to  belong.  A  lawyer  de- 
voted to  his  profession  has  little  other  thought  than  to'  study  his  cases  in  the 
interest  of  his  clients.  He  seldom  stops  to  reflect  upon  his  calling  or  view 
it  from  an  outside  standpoint.  A  bar  association  with  its  periodical  meetings 
has  a  beneficial  tendency  to  relax  his  labors  for  the  time  being,  and  to  afford 


3io  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

him  the  opportunity  to  exchange  views  with  his  fellow  members  of  the  legal 
profession  when  they  are  met  together  socially,  and  not  in  the  heat  of  litigation 
at  the  bar.  Upon  the  lawyer  rests  the  responsibility  of  managing  and  directing 
the  highest  and  most  important  business  interests,  the  rights  of  persons,  the 
rights  of  property,  including  in  many  instances  the  domestic  relations.  When 
I  speak  of  lawyers  I  have  no  reference  to  that  small  class  who  have  crept  into 
our  profession,  who  grovel  in  the  dregs  of  dishonorable  practice,  the  shysters, — 
a  set  of  turkey  buzzards,  whose  touch  is  pollution  and  whose  breath  is  pesti- 
lence. To  such  a  class  drifts  dishonest  litigation.  If  a  man  has  a  crooked  case 
he  naturally  hunts  a  crooked  lawyer  to  manage  it.  I  desire  on  the  contrary  to 
bring  my  tribute  to  the  higher  class  of  our  profession.  I  mean  the  honorable, 
conscientious  lawyer,  who  has  many  important  privileges  conferred  upon  him, 
and  who  in  turn  has  many  important  duties  to  perform.  He  acts  with  fidelity 
to  his  client  and  with  courtesy  to  the  court,  gives  all  the  light  and  aid  he  can 
to  honorably  advance  the  interests  of  his  client.  He  discourages  useless  and 
discreditable  litigation.  Pie  investigates  his  client's  cause  and  promptly  tells 
him  if  it  be  true  that  he  cannot  defend  or  recover,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  ad- 
vises a  settlement  or  compromise.  While  such  a  lawyer  may  forego  a  fee 
for  the  time  being  he  will  build  up  a  reputation  for  honesty  that  will  ultimately 
flood  him  with  business  of  a  meritorious  character,  in  which  he  himself  will 
have  confidence.  On  such  a  lawyer  will  the  business  man  rely,  when  complica- 
tions arise  and  his  property  is  in  jeopardy.  To  him  will  the  testator  in  con- 
templation of  death  send  to  write  his  last  will  and  testament.  On  him  will 
the  widow  and  orphan  depend  when  designing  men  seek  to  deprive  them  of 
their  patrimony,  and  the  lawyer  who  would  prove  false  to  such  a  trust,  and 
himself  become  the  robber,  deserves  to  be  expelled  from  the  bar  in  his  life- 
time after  his  death  go  where  the  worm  dieth  not  and  fire  is  not  quenched, 
— and  that,  too,  without  any  obituary  notice  by  our  committee  on  legal  bi- 
ography. 

"Everything  a  lawyer  acquires  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  he  de- 
serves, because  he  has  earned  it.  Every  step  that  he  makes  is  in  the  face  of 
tenacious  opposition.  His  progress  is  contested  inch  by  inch.  His  life  is  one 
of  mental  conflict.  The  other  learned  professions,  in  the  acquisition  of  which 
the  student  burns  his  midnight  oil  in  school  or  college,  are  not  so.  The 
pastor's  sermon  is  an  ex  parte  production.  The  physician  prescribes  to  his 
patients  in  secret  and  without  opposition ;  if  he  makes  a  mistake  the  world 
is  none  the  wiser ;  but  when  the  lawyer  takes  a  false  position  or  makes  a  mis- 
take it  is  in  the  glare  of  the  light.       He  is  detected  and  exposed  in  public 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  311 

and  suffers  humiliation  and  perhaps  defeat.  Therefore,  I  repeat,  that  the 
lawyer  who  succeeds  in  the  face  of  incessant  and  unyielding  opposition  de- 
serves all  he  has  gained.  In  conclusion,  my  friends,  1  propose  to  you  this 
sentiment :  There  is  no  more  exalted  human  character  than  the  man  of  our 
profession  who  has  rounded  up  a  life  of  industry  as  an  honest  and  successful 
lawyer." 

JOHN  WESLEY  KIBLER. 

Throughout  the  years  of  his  business  career  John  Wesley  Kibler  has 
resided  in  New  Washington  and  has  won  success  by  his  untiring  labor,  his 
ambition,  his  energy  and  well  directed  efforts  and  is  to-day  the  possessor 
of  a  handsome  competence  and  a  beautiful  home.  His  name  is  the  synonym 
for  honorable  dealings  in  trade  circles  and  he  enjoys  an  unassailable  reputa- 
tion by  reason  of  his  fidelity  to  the  strictest  ethics  which  govern  commercial 
life. 

Mr.  Kibler  was  born  in  New  Washington,  June  28,  1859,  an^  ^s  a  son  °f 
Matthias  and  Frederica  (Pfahler)  Kibler,  whose  life  history  is  given  at 
length  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  Samuel  Jefferson  Kibler,  on  another 
page  of  this  work.  No  event  of  special  importance  occurred  to  vary  the 
routine  of  the  life  of  our  subject  in  his  boyhood,  play,  work  and  study  oc- 
cupied his  attention.  He  attended  the  common  schools  of  the  town  and 
from  early  youth  assisted  in  the  work  of  the  farm  and  the  tan  yard.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  years  he  entered  the  business  house  then  owned  by  his  brother 
and  mother,  who  were  proprietors  of  the  business  which  his  father  had  es- 
tablished. Soon  after  attaining  his  majority  he  purchased  his  mother's  in- 
terest in  the  enterprise  and  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Kibler  Brothers, 
under  which  title  operations  have  been  since  carried  on.  During  the  inter- 
vening years  the  business  has  increased  to  one  of  mammoth  proportions,  the 
partners  being  now  the  owners  of  one  of  the  largest  hide  houses  in  the  coun- 
try. During  the  first  ten  years  of  his  connection  with  the  firm  Air.  Kibler 
was  upon  the  road  as  traveling  representative,  but  since  that  time  he  has 
largely  remained  in  the  house  in  control  of  some  of  the  important  branches  of 
the  concern. 

Our  subject  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  Democratic  party  and  has  served  as  corporation  clerk  for 
six  years.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  growth  and  success  of  his  party 
and  at  various  times  has  been  a  delegate  to  county  and  state  conventions. 


3i2  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

He  is  likewise  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  is  a  man  of  pleasing  ad- 
dress, courteous  in  manner,  unflinching  principle  and  unquestioned  integrity 
and  yet  withal  having  that  practical  common  sense,  which  never  runs  to 
extremes  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  wherever  he  goes  he  wins  friends.  His  life 
has  been  well  spent  and  his  honorable  and  useful  career  is  worthy  of  emula- 
tion. 

REV.  JOHN  P.  KUNNERT. 

Devoting  his  life  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  as  a  priest  of  the  Catholic 
church.  Rev.  John  P.  Kunnert  is  now  in  charge  of  the  congregation  in  New 
Washington.  He  was  born  in  Mandercagne,  in  the  grand  duchy  of  Lux- 
embourg, on  the  27th  of  October,  1856,  his  parents  being  Henry  and  Mag- 
dalen (Scheuerens)  Kunnert.  The  father  was  born  in  1823,  in  the  same 
house  in  which  occurred  the  birth  of  our  subject,  the  property  having  de- 
scended through  the  eldest  sons  of  the  family  from  generation  to  generation. 
Through  a  long  period  representatives  of  the  name  have  been  farmers  and 
breeders  of  fine  stock,  and  for  a  number  of  years  the  father  received  more 
premiums  at  fairs  for  thoroughbred  horses  and  cattle  than  any  other  one 
man.  He  brought  his  stock  up  to  a  very  high  standard  of  perfection  and 
his  labors  were  of  benefit  to>  the  locality  in  which  he  resided,  for  he  greatly 
improved  the  grade  of  stock  raised  and  therefore  increased  its  market  value, 
On  numerous  occasions  he  was  chosen  to  act  as  judge  at  stock  shows.  His 
death  occurred  August  2  1 ,  10,00.  Llis  wife,  who  also  was  born  in  the  village 
where  his  birth  occurred,  first  opened  her  eyes  to  the  light  of  day  in  1825  and 
represented  one  of  the  old  families  of  farming  people  in  that  locality.  She 
is  still  living  and  is  also  an  excellent  judge  of  horses.  Since  her  husband's 
death  she  has  managed  the  business,  and  her  opinion  is  considered  authority 
on  stock.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kunnert  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of 
whom  six  are  living,  namely:  Margaret,  now  the  wife  of  Jacob  Keifer; 
Nicholas;  Mary  A.;  John  N.,  a  railroad  contractor  in  the  employ  of  the 
Big  Four  Company  at  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Peter;  and  John  P.,  of  this  review. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Father  Kunnert  we  note  that  he 
remained  with  his  parents  until  his  fifteenth  year,  when,  in  1871,  he  entered 
the  government  commercial  college  at  Ettelbrick,  Luxembourg,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1874.  Subsequently  he  went  to  Belgium  and 
entered  the  Petit  Seminary,  an  ecclesiastical  college  at  Bostogne,  Belgium, 
where  he  remained  for  five  years.     On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  went 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  313 

to  France  and  for  two  and  a  half  years  was  a  student  at  Lnxenil  les  Bains,  be- 
ing in  the  Petit  Seminary  in  the  province  of  Haute  Saone;  from  that  place  he 
returned  to  Belgium  Seminary  and  studied  philosophy,  continuing  in  that 
institution  for  a  year  and  completing  his  course  there  in  the  fall  of  1882. 

Father  Kunnert  then  came  to  America  and  made  his  way  to  Wyandot 
county,  Ohio,  to  visit  some  relatives,  who  were  living  in  the  town  of  Kirby. 
After  some  months  there  passed  he  went  to  Cleveland  and  entered  St.  Mary's 
Theological  Seminary,  where  he  continued  until  the  spring  of  1886.  A  week 
after  he  left  the  institution  he  went  to  Upper  Sandusky  and  said  his  first  mass. 
He  was  soon  afterward  given  charge  of  the  Catholic  church  in  Harrisburg, 
Stark  county,  and  also  had  charge  of  a  mission,  known  as  Maximo  Mission, 
remaining  there  until  December,  1888,  when  he  was  transferred  to  St.  Peter's- 
church  in  Cleveland,  where  he  remained  fifteen  months.  In  the  spring  of 
1890  he  returned  to  his  first  charge  in  Stark  county,  acting  as  pastor  at  that 
place  until  September,  1899,  when  he  was  called  to  New  Washington.  In 
each  church  he  has  been  handicapped  by  heavy  debts,  but  these  he  has  cleared 
away  and  on  leaving  the  churches  has  left  money  in  the  treasury.  He  is  most 
earnest  and  untiring  in  his  labors  in  behalf  of  his  people  and  ministers  to  their 
spiritual  needs  with  marked  devotion.  In  connection  with  the  church  at 
New  Washington  he  superintends  the  Honey  Creek  Mission  at  Auburn. 

Father  Kunnert  has  inherited  his  father's  love  for  a  good  horse  and 
now  has  a  mare  in  his  stables  whose  sire  was  a  brother  of  Star  Pointer.  In 
manner  Rev.  Kunnert  is  genial,  kindly  and  courteous  and  wins  friends  where- 
ever  he  goes,  and  at  the  same  time  he  fully  sustains  the  dignity  of  his  high 
and  holy  office. 

WILLIAM  HAYS. 

One  of  the  prominent  and  leading  citizens  of  Galion,  Ohio,  who  passed 
awav  during  the  closing  decade  of  the  last  century  was  William  Hays,  who 
was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1820  and  died  at  Galion  in  1896. 

Mr.  Hays'  early  boyhood  was  spent  in  hard  work,  from  which  he  could 
spare  little  time  to  acquire  an  education.  Flis  only  text-books  were  the 
spelling  book  and  that  revered  book,  the  Bible,  but  he  read  widely  and  dili- 
gently and  while  yet  a  very  young  man  had  the  reputation  of  being  ex- 
ceptionally well  informed,  and  his  practical  knowledge  of  business  affairs  en- 
abled him,  when  he  came  to  Ohio,  to  take  a  lead  in  matters  of  finance  and  to 
advise  his  associates  ably  concerning  important  commercial  interests. 

17 


314  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

When  Mr.  Hays  was  about  twenty-six  years  of  age  lie  met  Mrs.  Susan 
Black,  formerly  Miss  Seager,  of  Syracuse,  New  York,  who  became  his  wife. 
Soon  after  his  marriage  he  came  to  Wooster,  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
lived  for  a  time.  From  Wooster  he  removed  to  Ashland  county,  Ohio,  where 
he  remained  until  1857,  and  after  living  in  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  two  years, 
took  up  his  rsidence  at  Galion,  in  1859,  where  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life  he  was  prominently  identified  with  leading  business  interests  of  different 
kinds.  He  was  one  of  the  original  incorporators  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Galion,  Ohio,  established  in  1804,  with  which  important  financial  institu- 
tion he  was  connected  for  twenty-two  years.  Afterward  he  became  identified 
with  the  management  of  the  Galion  National  Bank,  with  which  he  was  asso- 
ciated until  his  death. 

Mr.  Hays  has  often  been  referred  to  as  "one  of  the  bright  stars  that  the 
New  England  states  have  given  to  the  financial  and  monetary  interests  of 
the  state."  His  popularity  and  his  position  as  a  useful  and  prominent  mem- 
ber of  society  were  well  attested  in  a  series  of  resolutions  that  were  adopted 
by  the  joint  meeting  of  the  Bankers'  Association,  of  which  Hon.  J.  W. 
Coulter  was  chairman,  in  which  a  glowing  tribute  was  paid  to  Mr.  Hays, 
not  only  as  a  financier,  but  as  a  patriotic,  public-spirited  man  who  had  always 
had  at  heart  the  best  interests  of  Galion. 

GEORGE  T.  KERR. 

This  well  known  citizen  of  Crawford  county  is  one  of  the  largest  sheep- 
raisers  in  Ohio  and  has  been  largely  instrumental  in  improving  the  grade  of 
stock  raised  in  the  state.  His  efforts  have  therefore  been  of  public  benefit, 
f<  >r  the  improvement  of  stock  adds  to  its  market  value,  and  the  wealth  of  the 
agricultural  class  is  thereby  augmented.  The  rich  pasture  lands  of  this  por- 
tion of  Ohio  provide  excellent  opportunities  to>  the  sheep^raiser,  and  this 
industry  has  become  an  important  one  in  the  commercial  interests  of  the 
state.  Mr.  Kerr  is  one  of  its  leading  representatives,- — a  progressive,  ener- 
getic business  man,  capably  controlling  extensive  interests  which  have  made 
him  widely  known. 

Mr.  Kerr  is  a  son  of  James  and  Nancy  (Towers)  Kerr  and  was  born  on 
the  home  farm  in  Whetstone  township,  December  13,  1847.  He  spent  his 
vouth  there  and  pursued  his  education  in  the  country  schools.  In  1869, 
after  attaining  his  majority,  he  married  Lydia  Echleberry,  a  native  of  Penn- 
svlvania  and  for  two  years  thereafter  engaged  in  agricultural   pursuits   in 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  315 

\Yhetstone  township.  He  then  took  up  his  residence  in  Bucyrus  township 
Avhere  he  now  resides.  Here  he  owns  four  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  fine 
farming  land,  and  with  the  exception  of  about  forty  acres  the  entire  amount 
is  under  cultivation  and  the  improvements  are  most  modern.  There  is  a  fine 
frame  house  built  in  attractive  design  and  nicely  furnished;  a  good  barn, 
substantial  outbuildings  and  the  latest  improved  machinery  for  facilitating 
the  work  of  the  farm.  He  also  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Marion 
county.  He  is  perhaps  the  largest  sheep-raiser  of  the  county,  having  about 
twelve  hundred  head.  In  addition  he  raises  other  kinds  of  stock  and  is  also 
an  extensive  farmer. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kerr  has  been  blessed  with  eight  children, 
namely :  Cloyd,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years ;  Burtie,  at  home ; 
James,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years ;  Elnora,  wife  of  Charles  Hoover,  a 
farmer  of  Bucyrus  township;  Bevie  May,  Clementine,  Ava  and  Walter  J. 
The  family  is  one  of  prominence  in  the  community,  and  the  members  of  the 
household  have  many  warm  friends.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Kerr  is  a 
Republican.  He  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  this  county  and  that  many  who 
have  known  him  from  boyhood  are  numbered  among  his  warmest  friends 
is  unmistakable  evidence  of  the  upright  life  which  he  has  led.  He  is  well 
known  in  business  circles  for  his  promptness,  trustworthiness  and  energy  and 
thus  he  maintains  a  foremost  position  among  the  representative  agriculturists 
of  the  state. 

JOSEPH  SCHILL. 

The  industrial  interests  of  Crestline  are  well  represented  by  this  gentle- 
man, who  is  now  the  president  and  treasurer  of  Schill  Brothers  Company. 
He  is  a  wide-awake,  progressive  and  enterprising  business  man.  whose  close 
application,  perseverance  and  resolute  will  have  enabled  him  to  advance 
steadily  to  a  leading  position  among  the  most  prominent  business  men  of 
Crawford  county.  He  was  born  in  Sharon  township,  Richland  county.  Ohio, 
December  4,  1862.  His  father,  George  Schill,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  and 
in  1833  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  upon  a  farm  in  Richland  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  1892,  when  he  came  to  Crawford  count)'. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  engaged  in  the  operation  of  a  sawmill.  In  early 
life  he  became  a  stationary  engineer  and  is  now  acting  in  that  capacity  in  the 
factory  owned  and  controlled  by  his  sons. 

Joseph  Schill  was  the  second  child  and  came  to  Crawford  county  in  1875, 


316  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

at  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  and  entered  upon  his  business  career  as  an  em- 
ploye in  the  store  of  L.  Schick,  a  grocer.  He  was  employed  as  a  salesman 
for  some  time,  but  at  length  embarked  in  business  on  his  own  account,  in 
connection  with  his  brother,  as  a  dealer  in  hardware.  They  equipped  their 
store  with  a  large  and  well  selected  stock  of  goods  and  carried  on  a  successful 
business  until  1892,  when  they  organized  the  Schill  Brothers  Furnace  & 
Range  Company,  which  was  organized  in  1900,  with  a  capital  stock  of  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  Joseph  Schill  being  president  and  treasurer.  This 
is  one  of  the  leading  industrial  concerns  of  Crestline,  employing  about  eighty 
men  throughout  the  entire  year.  They  began  operations  on  a  small  scale,  but 
their  sales  have  continually  increased  and  in  the  present  year  have  almost 
doubled  those  of  the  year  just  passed.  Their  products  are  shipped  to  nearly 
every  state  in  the  Union,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  from  the 
great  lakes  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico.  The  success  of  the  business  is  largely  due- 
to  the  capable  management  and  keen  sagacity  of  Joseph  Schill.  Four  men 
are  continually  employed  on  the  road  to  introduce  and  sell  their  goods  to  the 
merchants,  and  they  also  have  distributing  points  at  Minneapolis,  Minne- 
sota; Denver,  Colorado;  and  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  Topeka  and  Lawrence, 
Kansas;  and  other  points. 

Mr.   Schill  was  united  in  marriage,  in  August,   1891,  to  Miss  Maggie 
Koendere,  a  native  of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

OLIVER  J.  KELLER. 

I 
Prominent  in  Liberty  township  is  Oliver  J.  Keller,  a  progressive  and  rep- 
resentative business  citizen  of  Crawford  county  and  a  member  of  the  mer- 
cantile firm  of  O.  &  C.  Keller,  of  Sulphur  Springs.  Mr.  Keller  was  born 
in  Northampton  count}-,  Pennsylvania,  on  July  28,  1843,  and  was  a  sou  of 
Joseph  and  Lovina  (Kline)  Keller,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  North- 
ampton county,  Pennsylvania,  about  1823,  and  was  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Eliza- 
beth (Shook)  Keller,  both  also  natives  of  Northampton  county.  In  the 
spring  of  1857  Jacob  Keller,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  came  to  Craw- 
ford county  and  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Sandusky 
township,  and  also  one  of  eighty  acres  in  Liberty  township,  making  his  home 
on  the  first  tract,  with  his  son,  Joseph,  residing  there  several  years,  and  then 
removed  to  a  property  which  he  purchased  in  the  village  of  Sulphur  Springs, 
and  upon  which  he  resided  until  his  death. 

Joseph  Keller,  the  father  of  our  subject,  came  to  Crawford  county  in 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  317 

1857  with  his  father,  and  after  some  years  of  residence  on  the  Sandusky 
township  farm,  purchased  it  and  continued  to  live  there  until  1876,  when  he 
rented  it  to  his  son,  Josiah,  since  deceased,  and  removed  to  Sulphur  Springs, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death,  in  1891.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  in  his 
earlier  years,  but  the  issues  of  the  Civil  war  caused  him  to  change  and  ever 
after  he  supported  the  Republican  party.  Through  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  filling  many  of  its 
offices,  and  was  one  of  the  most  worthy  citizens  of  the  community. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  about'  1825,  and 
was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Kline,  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  of  German 
origin,  who  was  one  of  the  prominent  farmers  of  Northampton  county,  where 
he  passed  his  whole  life.     The  death  of  the  mother  was  in  July,  1899.     The 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keller  numbered  eleven,  the  four  survivors 
being:    Oliver,  of  this  sketch;  Jeremiah,  a  painter  residing  in  Easton,  Penn- 
sylvania; Rev.  Reuben,  a  Reformed  minister  residing  in  White  Pigeon,  Mich- 
igan; and  Albert  D.,  a  professor  in  Heidelberg  University  at  Tiffin,  Ohio. 
Oliver  J.  Keller  grew  up  in  a  moral  and  happy  home.     His  education 
was  pursued  in  the  common  schools.     At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war 
he  offered  his  services  to  his  country,  enlisting-  on  August  15,  1861,  in  Com- 
pany C,  Forty-ninth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  assigned 
to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  hence  took  part  in  these  -never-to-be- 
forgotten   battles:     Shiloh,    Stone   River,    Chickamauga,    Missionary   Ridge, 
Nashville  and   Franklin,  and  went  through  the  Atlanta  campaign,— in  fact 
took  part  in  almost  all  of  the  important  operations  of  that  brave  and  gallant 
part  of  the  Union  army.     At  the  battle  of  Stone  River  he  was  taken  prisoner, 
on  December  31,   1862,  and  was  incarcerated  in  Castle  Thunder  and  Libby 
prison  for  some  thirty  days.     For  the  following  five  months  he  was  on  parole, 
his  exchange  taking  place  some  time  in  May,  when  he  returned  to  his  com- 
mand, finally  receiving  his  discharge  at  Victoria,  Texas,  in  the  latter  part  of 
November,  1865,  but  did  not  reach  home  until  on  January  1,  1866. 

After  his  return  from  the  army  Mr.  Keller  accepted  a  position  as  clerk- 
in  the  mercantile  establishment  of  A.  Fry  &  Company,  of  Sulphur  Springs, 
and  remained  in  this  capacity  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  the  business  of  J.  H.  Biddle  &  Company,  of  this  place. 
Some  years  later  the  firm  was  merged  into  the  firm  of  Scott  &  Keller,  but  sev- 
eral years  afterward  Mr,  Keller  sold  his  interest  to  his  partner.  Mr.  A.  J.  Scott, 
and  shortly  after  that  purchased  an  interest  in  the  business  of  Kloppenstein 
&  Company.     Some  time  later  the  interest  of  Mr.  Kloppenstein  was  bought 


3 iS  CEXTEXXIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

by  C.  A.  Keller,  who  became  a  partner  of  our  subject,  and  since  that  time  the 
firm  has  been  O.  &  G  Keller.  During  the  intervening  years  the  industry  and 
ability  of  these  partners  have  resulted  in  the  building  up  of  an  immense  trade, 
and  they  are  justly  considered  important  factors  in  the  mercantile  business  in 
Crawford  county. 

Mr.  Keller  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  has  long  been  an  active  member 
of  the  Reformed  church,  holding  many  of  the  offices  in  it  and  supporting  it 
liberally.  Socially  he  is  connected  with  the  G.  A.  R.  Mr.  Keller  is  unmar- 
ried, but  takes  a  prominent  position  in  the  social  as  well  as  business  life  of 
Sulphur  Springs. 

FRED  NEWMAN. 

Fred  Newman,  an  attorney  at  law  and  justice  of  the  peace  of  Crestline, 
is  one  who  has  attained  a  prominent  and  enviable  position  as  a  leading' busi- 
ness man  of  Crestline  entirely  through  his  own  efforts.  Without  any  extraor- 
dinary family  or  pecuniary  advantages  to  aid  him  he  has  successfully  coped 
with  adverse  fate  and  by  determined  purpose  has  worked  his  way  steadily 
upward.  He  was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  January  21,  1839,  and 
there  remained  until  thirteen  years  of  age,  during  which  time  he  pursued  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  country.  In  1852  he  started  for  Amer- 
ica, coming  alone  as  a  passenger  on  the  sailing  vessel,  which  was  fifty-four 
days  upon  the  water.  While  on  the  passage  he  engaged  in  cooking  and  from 
the  wages  which  he  received  he  managed  to  save  twenty-five  dollars,  which 
was  the  amount  of  capital  which  he  possessed  when  he  arrived  at  Baltimore,. 
Maryland.  From  that  city  he  made  his  way  to-  Laurel  Factory,  where  he 
engaged  in  clerking  in  a  store  for  a  short  time,  after  which  he  went  to  An- 
napolis, Maryland,  where  he  occupied  a  clerkship  in  a  general  mercantile 
establishment. 

In  1854  Air.  Newman  arrived  in  Crestline,  after  having  spent  a  fewr 
months  in  Leesville,  Ohio.  He  was  employed  as  a  salesman  in  a  store  belong- 
ing to  his  uncle.  John  Newman,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county, 
and  he  remained  in  his  service  until  1866.  He  desired,  however,  to  enter 
professional  life,  and  when  about  nineteen  years  of  age,  he  took  up  the  study 
of  law,  which  he  continued  as  occasion  offered  until  he  pas  prepared  for  ad- 
mission to  the  bar.  He  was  licensed  to  practice  at  Mount  Gilead,  Ohio,  in 
1868,  and  immediately  afterward  opened  his  office  in  Crestline,  -where  he  has 
since  remained.     The  profession  of  law  is  one  in  which  attainment  must  de- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  319 

pencl  upon  individual  merit ;  it  cannot  come  from  the  aid  of  birth  or  influen- 
tial friends.  The  lawyer  must  prepare,  plead  and  win  his  first  case  and  con- 
tinue to  advance  through  merit  and  ability  resulting  from  a  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  the  principles  of  jurisprudence  and  a  correct  application  of  the 
law  to  the  points  of  the  case  in  litigation.  Mr.  Newman  is  always  pains- 
taking and  careful  in  his  preparation  of  the  case  and  before  the  court  and  jury 
he  is  a  logical  reasoner,  basing  his  arguments  on  facts  with  clearness  and 
force.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  city  solicitor  of  Crestline  and  in  1895 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  a  position  which  he  yet  holds.  Success  has 
attended  his  efforts  and  in  addition  to  the  large  practice  which  he  retains  he  is 
the  owner  of  a  fine  business  block,  the  rental  from  which  adds  materially  to 
his  income. 

In  1868  Mr.  Newman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma  T.  Smith, 
a  native  of  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  and  unto  them  have  been  born  three  daugh- 
ters and  one  son:  Florence,  now  the  wife  of  William  Moss,  a  resident  of 
Utah;  Eleanora,  who  resides  in  Jacksonville,  Florida,  and  is  the  widow  of 
Henry  E.  Bos  worth,  who  was  killed  at  Bristol,  Tennessee,  in  July,  1897; 
Edna,  a  resident  of  New  York  city ;  and  Earl,  who  is  studying  law  with  his 
father.  Mr.  Newman  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Crestline 
and  his  family  attend  its  services.  Since  1862  he  has  been  an  exceptionally 
valuable  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  for  about  the  same  time  he 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he  has 
been  secretary  for  a  number  of  years.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  promot- 
ing the  work  of  these  organizations  and  is  a  true  follower  of  their  benevolent 
teachings.  He  gives  his  support  to  the  Democracy  and  is  unswerving  in  his 
allegiance  to  the  principles  of  the  party. 

A  self-educated  and  self-made  man  the  work  that  he  has  accomplished  in 
life  is  certainly  creditable.  He  is  public-spirited  in  an  eminent  degree :  na- 
tional progress  and  local  advancement  are  both  causes  dear  to  the  heart  of 
"this  adopted  and  thoroughly  loyal  son  of  the  Republic.  His  devotion  to  the 
country  is  above  question,  and  no  native  son  of  America  is  more  true  to  her 
institutions  or  more  faithful  to  his  duties  of  citizenship. 

PHILIP  KELLER. 

Joseph  Keller,  ancestor  of  the  Keller  family  of  America,  was  one  of 
one  hundred  and  eighty  passengers,  who  came  to  this  country  in  the  fall  of 
1737  from  Rotterdam,  Holland,  in  the  ship  ''William,"  landing  October  31. 


320  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

His  father,  who  had  died  when  the  boy  was  young,  had  been  a  Roman 
Catholic;  his  mother  was  a  Protestant.  Joseph  was  nineteen  years  old  and 
was  from  Zweihruecken.  Bavaria,  but  the  family  is  believed  to  have  originated 
in  Switzerland.  In  the  fourteenth  century,  when  the  "black  death"  raged 
especially  in  the  Alps,  many  people  fled  into  the  Rhine  countries,  and  among 
them  the  Keller  family.  Joseph  Keller,  the  emigrant,  married  and  had  seven 
sons,  all  of  whom  except  one.  Christian,  were  given  scriptural  names.  Fol- 
lowing is  a  translation  of  a  record  in  German  that  was  made  by  Joseph 
Keller  and  which  is  interesting  not  alone  because  it  is  a  part  of  the  history  of 
his  family,  but  because  it  suggests  an  always  interesting  vicissitude  of  pioneer 
life:  "My  beloved  housewife,  Maria  (  Engler)  Keller,  was  led  captive  by  the 
Indians.  September  15.  1757,  my  son  Christian  was  killed,  and  my  sons  Joseph 
and  John  Jacob  taken  captive.  My  wife  returned  October  20,  1760,  but  of 
my  children  I  have  not  heard."  Christian  Keller,  who  was  murdered  and 
scalped  by  the  savages,  was  fourteen  years  and  five  days  old.  The  youngest 
son,  a  babe  of  five  months  and  twenty-four  days,  was  left  unharmed  in  his 
cradle.  Three  sons  and  his  only  daughter  remained  to  Mr.  Keller.  His 
neighbors  sympathized  with  him,  and  in  testimony  of  the  regard  in  which  they 
held  him,  built  a  block  house  as  a  means  of  defense  to  him  and  his  remaining 
family. 

There  was  a  Rev.  John  Keller,  a  minister  of  the  Reformed  church,  who 
prepared  himself  for  the  gospel  ministry  under  the  direction  of  the  Rev. 
George  Weiss,  at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  and  who  was  licensed  and  ordained  in  New 
York,  in  1827,  by  the  synod  of  Ohio,  and  died  in  Erie  county,  New  York,  in 
1852,  in  his  fifty-second  year.  He  was  a  member  of  this  family  of  Kellers, 
a  descendant  of  one  of  the  brothers  of  "great-grandfather  Philip"  Keller.  In 
all  generations  the  Kellers  have  been  noted  for  loyality  to  convictions  and 
honesty  of  purpose  and  for  the  strength  of  their  physicial  constitutions. 

Philip  Keller  was  born  in  Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania,  January 
26,  [818,  one  of  the  eight  children  of  John  H.  and  Maria  (Engler)  Keller, 
who  were  named  as  follows:  Philip;  Anna,  wife  of  Philip  Ossman,  of  Bucy- 
rus,  Ohio;  Eli,  a  minister  of  the  Reformed  church  at  Allentown,  Lehigh  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania;  Amos,  captain  of  Company  C,  Forty-ninth  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Stone  River ;  Aaron,  lieu- 
tenant of  Company  C,  Forty-ninth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  who 
was  also  killed  in  the  same  engagement;  Susan,  who  married  J.  B.  Shumaker, 
of  Tiffin,  Ohio ;  Joseph  A.,  who  also  saw  service  in  the  Civil  war  and  who  lives 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  321 

at  Alliance,  Ohio;  Joel  F.,  who  lives  in  Liberty  township,  Crawford  county, 
Ohio. 

John  H.  Keller,  father  of  Philip  Keller,  of  Liberty  township,  was  born 
in  Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania,  December  24,  1786,  a  son  of  Philip 
and  Sarah  (Miller)  Keller,  both  natives  of  Northampton  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania; he  was  born  March  29,  1763,  and  she  September  27,  1763.  Sarah 
(  Miller)  Keller  died  October  16,  1804,  and  Philip  Keller  afterward  married 
Susanna  Niemeyer,  who  was  born  November  22,  1770,  and  died  December 
4,  1859,  aged  eighty-nine  years  and  twelve  days.  Philip  Keller  died  October 
2,  1842,  ag'ed  about  eighty  years.  He  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Keller,  the  emi- 
grant, who  as  has  been  stated  came  to  this  country  in  1737.  He  was  a 
prominent  farmer  of  Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  died. 

John  H.  Keller  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  county  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  near  his  home  and  in  due  time  mar- 
ried and  settled  down  to  farming  and  the  operation  of  a  gristmill.  His  father 
owned  a  large  tract  of  farming  land  and  was  able  to  give  each  of  his  children 
a  good  start  in  life.  After  a  time  Mr.  Keller  gave  his  attention  to  surveying 
and  became  expert  in  such  work.  He  long  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace  and  was  for  several  years  judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  of 
Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania.  In  1856  he  disposed  of  his  holdings 
in  Pennsylvania  and  came  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio.  He  had  come  out  the 
previous  year  and  contracted  for  two  farms, — the  Rupert  farm,  of  two  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  acres  in  Sandusky  township  and  the  Souder  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  eight  acres  in  Liberty  township.  Upon  their  arrival  in  this  county 
in  1856,  Mr.  Keller  and  his  son  Philip  settled  on  the  Rupert  farm  and  his 
son  Joel  F.  on  the  Souder  farm.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  Mr.  Keller  removed 
to  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  September 
10.  1867.  In  early  life  he  was  a  Jackson  Democrat,  but  he  voted  for  Fre- 
mont for  the  presidency  in  1856  and  thereafter  was  an  ardent  Republican. 
For  many  years  he  was  an  elder  in  the  Reformed  church  and  in  every  relation 
of  life  was  faithful  to  all  trusts  reposed  in  him  and  as  a  citizen  stood  deservedly 
high  in  the  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him.  His  wife,  Susanna  Engler,  was  born 
in  Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  4,  1797,  a  daughter  of  Casper 
and  Susanna  (Niemeyer)  Engler,  and  died  in  November,  1884.  After  the 
death  of  her  father,  her  mother,  Airs.  Susanna  Engler,  married  Philip  Keller, 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Philip  Keller,  of  Liberty  township.  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  was  reared 
on  his  father's  farm  in  Pennsylvania  and  acquired  a  fair  common-school  edu- 


322  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

cation  in  German  schools,  but  attended  English  school  only  three  months;  but 
his  father  was  a  constant  student  and  his  home  was  practically  a  school,  where 
every  night  study  was  carried  on  by  lamp  light,  from  immediately  after  supper 
until  late  bedtime,  the  father  being  the  teacher  of  a  class  constituted  of  his 
children.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five,  Philip  began  to  teach  school  and  taught 
four  winter  terms  successfully.  In  January,  1846,  he  married  Miss  Hannah 
Stocker,  a  native  of  Northampton  county,  daughter  of  Francis  and  Barbara 
(Stofflet)  Stocker,  both  of  whom  were  of  German  parentage.  After  his 
marriage,  he  settled  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he  leased 
from  his  father.  In  the  fall  of  1855,  with  his  father  and  his  brother  Joel,  he 
came  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  to  prospect  for  land.  His  father  had  come 
out  earlier  the  same  year  and  desired  his  sons  to  see  certain  property  before 
he  contracted  for  it  for  them.  The  purchase  of  land  in  Sandusky  and  Lib- 
erty townships  and  the  early  removal  of  the  father  to  Bucyrus  have  been  re- 
ferred to.  About  ten  years  ago,  Mr.  Keller  sold  fifty  acres  of  his  original 
farm  and  bought  his  present  home  farm  of  seventy-five  acres,  on  which  his  son 
John  lived  until  his  death.  About  1895,  Mr.  Keller  removed  to  his  present 
homestead,  leaving  his  son  Amos  on  the  old  farm.  To  Mr.  Keller  have  been 
born  eleven  children.  His  daughter  Maria  is  dead.  His  daughter  Mrs. 
Sabina  Teel  resides  in  Bucyrus,  Ohio.  His  son  John  is  dead.  His  daugh- 
ters Abbie  and  Ellen  are  members  of  his  household.  His  daughter  Lydia  is 
the  wife  of  C.  S.  Ackerman,  carpenter,  of  Liberty  township.  Amos  is  man- 
aging the  old  homestead  in  Sandusky  township. 

In  politics  Mr.  Keller  is  liberal  and  independent.  He  has  been  a  life- 
long member  of  the  Reformed  church,  but  is  tolerant  of  the  religious  views 
of  others  of  all  denominations.  Now  in  his  eighty-fourth  year,  his  mental 
and  physical  preservation  is  remarkable.  A  diligent  and  studious  reader  all 
his  life,  he  is  a  well  informed  man. 

GABRIEL  KESSLER. 

Gabriel  Kessler  was  born  in  Schuykill  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  30th 
of  September,  1838,  his  parents  being  Daniel  and  Susanna  (Clouser)  Kessler. 
The  family  is  of  German  lineage  on  both  the  paternal  and  maternal  sides. 
The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Schuylkill  county,  but  his  parents  were 
both  natives  of  Germany,  having  located  in  the  Keystone  state  in  early  life. 
There  Daniel  Kessler  was  reared  to  manhood  and  began  farming  on  his  own 
account,  acquiring  a  property  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.     In  1849,  how- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  323 

ever,  he  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  came  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
purchasing  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Liberty  township,  where  he  made  his  home 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  also  bought  a  tract 
of  land  of  eighty  acres  in  Chatfield  township,  and  his  farming  interests  re- 
turned to  him  a  good  financial  reward  for  his  labors.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  German  Reformed  church  and  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views.  His 
wife  was  also  born  in  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  six  are  yet  living,  namely:  Paul,  who 
makes  his  home  in  DeKalb  county,  Indiana;  Daniel,  of  Mercer  county,  Ohio; 
Mathilda,  who  resides  in  Liberty  township,  Crawford  county;  Lucy,  the  wife 
of  Peter  Trumater,  of  Sandusky  township,  this  county ;  and  Catherine,  who 
married  Samuel  Kurtz  and  is  also>  living  in  Liberty  township. 

No  event  of  special  importance  occurred  to  vary  the  routine  of  life  for 
Gabriel  Kessler  in  his  youth.  His  early  boyhood  days  were  passed  on  the 
old  homestead  in  Pennsylvania  and  later  he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their 
removal  to  Ohio.  He  attended  the  common  schools  to  a  limited  extent,  but 
was  largely  engaged  in  clearing  away  the  timber  upon  the  new  Ohio  farm 
when  he  was  at  the  school  age.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  started  out 
upon  an  independent  business  career  as  a  farm  hand  in  the  employ  of  agri- 
culturists living  in  the  neighborhood.  Three  years  later  he  purchased  a 
threshing  machine,  and  for  eleven  years  was  engaged  in  its  operation  during 
the  harvest  season,  receiving- a  very  liberal  patronage  and  thus  prospering. 
In  1 87 1  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  his  present  home  farm  of  seventy-six 
acres.  Since  that  time  he  has  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  on  his  own 
account,  and  his  work  has  been  crowned  with  a  well  merited  and  highly 
gratifying  degree  of  success. 

On  the  7th  of  August,  1873,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Kessler  and 
Miss  Sarah  E.  Clapper,  a  native  of  Warren  county,  Indiana,  and  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Julia  A.  (  Moore)  Clapper,  who  came  to  Crawford  county  in 
1864.  The  young  couple  began  their  domestic  life  upon  the  farm  which  has 
since  been  their  home,  and  in  1884  Mr.  Kessler  rebuilded  his  barn  and  in  1886 
erected  one  of  the  most  attractive  residences  in  this  portion  of  the  county. 
The  latest  improved  machinerv  and  all  modern  accessories  are  found  upon  his 
place,  and  the  buildings  stand  as  a  monument  to  his  thrift  and  enterprise.  The 
home  is  well  known  for  its  gracious  hospitality,  which  is  enjoyed  by  many 
friends  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kessler.  Unto  our  subject  and  his  wife  have  been 
born  eight  children,  of  whom  seven  are  yet  living,  namely:  William  A.,  a 
resident  of  Auburn  township;  and  Charles  E.,  Clara  E.,  Franklin  S.,  Ada  B.r 


324  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Harvey  A.  and  Mabel  M.,  all  yet  under  the  parental  roof.  The  parents  hold 
membership  in  the  German  Reformed  church,  and  Mr.  Kessler  exercises  his 
right  of  franchise  in  support  of  Democratic  principles  and  the  men  who  are 
made  the  candidates  of  the  party  for  office.  His  life  has  been  one  of  untir- 
ing activity  in  agricultural  circles,  and  he  is  known  and  honored  for  his 
fidelity  to<  principle  and  his  straightforward  dealing. 

JOHN  WENTZ. 

One  of  the  prosperous,  energetic  and  capable  agriculturists  of  Crawford 
county  is  John  Wentz,  who  makes  his  home  in  Bucyrus  township,  where  he 
is  engaged  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil  and  the  raising  of  stock.  He  was  born 
in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  Chambersburg,  September  i,  1837,  a 
son  of  John  and  Mary  (Monard)  Wentz,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Hesse, 
Germany.  In  early  life,  however,  they  came  to  the  new  world  and  were  mar- 
ried in  Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania.  In  the  fall  of  1839  they  removed  to 
Blackford  county,  Indiana,  settling  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  and  there  they 
•cleared  and  developed  a  farm,  upon  which  they  spent  their  remaining  days. 
Of  their  children  only  John  and  his  brother  Jacob  are  now  living. 

John  Wentz  was  only  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to 
the  Hoosier  state,  and  there  amid  the  wild  scenes  of  pioneer  life  he  was 
reared  to  manhood,  assisting  his  father  in  clearing  away  the  forest  trees 
and  preparing  the  fields  for  cultivation.  He  never  attended  school  for  a  single 
day  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  after  that  attended  for  only  a  few 
weeks  for  two  or  three  years.  His  entire  attendance  would  not  aggregate 
one  year,  but  though  he  gained  a  limited  education  in  the  schoolroom  he  is  a 
well  informed  man,  gaining  his  knowledge  through  reading,  observation  and 
experience. 

On  the  26th  of  November,  1857,  when  twenty  years  of  age  Mr.  Wentz 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Catherine  Greenich,  who  was  born  in  Waynes- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Christina  Greenich,  who  were 
also  natives  of  the  fatherland  and  early  settlers  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
whither  they  came  with  their  daughter,  Mrs.  Wentz,  when  the  latter  was  only 
five  vears  of  age.  In  the  spring  of  1858  Mr.  Wentz  and  his  young  wife  went 
to  the  place  where  his  parents  were  living,  in  Blackford  county,  Indiana,  and 
there  he  engaged  in  farming  through  the  summer,  but  in  the  autumn  of  the 
same  \ear  he  returned  to  Crawford  county,  where  he  purchased  of  his  father- 
in-law  ninety  acres  of  land,  situated  on  section  34,  Holmes  township.     On 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  325 

this  land  he  took  up  his  abode,  entering  upon  a  successful  career  as  an  agri- 
culturist. He  added  to  his  landed  possessions  as  he  prospered  and  at  one 
time  owned  nearly  rive  hundred  acres,  a  part  of  which  he  afterward  sold  but, 
at  the  present  writing,  in  the  summer  of  190 1,  he  owns  more  than  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  fine  land,  three  hundred  acres  being  within  the 
borders  of  his  home  farm,  on  section  34,  Holmes  township,  and  sections 
2  and  3,  in  Bucyrus  township.  The  farm  is  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation and  is  well  improved.  Upon  the  farm  are  two  residences.  The  one 
situated  in  Holmes  township  was  his  place  of  abode  for  thirty-one  years,  but 
after  purchasing  the  old  George  Kent  farm  in  Bucyrus  township,  he  removed 
to  the  residence  thereon  in  1890,  and  two  years  later  remodeled  it  into  a  con- 
venient and  pleasant  home. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wentz  have  been  born  the  following  children:  Alary 
E.,  the  wife  of  Thomas  J.  Caldwell,  a  farmer  of  Bucyrus  township;  Annette, 
the  widow  of  John  Beall ;  Clement  L.,  at  home:  Willis  J.,  who  wedded  Mary 
Miller,  is  a  farmer  of  Holmes  township,  residing  on  his  father's  old  home- 
stead; Ora  Alice,  the  wife  of  Hugh  Dobbins,  of  Bucyrus  township;  Ida  May, 
Emma  Pearl  and  John  Earl,  all  at  home.  They  also  lost  one  child,  who  died 
in  infancy  in  1870.  The  Wentz  family  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  in  the 
■county,  its  different  members  being  highly  respected  for  their  sterling  worth. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Wentz  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  but  the  honors 
and  emoluments  of  public  office  have  had  no  attraction  for  him.  He  has  pre- 
ferred to  give  his  time  and  attention  to  his  farm  interests  and  though  he  began 
business  life  as  a  poor  boy  he  is  to-day  numbered  among  the  prosperous 
farmers  of  the  community  as  the  result  of  his  untiring  industry,  his  determina- 
tion and  his  force  of  character.  He  is  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  withholds 
his  support  from  no  movement  or  measure  which  he  believes  will  prove  of 
public  benefit.  His  worth  is  widely  acknowledged  by  those  who  have  regard 
for  true  and  upright  character,  and  thus  he  has  gained  many  friends. 

CHARLES  L.  WHITMYER. 

Charles  L.  Whitmyer,  who  is  yard  conductor  of  the  Pittsburg,  Fort 
Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad  at  Crestline,  was  born  in  Baden,  German}-,  April 
15,  1845.  His  father,  Michael  Whitmyer,  was  also  a  native  of  this  locality 
and  was  there  reared,  educated  and  married.  He  was  a  stone  cutter  by  trade 
and  in  1852  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  in  Xew  York  City,  where 
he  died  six  months  later.     His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Christina 


326  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Bishop,  was  also  a  native  of  Baden  and  she  only  survived  her  husband  three 
days.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  the  old 
country,  one  went  upon  the  sea,  crossing  the  Atlantic,  and  one  in  New  York 
City,  so  that  three  children  were  the  only  ones  living  at  the  parents'  death. 
These  were:  Anna.  Charles  L.  and  William,  aged  respectively,  ten,  eight 
and  six  years,  when  the  parents  were  called  away.  They  were  then  reared  by 
strangers,  and  going  to  different  families,  were  separated.  The  daughter 
is  now  the  wife  of  George  G.  Herr,  of  Crestline,  and  William  died  in  Mans- 
field, Ohio. 

At  the  time  of  the  father's  death  Charles  Leonard  Whitmyer  was  placed 
with  a  poor  family  and  as  soon  as  old  enough  he  began  to  work,  following 
any  pursuit  that  would  yield  him  a  living.  He  spent  a  period  of  some  time 
in  New  York  City,  where  he  acted  as  nurse.  There  he  remained  until  1854, 
when  the  children  all  came  to  Ohio  together,  locating  in  Akron,  their  home 
being  with  an  aunt. 

Our  subject  remained  with  his  aunt  for  about  three  years,  when,  with 
his  sister  and  brother,  he  went  to  Canal  Fulton,  Stark  county,  Ohio,  where 
he  lived  for  two  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  returned  to 
Akron  and  a  year  later  came  to  Crestline.  In  the  vicinity  of  this  city  he 
worked  for  one  summer  as  a  farm  hand,  receiving  three  dollars  per  month  in 
compensation  for  his  services.  After  two  years  spent  in  Crestline,  Mr.  Whit- 
myer and  his  sister  and  brother  went  to  Mansfield,  Ohio,  and  he  secured  a 
situation  as  a  porter  in  the  Wyler  House,  where  he  continued  for  about  two 
years.  He  then  began  working  on  the  Sandusky,  Mansfield  &  Newark  Rail- 
road, now  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  road,  in  the  Lexington  gravel  pit,  remaining 
with  the  company  for. one  season,  after  which  he  returned  to  Crestline.  In 
1863  he  engaged  with  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad  Com- 
pany to  shovel  coal  at  the  coal  pile  and  was  thus  employed  for  eight  months, 
when  he  was  made  brakeman  in  the  yard,  acting  in  that  capacity  for  three 
years.  He  was  then  made  brakeman  upi  >n  the  road  running  between  Crestline 
and  Alliance,  with  Conductor  Jake  Fink.  He  had  been  engaged  in  that  work 
for  about  six  weeks,  when,  as  the  train  ran  out  of  Alliance  and  was  about 
one  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Orville,  the  cars  separated  from  the  rail  while 
in  full  speed  and  Mr.  Whitmyer  was  thrown  to  the  ground  and  it  seemed 
that  he  turned  about  twenty  somersaults  before  alighting.  He  then  went 
back  to'  Orville  and  telegraphed  to  the  conductor  that  he  was  all  right.  On  the 
next  passenger  train  he  went  to  Crestline.  For  about  a  week  he  was  forced 
to-  remain  at  home  on  account  of  the  injuries  from  his  fall  and  then  began 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  327 

work  in  the  yard  again  as  brakeman,  which  work  hie  followed  until  he  was 
promoted  to  yard  conductor  about  1874.  In  1878  he  was  made  assistant 
yard  master  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  about  six  years,  when  he  again 
assumed  the  position  of  yard  conductor  and  is  now  acting  in  that  office,  being 
the  oldest  yard  conductor  in  Crestline  by  many  years. 

In  1864  Mr.  Whitmyer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Catherine  Hass, 
a  native  of  Mansfield.  Ohio>,  where  she  was  reared,  and  a  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Elizabeth  (Brick)  Hass,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany  and 
became  early  settlers  of  Richland  county.  Unto'  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitmyer 
have  been  born  four  children:  Anna,  wife  of  John  Reindal,  of  Crestline; 
Charlie  W.,  who  married  Miss  Nettie  Paden  and  is  now  a  traveling  sales- 
man, living  in  Chicago;  Mary  E.,  widow  of  John  C.  Adams,  who  was  killed 
on  the  railroad  in  the  Crestline  yards  in  1899;  Ellen,  wife  of  Irvin  Bishop,  of 
Crestline.  They  also  have  six  grandchildren :  Estella  and  Charles  \Y.  and 
Helen  L.  Reindal;  Ruth  L.  Adams;  Elizabeth  C.  Whitmyer;  and  Leona  Gladys 
Bishop.  Mr.  Whitmyer  is  a  member  of  the  Railroad  Brotherhood,  the  Crest- 
line Tent,  No.  51,  Knights  of  Maccabees,  and  of  the  Relief  Society.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  German  Reformed  church,  and  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  Plis 
life  has  been  quietly  passed,  devoted  to  the  promotion  of  the  welfare  of  his 
community,  being  one  of  those  substantial  citizens,  who  at  all  times  and  under 
all  curcumstances  are  faithful  and  loyal  to  their  country,  to  their  friends  and 
the  people. 

ROBERT  R.  BLACK. 

A  representative  of  the  medical  fraternity  of  Galion,  Robert  Resee  Black 
has  already  won  an  enviable  position  as  a  member  of  the  profession,  although 
he  has  engaged  in  practice  for  only  a  few  years.  He  is  a  native  of  Knox 
county,  Ohio,  born  in  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  John  Luther  Black,  now  de- 
ceased. The  father  was  also  born  in  Knox  county,  and  was  a  son  of  William 
Black,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  that  locality,  who  is  still  living,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety  years.  He  married  a  Miss  Cornell,  who  probably  came 
to  this  state  from  Pennsylvania.  Dr.  John  L.  Black  pursued  his  professional 
education  in  Wooster  University,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  now  the  Cleveland  Med- 
ical College,  and  for  about  twenty  years  successfully  engaged  in  practice  at 
Democracy,  Knox  county,  enjoying  a  large  and  lucrative  business.  He  died 
in  1886,  at  the  comparatively  early  age  of  forty-five  years.  His  wife  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Fedora  Sapp,  and  is  a  native  of  Knox  county.      She  is  still 


328  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

living,  her  home  being  in  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio.  Her  father,  Robert  Sapp,  was 
also  numbered  among  the  early  settlers  of  Knox  county. 

Dr.  Black,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  pursued  his  literary  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  Mount  Vernon  and  of  Democracy,  Ohio.  He  began 
reading  medicine  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Russell,  in  1891,  and  later  con- 
tinued his  studies  in  the  Starling  Medical  College,  of  Columbus,  being  gradu- 
ated in  that  institution  with  the  class  of  1897.  Immediately  afterward  he 
entered  into  business  relations  with  his  former  preceptor,  Dr.  Russell,  with 
whom  he  practiced  in  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio,  for  six  months,  after  which  he 
came  to  Galion,  where  he  has  since  remained.  The  ambition  and  energy  of 
young  men  are  his,  and,  supplemented  by  a  laudable  determination  to  succeed, 
he  will  undoubtedly  gain  a  foremost  place  in  the  ranks  of  the  medical  frater- 
nity, having  already  won  success  which  many  an  older  practitioner  might  well 
envy. 

Dr.  Black  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Lulu  Knight  Hall,  of  Mansfield, 
Ohio,  a  daughter  of  William  B.  and  Margaret  (  Knight)  Hall,  formerly  resi- 
dents of  Knox  county,  Ohio,  where  the  father  was  extensively  and  success- 
fully engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  The  Doctor  and  his  wife  now 
have  one  interesting  little  son,  Robert  Russell.  The  Doctor  is  identified  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters.  During  his  residence  in  Galion  he  has 
formed  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances,  gained  many  warm  friends  and  won 
a  desirable  position  in  the  ranks  of  his  chosen  calling.  In  business  affairs  he 
is  energetic,  prompt  and  notably  reliable,  and  as  a  student  his  researches  and 
investigations  are  continually  broadening  his  mind,  fitting  him  in  the  highest 
degree  for  the  responsibilities  that  rest  upon  him  as  a  representative  of  the 
medical  profession. 

JEFFERSON  I.  SMITH. 

\ 

Jefferson  I.  Smith,  who  is  serving  as  deputy  auditor  of  Crawford  county, 
and  a  resident  of  Bucyrus,  is  a  well-known  resident  of  this  portion  of  Ohio, 
where  his  entire  life  has  been  passed.  He  was  born  in  Lykens  township. 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  in  1863,  his  parents  being  Frederick  and  Lucy  Ann 
(  Shupp)  Smith.  More  extended  mention  of  the  parents  is  made  in  the  biog- 
raphy of  L.  M.  Smith.  At  the  usual  age  he  entered  the  public  schools  and 
pursued  his  studies  until  he  had  completed  the  high  school  course  at  New 
Washington,  with  the  class  of  1885.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  became  editor 
of  the  Herald,  published  in  New  Washington,  and  continued  his  connection 


C^     "SW^JCfc. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  331 

with  the  paper  until  1897,  making  it  a  representative  Democratic  journal  of 
the  county.  He  was  a  forceful,  earnest  and  interesting  writer  and  his  editorials 
carried  weight  in  forming  public  opinion  in  the  county.  While  still  connected 
with  the  paper  Air.  Smith  served  fur  three  terms  as  town  clerk  of  Xew  Wash- 
ington and  was  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  education.  He  made  a  close 
study  of  the  needs  of  his  town  and  the  improvements  that  would  best  advance 
its  interests  and  in  every  way  possible  promoted  the  upbuilding  and  sub- 
stantial improvement  of  the  place.  Throughout  his  entire  life  he  has  been 
connected  with  the  Democracy  and  for  three  years  was  a  member,  from  Cran- 
berry township,,  on  the  Democratic  county  central  committee,  and  for  one 
year  acted  in  the  capacity  of  chairman.  From  1890  until  1896  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  school  examiners  for  the  county  and  has  been  one  of  the 
state  supervisors  of  elections  since  1893.  In  1897  he  was  appointed  deputy 
auditor  of  Crawford  count}'  and  in  April,  1901,  was  nominated,  without  oppo- 
sition, the  Democratic  candidate  for  county  auditor,  and  elected  in  November 
following.  In  every  public  duty  he  has  manifested  marked  loyalty  and  trust- 
worthiness. 

Air.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  in  Wayne  count)-  to  Miss  Linnie 
Breneman,  a  daughter  of  J.  H.  and  Lydia  B.  (McNary)  Breneman.  They 
now  have  one  son,  Russell  B.  Air.  and  Airs.  Smith  hold  membership  in  the 
Alethodist  Episcopal  church.  He  has  been  a  very  active  worker  in  the  Sunday- 
school,  realizing  the  importance  of  youthful  training.  For  five  years  he 
served  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  at  Xew  Washington,  which 
made  commendable  progress  under  his  direction  and  is  now  a  teacher  in  the 
Sunday-school  of  the  church  at  Bucyrus.  Socially  he  is  identified  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fra- 
ternity, of  New  Washington.  He  is  a  popular  man,  of  genial  and  courteous 
manner,  and  the  circle  of  his  friends  is  limited  only  by  the  circle  of  his  ac- 
quaintances. 

FERNANDO  J.  NORTON. 

Fernando-  Jefferson  Norton  was  born  in  Bucyrus,  December  28,  1859. 
His  father,  Jefferson  Norton,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  February 
26,  1825,  and  with  his  parents  he  became  a  resident  of  Bucyrus.  After  ar- 
riving at  years  of  maturity  he  married  Eleanor  M.  Byron,  who  was  born 
March  9,  1824,  and  died  Alarch  18,  1882.  At  the  usual  age  Air.  Norton,  of 
this  review,  entered  the  public  schools,  where  he  acquired  a  good   English. 

18 


332  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

•education,  after  which  he  learned  the  trade  of  carriage  wood  working.  When 
he  had  completed  his  apprenticeship  he  engaged  in  journeyman  work  with  his 
father  for  a  year  and  then  to<  >k  a  contract  to  carry  the  mail  from  Bucyrus  to 
(  )ceola.  Sushsequently  he  extended  his  route  to  Benton,  Buljoe  and  Wingert's 
Corners  and  was  so  employed  for  nine  months.  He  then  accepted  a  position 
as  fireman  on  the  Toledo  &  Ohio  Central  Railroad  and  was  employed  in  that 
capacity  for  two  years  and  nine  months,  when  he  was  injured  in  the  perform- 
ance of  his  duties.  This  necessitated  his  retirement  front  labor  for  nine 
months,  and  on  recovering  lie  found  that  he  would  have  to-  give  up  railroad 
work.  He  then  secured  a  position  in  a  machine  shop,  where  he  remained  for 
a  brief  period.  Prior  to  this  he  had  erected  a  small  greenhouse,  fifteen  by 
forty-five  feet,  and  determining  to  leave  the  shop  he  decided  to  give  his  at- 
tention to  gardening  and  the  cultivation  of  flowers.  He  admitted  his  brother 
to  a  partnership  in  the  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Norton  Brothers, 
and  purchased  six  and  a  half  acres  of  land,  known  as  the  Winner  estate, 
north  of  Bucyrus.  The  relationship  between  the  brothers  was  maintained 
for  about  a  year,  when  Mr.  Norton,  of  this  review,  became  sole  proprietor, 
purchasing  his  partner's  interest.  After  two  years  he  purchased  the  prop- 
erty on  the  corner  of  Spring  and  Charles  streets  and  removed  his  greenhouse 
to  thai  place.  After  conducting  the  business  for  about  two  years  he  returned 
to  the  Toledo  &  Ohio  Central  Railroad  as  a  fireman  and  on  the  completion 
of  his  apprenticeship  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  engineer,  running  an 
engine  on  the  road  for  three  and  a  half  vears.  He  then  left  the  railroad 
service,  for  his  greenhouse  business  demanded  all  of  his  attention.  About  that 
time  he  erected  two  more  greenhouses  in  Bucyrus  and  purchased  and  equipped 
a  greenhouse  at  Nevada  and  three  in  Bucyrus,  but  after  a  time  he  moved 
the  greenhouse  from  the  former  place  to  this  city,  combining  the  business  so 
that  he  had  over  ten  thousand  feet  of  glass  roof.  He  made  a  specialty 
of  cut  flowers  and  potted  plants.  Already  he  has  an  extensive  and  profitable 
business,  but  in  the  near  future  he  expects  to  enlarge  his  facilities  by  in- 
creasing his  greenhouses  until  he  will  have  two  thousand  more  feet  under  glass. 
The  finest  varieties  of  plants,  shrubs  and  Mowers  mav  be  seen  here  and  Air. 
Norton  thoroughly  understands  the  business,  making  him  very  competent  to 
conduct  the  extensive  enterprise  which  he  now  controls. 

On  the  nth  of  July,  1878,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Norton 
and  Miss  Kate  Anna  Adams,  who  was  born  in  Galion,  Ohio,  in  October, 
[859,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Margaret  Adams.  Five  children  grace 
this  marriage:     Myrtle  Byron,  born  March  26,  1879;  Ralph  Jefferson,  born 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  333 

September  17,  1880,  and  died  May  4,  1881  ;  Arthur  Franklin,  born  Septem- 
ber 2,  1882;  Fairy  Elmer,  born  March  21,  1884;  Mabel  Carrie,  born  March 
12,  1886;  and  Harry  James,  who  was  born  April  2,  1893. 

Mr.  Norton  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  Bucyrus  and  his  career  has  been  a 
useful  and  honorable  one.  Along  the  legitimate  lines  of  business  he  has  won 
splendid  success.  He  is  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  subject  of  horticul- 
ture, understands  the  needs  of  plants  and  their  requirements  and  is  not  only 
able  to  grow  and  cultivate  flowers,  but  to  transact  the  business  affairs  neces- 
sary to  make  his  labors  profitable.  In  all  his  dealings  he  is  straightforward 
and  reliable  and  his  large  business  is  a  merited  success. 

Mrs.  ELISABETH  TEEL. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Teel,  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  and  firmly 
established  families  of  Crawford  county,  was  born  in  Liberty  township,  in 
this  county,  on  July  20,  1829.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Horatio  and  Nancy 
(  Link )  Markley.  Horatio  Markley,  distinguished  as  one  of  the  most  power- 
ful men,  physically,  in  Crawford  county,  came  here  from  his  home  in  Somerset 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  born  in  1804,  and  entered  a  fractional 
quarter  section  of  land  (one  hundred  and  forty-four  acres)  in  Liberty  town- 
ship, this  now  being  the  home  and  property  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He 
erected  a  log  cabin  on  his  land  and  spent  his  life  here,  being  very  prosperous 
and  able  to  assist  his  children  very  materially.  His  death  was  in  1880,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six.  He  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  English  Lutheran  church 
and  for  many  years  prior  to  his  death  no-  needy  person  ever  applied  in  vain  to 
him  for  assistance.  Far  and  wide  his  charities  extended  and  he  was  beloved  by 
all  who  knew  him. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Teel  was  also  a  remarkable  man,  living 
to  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years,  nine  months  and  twenty-seven  days, 
and  his  death  occurring  in  the  house  where  our  subject  now  lives,  in  1864. 
His  father,  a  veteran  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  owned  six  hundred  acres  of 
land  on  the  present  site  of  Wheeling,  and  was  killed  by  the  Indians. 

Mrs.  Teel  was  one  of  four  children  in  her  parents'  family,  the  three 
survivors  being:  John,  of  Morrow  county;  Elisabeth,  of  this  sketch,  and 
Mathias,  of  Wyandot  county,  this  state.  She  grew  up  at  her  parental  home, 
acquiring  an  education  in  the  pioneer  schools,  and  on  September  17,  1844, 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Mr.  George  W.  Teel,  who  during  his  life  was 
one  of  the  energetic  and  successful  business  men  of  Crawford  county. 


334  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

George  W.  Teel  was  born  in  Ashland,  Ohio,  on  May  16,  1821,  and  he 
was  a  son  of  poor  but  honest  and  industrious  parents.  At  the  age  of  ten  years, 
having  received  lint  a  limited  education,  he  went  to  work  in  the  brick-yard  of 
John  Moffit,  where  he  remained  for  two  summers,  and  during  the  two  follow- 
ing seasons  drove  a  team  on  the  Ohio  canal.  Later  he  engaged  in  farm 
work  at  various  places  in  Stark  county,  for  several  years.  In  the  meantime  his 
father,  John  C.  Teel,  had  removed  to  Guernsey  county  and  purchased  a  small 
farm.  George  managed  this  property  for  some  two  years,  while  his  father 
worked  at  his  trade  of  blacksmith.  In  his  seventeenth  year  he  taught  school 
in  Wayne  county  during  one  winter,  and  also  followed  the  same  occupation 
in  his  nineteenth  year.  After  this  he  attended  the  Ashland  Academy  for  one 
term  of  five  months  and  then  engaged  in  clerking  for  one  year  in  a  general 
store,  in  Benton,  Holmes  county.  In  1842  he  removed  to  \avarre.  in  Stark 
county,  and  from  April  to  July  engaged  in  the  business  of  buying  horses, 
which  he  took  to  Canada  and  sold  to  the  British  officers. 

Air.  Teel  removed  to  Crawford  county  in  August,  1843,  and  purchased 
the  George  \Y.  Galloway  farm,  on  which  he  resided  to  the  time  of  his  death. 
For  fifteen  years  he  taught  school  in  Sulphur  Springs  and  vicinity  and  con- 
ducted the  first  English  school  ever  taught  in  the  Broken  Sword  district. 
After  this  the  residents  never  wished  to  support  a  German  school  in  that  lo- 
cality. In  1844,  for  a  period  of  six  months,  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  Sulphur  Springs,  with  a  Mr.  Allen,  the  establishment  being  known 
as  The  Great  Western  Shore.  In  1862  he  was  appointed  revenue  assessor  of 
Crawford  county  and  served  in  this  capacity  fo  nine  years,  and  during  the 
fall  of  1872  he  was  employed  by  the  A.  &  L.  E.  R.  R.  as  collecting  agent  for 
the  corporation,  continuing  with  the  company  in  this  capacity  for  three  years. 

In  the  spring  of  1  S77  Mr.  Teel  removed  his  family  to  Bucyrus  and  was 
engaged  one  year  as  assignee  in  settling  up  the  business  of  Osman  &  Wood- 
side.  Idie  family  removed  to  Crestline  in  the  spring  of  1878  and  remained 
there  some  twelve  months  and  then  returned  to  the  farm  in  Libert}'  town- 
ship. During  this  time,  however,  Mr.  Teel  still  continued  in  Bucyrus  as 
a  partner  in  a  carriage  establishment.  He  served  some  years  as  secretary  of 
the  Crawford  County  Farmers'  Fire  Insurance  Company,  and  was  also  pur- 
chasing agent  for  the  Ohio  Central  Railroad  Company,  being  agent  for  this 
corporation,  and  also  for  the  old  A.  &  L.  E.  R.  R.  He  secured  nearly  all  the 
right  of  way  for  the  roadbed  from  the  coal  fields  to  Toledo,  including  the 
depot  grounds,  which  were  purchased  in  the  '70s,  in  that  city.  Mr.  Teel  was 
also  instrumental  to  a  great  extent  in  securing  the  guarantee  fund  for  over  one 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  335 

hundred  thousand  dollars  subscribed,  in  1880,  by  the  company,  along  the 
route  as  a  local  aid  to  its  completion.  With  [Messrs.  D.  W.  Swigart, 
C.  Fenton,  S.  R.  Harris  and  James  B.  Gormly,  he  succeeded  in  the  enter- 
prise of  getting  the  machine-shops  bill  passed  by  the  legislature  and  was  a 
member  of  many  organizations  requiring  a  man  of  integrity. 

.  Mr.  Teel  died  on  July  19,  1889.  In  1882  he  had  had  a  premonition, 
being  stricken  then  with  paralysis  and  then  gave  up  his  position  with  the 
railroads  and  retired  to  live  on  his  farm.  He  enjoyed  seven  years  of  quiet 
life  before  the  end  came.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Republican  part}', 
and  had  been  connected  with  the  English  Lutheran  church  for  many  year  . 
His  death  was  widely  lamented,  as  he  had  been  one  of  the  most  public-spirited 
men  that  Crawford  county  ever  possessed.  Seven  of  his  eight  children  still 
survive,  viz.:  Leander;  Jared,  of  Mansfield;  Laura  L.,  the  wife  of  Milton 
Ebert,  of  Elyria,  Ohio;  Ellen,  the  wife  of  Ernest  Michaelis,  of  Spokane, 
Washington;  George,  of  North  Robinson,  Ohio;  Horatio  M.,  in  the  electric 
light  business  in  Seattle,  Washington;  and  Frances,  the  wife  of  Grant  Zerbe, 
■of  Sandusky.     Jennie,  the  second  child,  passed  away. 

After  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Teel,  so  badly  bereaved,  removed 
■to  the  old  Markley  homestead,  the  home  of  her  youth.  At  the  time  of  her 
father's  death  she  purchased  the  property  and  resides  upon  it,  very  efficiently 
managing  the  extensive  farming  operations  carried  on  there.  She  is  a  very 
intelligent  lady,  of  superior  judgment,  and  is  one  very  highly  esteemed  in 

Crawford  countv. 
J 

W.  C.  FRAXZ. 

W.  C.  Franz  is  a  well-known  resident  of  Bucyrus  and  the  trainmaster  for 
the  Toledo  &  Ohio  Central  Railway.  He  represents  one  of  the  distinguished 
and  honored  pioneer  families  of  the  count}',  the  name  of  Franz  being  in- 
separably associated  with  the  history  of  this  section  of  the  state.  More  than 
seventy  years  ago  representatives  of  the  name  became  residents  of  Ohio,  and 
through  the  decades  which  have  since  been  added  to  the  cycle  of  the  centuries 
descendants  of  those  original  ancestors  in  Ohio  have  borne  their  part  in  the 
work  of  progress  and  development  in  Crawford  count}'.  The  paternal  grand- 
father of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  Hesse-Darmstadt.  Germany,  born  in  the 
year  1812.  Fie  acquired  a  good  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  country 
and  served  in  the  army  there.  When  a  young  man  of  twenty-five  years  he 
resolved  to  seek  his  fortune  in  America  and  accordingly  crossed  the  Atlantic 


336  CEXTEXNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

to  the  new  world,  locating  in  Galion,  Ohio,  in  1837.  He  afterward  removed 
to  Leesville,  this  county,  but  spent  his  last  days  in  Bucyrus,  where  he  passed 
away  in  1870.  He  was  long  a  prominent  factor  in  public  affairs  and  his  opin- 
ions carried  weight  and  influence  among  the  leading  residents  of  the  com- 
munity. His  wurth  and  ability  were  widely  recognized  and  led  to  his  selec- 
tion to  various  positions  of  public  trust.  For  nine  years  he  filled  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Jackson  township  and  in  1859  he  was  elected  sheriff  of 
Crawford  county  for  a  two-years  term,  in  which  he  acceptably  served  and  was 
then  re-elected,  so  that  he  was  continued  in  the  office  for  four  years.  In  1867 
he  was  chosen  by  popular  vote  to  the  position  of  county  treasurer  and  was 
acting  in  that  capacity  at  the  time  of  his  death.  His  public  and  private  records 
were  alike  above  reproach.  He  always  discharged  his  duties  in  a  prompt, 
efficient  and  creditable  manner,  and  in  private  life  he  displayed  those  manly 
qualities  that  ever  command  respect  and  confidence.  With  him  friendship 
was  inviolable,  and  the  duties  of  the  home  were  to  him  the  most  important 
in  life.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  manifested  his  loyalty  to  his  adopted 
country  by  entering  the  service  as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  First 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  and  became  lieutenant-colonel,  serving  in  that  ca- 
pacity until  he  was  forced  to  resign,  owing  to  wounds  sustained  in  the  battle 
of  Perryville.  He  was  married  in  this  county  to  Miss  Jane  Burwell,  and  unto 
them  were  born  five  children,  namely  :  Joseph  Burwell,  now  of  Toledo,  Ohio;. 
William,  the  father  of  our  subject;  Kate,  who  married  John  R.  Clymer ;  John 
S.,  of  Tampa,  Florida;  and  Sally,  wife  of  Alexander  Kerr,  of  Holmes  town- 
ship.    The  mother  of  this  family  is  still  living. 

William  Franz,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  May  21,  1843,  in 
Leesville.  and  attended  school  there  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  ac- 
companied his  parents  on  their  removal  to  a  farm  near  Bucyrus.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  watch-making  and  the  jewelry  business  in  the  city  and  afterward 
purchased  his  employer's  store,  carrying  on  the  enterprise  for  some  time.  Sub- 
sequently he  resided  in  Plymouth  and  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  in  Meadville, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  engaged  in  the  watch  and  jewelry  business  until  1865. 
He  then  returned  to  Bucyrus,  and  in  connection  with  H.  J.  Riblet  established 
a  jewelry  store.  In  1867  he  removed  to  Crestline,  where  he  entered  business 
with  Dr.  William  Pope.  Here  he  perfected  and  patented  a  knitting  machine, 
and  in  November,  1869,  began  manufacturing  the  machine,  incorporating  the 
business  under  the  name  of  the  Bucyrus  Knitting  Machine  Works.  In  1871 
the  name  was  changed  to  the  Franz  &  Pope  Knitting  Machine  Company,  and 
a  prosperous  and  growing  enterprise  was  established,  the  steadily  increasing 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  337 

trade  bringing  the  stockholders  a  good  financial  return  upon  their  investment. 
Mr.  Franz  contiued  with  thee  oncern  until  1879,  when,  owing  to-  failing  health, 
he  retired,  spending  his  remaining  days  in  quiet  and  rest  from  labor.  He  was 
a  prominent  Mason,  holding  membership  with  Crawford  Lodge,  Ivanhoe  Chap- 
ter, No.  117,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Mansfield  Commandery,  No.  21,  K.  T.  He  also 
became  a  charter  member  of  Demas  Commandery,  Xo.  108,  K.  T.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1881,  he  was  called  to  his  final  rest,  and  the  community  thereby  lost  one 
of  its  valued  citizens,  for  he  had  long  been  an  important  factor  in  promoting 
the  commercial  activity,  whereon  depends  the  welfare,  progress  and  advance- 
ment of  every  community.  His  labors  resulted,  not  alone  to  his  individual 
benefit,  but  proved  of  general  good.  He  withheld  his  support  from  no  move- 
ment calculated  to  promote  the  general  welfare  and  had  a  public  spirit  and 
abiding  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  his  native  county. 

On  the  22d  of  January,  1868,  Mr.  Franz  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Almira  Melissa  Campbell,  who  was  born  in  Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1844,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  R.  (Staltz)  Campbell,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Northumberland  county.  Pennsylvania.  They  re- 
moved from  the  Keystone  state  to  Byron,  Ohio,  in  1854  and  in  i860  came  to 
Bucyrus.  The  father  was  a  contractor  and  builder,  and  died  in  Loganspi  >rt. 
Indiana,  in  1897,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  When  the  country  be- 
came involved  in  Civil  war  he  responded  to  the  president's  call  for  aid.  en- 
listing in  an  Ohio  regiment.  His  death  occurred  about  1880,  when  he  had 
attained  the  age  of  fifty-one  years.  Obediah  Campbell,  the  great-grandfather 
of  Mrs.  Franz,  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  on  coming  to  America  located  in 
Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  met  and  married  Miss  Kate 
Keader.  Unto  William  and  Almira  M.  (Campbell)  Franz  were  born  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Katie  J.,  William  C.  Mellie  A.  and  Jay  W.  The  older 
daughter  is  the  wife  of  F.  J.  Earth,  of  Bucyrus,  and  the  younger  daughter  is 
now  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Bucyrus  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  high 
school. 

William  Charles  Franz,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  was  born 
in  Bucyrus,  March  14,  1871,  and  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools, 
being  graduated  in  the  high  school  in  1889.  For  four  months  he  was  with  the 
United  States  Express  Company  and  afterward  with  the  Toledo  &  Ohio  Cen- 
tral Railway.  He  entered  the  railroad  service  October  27,  1889,  and  is  yet 
with  the  company.  His  first  position  was  that  of  night  yard  clerk,  was  made- 
chief  yard  clerk  on  the  1st  of  April,  1890,  and  on  the  1st  of  September,  of  the 
same  year  became  clerk  to  the  train  master.  On  the  1st  of  November.  1890, 
J.  F.  Angell  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  eastern  division,  with  head- 


333  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

quarters  at  Bucyrus,  and  Mr.  Franz  was  made  his  chief  clerk,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  remained  until  the  ist  of  January,  1901,  when  Mr.  Angell  was  re- 
moved to  Columbus,  as  superintendent  of  the  entire  line,  and  Mr.  Franz  was 
given  the  position  of  train  master.  His  promotions  have  come  to  him  as  the 
reward  of  close  application,  earnest  and  indefatigable  labor  and  excellent 
ability,  and  the  fact  that  he  has  been  for  so  long  retained  in  the  sendee  of  one 
road  is  an  unmistakable  evidence  of  his  fidelity. 

On  the  1 8th  of  December,  1895,  Mr.  Franz  was  united  in  marriage,  in 
Marion,  Ohio,  to  Miss  Josephine  Harsberger.  a  daughter  of  the  late  Jacob  H. 
Harsberger,  who  was  a  merchant  of  Marion.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  war  and  was  a  well-known  resident  of  Marion  county.  The  marriage 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Franz  has  been  blessed  with  one  son,  James  N.  In  his  po- 
litical affiliations  Mr.  Franz  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  an  attendant  on  the  services 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.  At  the  present  time  he  is  serving  as  city  clerk, 
to  which  position  he  was  elected,  entering  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  on  the 
ist  of  May,  1900,  for  a  term  of  two  years.  In  the  Masonic  fraternity  he 
is  veil  known  as  an  exemplary  member,  has  passed  all  of  the  chairs  in  the 
lodge,  and  in  1899  and  1900  filled  the  position  of  master  of  Trinity  Lodge,  of 
Bucyrus.  He  is  also  identified  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  and  was  exalted  ruler  for  one  year.  He  is  a  worthy  representative  of 
an  honored  pioneer  family,  his  lines  of  life  having  been  cast  in  harmony  with 
the  records  left  by  his  father  and  grandfather.  He  has  many  warm  friends 
throughout  Crawford  count)-,  where  the  family  has  been  so  long  widely  and 
prominently  known,  and  no  history  of  the  community  would  be  complete  with- 
out mention  of  Air.  Franz  and  his  ancestors. 

JONATHAN  CARMEAN. 

Jonathan  Carmean,  who  follows  farming  in  Crawford  county,  was  born  in 
what  is  now  Bucyrus  township,  December  6.  1834,  his  parents  being  Matthew 
and  Rachel  ( De  Long)  Carmean.  His  grandfather  was  a  native  of  the  south 
and  became  a  pioneer  settler  of  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  where  the  father 
of  our  subject  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  youth.  The  Carmean  family  is 
of  French  descent,  while  the  mother  of  our  subject  represented  a  family  of 
Pennsylvania  Dutch  lineage.  Matthew  Carmean  and  Rachel  De  Long  were 
married  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  and  soon  afterward  came  to  Crawford 
county,  where  he  entered  eighty  acres  of  land  in  what  was  then  Bucyrus  town- 
ship.     Soon  afterward,  however,  he  traded  this  for  property  on  section   11 


ytrt^&^tfu&i^s       Oposi^&t&a*-^ 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  341 

in  what  is  now  Dallas  township.  In  his  undertakings  hie  prospered  and  became 
a  large  land-owner,  having  about  twelve  hundred  acres  at  one  time.  He  made 
judicious  investments  in  real  estate  and  the  rise  in  land  values  augmented  his 
capital.  Both  he  and  his  wife  died  in  Dallas  township.  They  were  the  parents 
of  six  children  :  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Coulter,  a  widow  residing  in  Toledo  ;  Martha 
E.,  deceased;  Jonathan;  Elizabeth,  who  died  in  girlhood;  Nelson,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years;  and  Matthew  L.,  a  farmer  of  Dallas  township. 

Mr.  Carmean,  of  this  review,  was  reared  in  Dallas  township  and  pursued 
his  education  in  the  common  schools.  He  remained  with  his  parents  until 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  married  Sarah  Jane  Goodman, 
who  died  about  1890,  leaving  three  children.  The  daughter,  Dilla,  however, 
passed  away  when  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  Irvin  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two.  The  surviving  children  are:  Alonzo,  a  farmer  of  Bucyrus  town- 
ship; Arizona,  a  farmer  of  Dallas  township;  and  Eva,  the  wife  of  Peter  Metz- 
ker,  of  Bucyrus  township. 

During  the  year  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Carmean  located  upon  a  farm, 
remaining  there  for  about  twelve  months,  when  he  removed  to  his  present 
farm  in  Bucyrus  township.  He  to-day  owns  eight  hundred  and  thirty  acres 
of  valuable  land,  of  which  five  hundred  and  seventy  acres  is  comprised  in  the 
home  place,  which  is  known  as  the  Elm  Tree  Farm.  The  latest  improved  ma- 
chinery, well  kept  fences  and  substantial  buildings  are  among  the  leading 
features  of  this  model  farm.  Mr.  Carmean  has  engaged  in  raising  and  dealing 
in  cattle  and  now  buys  and  sells  stock,  being  well  known  in  this  line  of  busi- 
ness throughout  his  portion  of  Ohio.  He  has  one  hundred  and  fifty  head 
of  cattle,  twenty  brood  sows  and  high  grades  of  sheep  and  hogs.  He  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  the  community.  Systematic 
and  methodical,  enterprising  and  progressive,  and  his  carefully  directed  busi- 
ness interests  have  brought  to  him  a  splendid  financial  return.  In  his  political 
views  he  is  a  Republican. 

GEORGE  J.  EBERHART. 

A  prominent  farmer  and  highly  esteemed  citizen  of  Crawford  county  is 
George  J.  Eberhart,  who  was  born  in  Cranberry  township,  this  county,  on 
June  30,  1843.  He  was  a  son  of  George  F.  and  Catherine  (  Hunim)  Eberhart. 
His  father  was  born  in  Germany  and  his  mother  in  Stark  county.  Ohio.  When 
George  J.  was  four  years  old  his  father  died,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  the 
son  was  apprenticed  to  John  Myers,  a  blacksmith,  for  a  period  of  three  years. 


342  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

After  finishing  his  course  in  this  trade  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  for  one 
year,  and  then  with  his  mother  and  two  brothers  took  passage  for  America. 
The  voyage  consumed  forty-two  days  and  no  doubt  they  were  glad  to  enter 
safely  the  harbor  of  New  York. 

They  knew  that  many  of  their  countrymen  had  settled  in  Bucyrus,  Ohio, 
and  hither  they  came,  arriving  on  September  14,  1832.  Employment  was 
soon  given  Mr.  Eberhart  as  a  chain-carrier  for  John  Schliever,  in  laying  out 
the  village  of  Schlievertown,  later  Annapolis,  now  Sulphur  Springs,  and 
afterward  he  easily  secured  work  of  Mr.  Frederick  Beard,  at  his  trade.  Later 
he  went  to  Harrisburg,  Stark  county,  Ohio,  thence  to  Louisville,  in  the  same- 
county,  and  there  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  for  himself,  remaining  in 
business  there  until  his  marriage  on  February  14,  1834,  to  Miss  Catherine 
Humm.  To  this  union  seven  children  were  born,  the  four  survivors  being: 
Mary,  the  wife  of  John  Ulmer,  of  Cranberry  township;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of 
Frederick  Yieter,  of  Kent  county,  Michigan;  our  subject;  and  Christina,  the 
wife  of  Adam  Keplinger,  of  Chatfield  township. 

Following  his  marriage  Mr.  Eberhart  purchased  a  small  tract  of  land, 
but  two  years  later  he  sold  this  and  removed  to>  Liberty  township,  in  Crawford 
county,  where  he  bought  a  small  farm  and  immediately  began  its  improve- 
ment. For  some  years  he  continued  to  operate  this  farm,  and  to  also  work  at 
his  trade,  but  then  returned  to  Stark  county  and  purchased  a  fine  farm  of 
one  hundred  acres.  Two  years  later  found  him  back  in  Crawford  county, 
and  at  this  time  he  located  on  a  farm  in  Cranberry  township,  on  which  he 
remained  for  thirty-four  years.  During  this  time  he  dealt  extensively  in  real 
estate  in  Cranberry  township,  but  later  he  removed  to  Holmes  township  and 
became  the  owner  of  one  of  the  best  improved  farms  in  the  county-  He  died 
in  May,  1901,  in  Chatfield  township,  at  the- home  of  his  daughter.  He  was 
an  active  member  of  the  Albright  church  for  many  years,  but  in  later  life 
advancing  age  prevented  his  attendance  upon  the  services.  In  early  life  he 
was  for  several  years  a  "local  preacher"  in  the  German  Lutheran  church. 

George  J.  Eberhart  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm,  but  had  few  educa- 
tional advantages.  In  1865  occurred  his  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Schieber, 
who  was  born  in  Liberty  township,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Gottleib  Schieber, 
who  was  one  of  the  old  pioneers  of  this  county  and  of  Liberty  township. 
Five  children  were  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  these  being:  John  B.,  at 
home;  Matilda,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Joseph  Mack,  of  Oshkosh,  AYisconsin;  Mary, 
the  wife  of  Adam  BittikofTer,  of  Liberty  township;  and  Oma  and  Orlando 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  343 

F.,  at  home.  Mrs.  Eberhart  died  September  4,  1900,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two 
years. 

During  the  two  years  following  our  subject's  marriage  he  cultivated  a 
tract  of  land  for  his  father,  which  comprised  eighty  acres,  in  Cranberry  town- 
ship, and  then  came  to  Holmes  township  and  rented  the  farm  which  is  now 
owned  by  Georg-e  Orthwein.  Here  our  subject  and  family  lived  but  one 
year,  removing  then  to  his  most  desirable  home  property  at  the  expiration  of 
that  time.  This  farm  is  considered  one  of  the  most  valuable  ones  in  the  county 
and  has  received  most  intelligent  cultivation.  It  consists  of  one  hundred  and 
ten  acres  and  is  well  improved. 

Mr.  Eberhart  is  a  Republican,  believing  firmly  in  the  principles  of  that 
party,  and  is  a  member  and  liberal  supporter  of  the  German  Methodist  church,, 
to  which  his  wife  also  belonged.  Few  men  in  the  county  enjoy  more  fully 
the  esteem  of  the  community  than  does  George  J.  Eberhart. 

HARRISON  SMITH. 

Few  employes  of  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad  have 
been  longer  in  the  service  of  the  company  than  Harrison  Smith,  a  well-known 
and  popular  conductor  living  in  Crestline.  He  was  born  in  Holmes  county, 
Ohio,  December  20,  1841.  His  father,  Jonathan  Smith,  also  a  native  of  the 
Buckeye  state,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  born  in  181 5.  He  is  still  living, 
his  home  being  now  on  Turman's  creek,  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  He 
married  Miss  Sarah  Slagie,  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1817,  and  she  is  also 
living.  This  worthy  couple  became  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  of  whom 
ten  reached  years  of  maturity,  while  eight  still  survive. 

Harrison  Smith,  of  this  review,  was  the  third  child  and  was  reared  upon 
the  old  homestead  farm  in  his  native  count}-,  his  time  being  devoted  to 
the  work  of  the  field  and  meadow  and  in  mastering  the  branches  of  English 
learning,  as  taught  in  the  schools  near  his  home.  He  assisted  his  father  on 
the  farm  during  the  summer  time  until  twenty  years  of  age,  but  not  desiring 
to  follow  the  plow  as  a  life  work,  he  then  made  other  arrangements,  becoming 
a  brakeman  on  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad,  running  be- 
tween Crestline  and  Alliance.  He  was  upon  that  train  from  1865  until  1869, 
when  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  conductor,  and  thus  served  until 
1885.  His  run  was  then  changed  from  Crestline  to  Conway,  Pennsylvania, 
and  on  that  route  he  remained  for  four  years,  when  he  was  sent  through  to 
the  outer  depot  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.     However,  he  was  afterward  re- 


344  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

turned  to  the  Conway  run  and  since  that  time  has  been  continued  upon  the 
road  between  Crestline  and  Pittsburg.  He  is  the  oldest  conductor  on  the  road, 
having  been  in  the  employ  of  the  company  for  forty  years. 

In  1867  occurred  the  marriage  of  Harrison  Smith  and  Miss  Emma  Wig- 
gins, who  was  born  near  Loudonville,  Ashland  county,  Ohio.  They  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  seven  are  yet  living,  namely :  Mattie,  wife  of  G.  O.  Davis, 
of  Crestline,  Ohio;  Roy,  who  married  Laura  Smetzer  and  is  living  in  Crest- 
line; Xettie;  Archie;  Lewis;  Otto;  and  May.  Of  this  number  Otto  is  a  clerk 
in  the  railway  office.  Archie  is  a  boilermaker  for  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wavne 
&  Chicago  Railroad  Company.  Lewis  is  a  fireman  in  the  employ  of  the  same 
company;  and  Roy  is  airbrake  inspector  on  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chi- 
cago road. 

Mr.  Smith  has  made  Crestline  his  home  since  1861,  the  vear  in  which  he 
entered  the  railway  service.  Fie  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  carried  Major 
McKinley  in  his  caboose  from  Alliance  to  Canton  when  the  Major  was  gov- 
ernor of  this  state.  Mr.  Smith  tells  how  the  president  took  his  razor  and 
shaved  himself  when  the  train  was  running  at  twenty  miles  an  hour.  Mr. 
Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Volunteer  Relief  Association  and  the  Order  of  Rail- 
way Conductors.  In  all  of  his  long  and  varied  experience  on  the  road  he  has 
never  had  a  collision.  He  has  run  on  one  caboose  for  twenty-one  years  and 
is  still  in  charge.  He  is  most  painstaking  and  reliable  in  the  performance  of 
his  duties  and  enjoys  the  unqualified  confidence  and  trust  of  his  superiors.  All 
who  know  him  entertain  for  him  high  regard,  for  he  possesses  many  excellent 
characteristics  and  is  truly  worthy  of  the  friendship  and  esteem  of  his  fellow 
men. 

PHILIP  SCHULER. 

Philip  Schuler,  who  is  a  well-known  representative  of  various  reliable 
insurance  companies  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  enterprising  citizens  of 
Galion,  was  born  in  Kenzingen,  Baden,  Germany,  in  1853.  his  parents  being 
Philip  and  Mary  Anna  (Vogt)  Schuler.  The  father  was  born  in  Ebringen, 
near  Freiburg,  Baden,  in  1809,  and  the  mother's  birth  occurred  in  Dorsenheim, 
near  Heidelberg",  in  1821.  Their  eldest  son,  William  Schuler,  is  now  a  pro- 
fessor in  the  University  of  Bavaria.  Another  son,  Edward  Schuler,  is  a 
prominent  railroad  official  in  Carlsruhe  in  Baden.  Mannheim,  Baden,  is  the 
residence  of  Carl  Schuler,  a  third  brother,  who  is  a  manager  in  the  transporta- 
tion department  of  foreign  shipping  for  that  district.     Emil  is  in  Saratow, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  345 

Russia,  where  he  is  extensively  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  agricultural 
implements  and  motors  and  has  a  large  plant  there,  employing  two  hundred 
men.  At  a  former  date  he  was  a  civil  engineer  on  a  Russian  railroad.  One 
of  the  brothers,  Gustave  Schuler,  was  engaged  in  the  brewing  business  in 
Chicago,  Illinois,  and  died  in  1874,  leaving  a  widow,  Mrs.  Johanna  Schuler. 
One  of  the  daughters  of  the  family.  Anna,  became  the  wife  of  Carl  Schreiber, 
of  Donaueschingen,'  Baden,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  confectionerv  business. 
Louisa  is  the  wife  of  R.  F.  Kleeman,  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin ;  and  Rosa  is 
the  wife  of  Fred  Amann.  a  grocer  of  Galion,  Ohio.  The  parents  of  this 
family  have  both  passed  away,  the  father  having  died  in  1882,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three  years,  while  the  mother's  death  occurred  in  1898,  when  she  was 
seventy-eight  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Schuler,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  attended  the  schools  of 
the  fatherland  until  thirteen  years  of  age  and  then  crossed  the  Atlantic  to 
America,  where  he  continued  his  education  for  two  years.  On  the  expiration 
of  that  period  he  went  to  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
confectionery  business,  and  in  1873  he  came  to  Galion,  being  then  a  young 
man  of  twenty  years.  Here  he  conducted  a  hotel  until  1877,  when  he  opened 
a  grocery  store,  carrying  on  that  enterprise  until  1893,  when  he  became  agent 
eral  well-known  and  reliable  life,  fire  and  accident  insurance  com- 
panies. As  a  representative  of  those  firms  be  is  now  carrying  on  business,  an- 
nually writing  many  policies.  He  has  also  been  quite  prominent  in  public 
affairs  and  his  worth  and  ability  have  frequently  led  to  his  selection  for  office. 
In  1883  he  was  elected  to  the  council  of  Galion,  and  was  president  of  the  coun- 
cil from  1885  until  1887.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  elected  to  the  state  legis- 
lature, where  he  served  his  district  so  acceptably  that  he  was  re-elected  in 
1889.  He  was  one  of  the  active  working  members  of  the  bouse,  laboring 
earnestly  to  secure  the  passage  of  those' measures  and  bills  which  were  intro- 
duced and  which  he  believed  would  prove  of  benefit  to  the  commonwealth.  He 
himself  introduced  several  important  measures  and  left  the  impress  of  his 
individuality  upon  the  state  during  the  term  of  his  service.  At  the  present 
time  he  is  a  member  of  the  Galion  city  board  of  equalization.  He  still  takes 
an  active  interest  in  politics  and  is  heartily  in  sympathy  with  Democratic  prin- 
ciples, believing  that  they  contain  the  best  elements  of  good  government. 

In  Galion  Air.  Schuler  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Amann, 
a  daughter  of  George  Amann,  a  retired  farmer  living  in  Galion.  The}-  now 
have  seven  children:  R.  F.  is  the  manager  and  a  stockholder  in  the  Emil 
Schuler  Manufacturing  Company,   of   Saratow,   Russia.      In  the  spring  of 


346  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

1 90 1  R.  F.  bought  out  the  Emil  Schiller  Manufacturing  Company.  He  ac- 
quired his  education  in  Galion  and  there  learned  the  machinist's  trade.  In 
October,  1900,  he  married  Eliza  Ehrt.  The  second  son,  H.  R.  Schiiler,  was 
educated  in  Galion,  is  now  a  law  student  in  Leyton  University  and  acting  as 
clerk  in  the  census  department  at  Washington,  D.  C.  \Y.  J.  is  employed  as  a 
machinist  by  the  Erie  Railroad  Company  at  Galion.  Laura,  Estella,  Marie  and 
Catherine,  the  daughters  of  the  family,  are  all  at  home.  Mr.  Schuler  and  his 
family  are  communicants  of  the  German  Catholic  church  and  he  belongs  to  the 
Catholic  Knights  of  Ohio  and  the  Catholic  Knights  of  America,  being  presi- 
dent of  the  Galion  branch  of  the  latter. 

HENRY  LEIMENSTOLL. 

Competence  comes  to  the  industrious  and  thrifty,  and  there  is  no  element 
in  the  American  nation  in  which  these  traits  are  more  conspicuous  than  the 
German.  Among  the  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Holmes  township,  of  Ger- 
man birth,  is  Henry  Leimenstoll,  who  was  born  in  Baden,  German}',  on  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1831,  a  son  of  Christian  and  Catherine  (Silmen)  Leimenstoll.  There 
were  two  children  of  his  parents,  but  our  subject  is  the  only  survivor.  The 
birth  of  Christian  Leimenstoll  was  in  Baden,  Germany,  in  1800,  and  he  was 
there  taught  the  trade  of  shoemaker.  In  Germany  he  married,  and  there  both 
of  his  children  were  born.  About  1834  he  emigrated  to  America  with  his 
family,  the  hope  of  a  more  comfortable  life,  with,  its  compensations,  urging  the 
breaking  of  old  ties.  No  loitering  was  done  in  New  York  City,  the  family 
coming  immediately  to  Sandusky,  Ohio.  There  the  mother  and  children  re- 
mained for  six  weeks,  while  Mr.  Leimenstoll  looked  for  a  suitable  location. 

With  his  brother-in-law,  George  Silmen,  who  came  in  the  same  vessel, 
he  finally  bought  a  farm  of  sixty  acres,  on  the  site  of  Scudder's  Station,  and 
here  they  lived  until  the  following  spring,  when  he  sold  his  interest  to  Mr. 
Silmen  and  came  on  into  Crawford  county.  He  located  one  and  one-fourth 
miles  southeast  of  Chatheld,  in  Chatfield  township,  where  he  purchased  forty 
acres  of  land,  and  here  he  built  a  hewed-log  house  in  the  forest.  Rude  and 
rough  it  was,  but  in  it  was  the  comfort  of  a  home.  In  subsequent  years  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  some  four  miles  southwest  of  his  home  farm, 
but  continued  to  make  his  home  on  his  pioneer  land  until  his  death,  in  his 
sixty-fourth  year.  The  mother  survived  until  December  29,  1887,  and  died 
in  her  eighty-ninth  vear.  Mr.  Leimenstoll  was  a  consistent  member  of  a  re- 
ligious body,  and  was  an  industrious  and  worthy  man. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  347 

Henry  Leimenstoll  passed  his  boyhood  and  youth  on  the  farm  always 
finding  something  to  do  and  cheerfully  performing  the  duties  which  fell  upon 
him,  as  the  only  boy  of  the  family.  On  January  28,  1858,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Sophia  Linn,  a  native  of  Holmes  township,  the  daughter  of 
William  and  Sophia  (Veivle)  Linn. 

After  marriage  the  young  couple  settled  down  to  domestic  life  on  the 
home  farm,  and  the  parents  lived  with  them  until  they  passed  out  of  life.  In 
1866  Henry  purchased  his  present  home  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
and  exchanged  the  old  parental  home  farm  for  the  eighty  acres  located  across 
the  road  from  the  new  purchase.  Later  he  bought  forty  acres  and  now  owns 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  on  each  side  of  the  road,  some  of  the  best  farm- 
ing land  in  the  county.  Fourteen  children  were  born  to  .Air.  and  Mrs.  Leimen- 
stoll, and  twelve  of  these  survive,  viz.:  Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  Henry  Geiss- 
man,  of  Cranberry  township,  this  county;  Christian,  of  Whetstone  township- 
Sophia,  the  wife  of  Charles  Geissman,  of  Chatfield  township;  John  and  Jacob' 
of  this  township;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Wesley  Krauter,  of  Liberty  township \ 
and  Anna,  Lydia,  Daniel,  Reuben,  Martha  and  Louisa,  all  at  home.  The 
deceased  children,  Caroline  and  Catherine,  died  in  childhood.  Like  his  fa- 
ther, he  inclines  toward  the  Democratic  party  in  politics.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Pietist  church,  and  is  one  of  the  thoroughly  trusted  and  esteemed  citi- 
zens of  this  section  of  the  county. 

HIRAM   I-.  SMITH. 

Hiram  E.  Smith,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  bom  in  Erie  county 
Ohio,  on  the  21st  day  of  February.  1866.  His  parents  were  Welding  e' 
Smith  and  Charlotte  (  Ashton)  Smith.  On  the  paternal  side  we  find  his  an- 
cestors on  one  side  expelled  from  north  France  on  account  of  religious  differ- 
ences among  the  people  at  that  time,  and  emigrating  to  America  in  the  year 
i/43  and  settling  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  On  the  other  side"  his 
father's  ancestors  were  English.  They  settled  in  and  around  Norwalk  and 
Derby,  Connecticut,  early  in  the  country's  history.  Here  we  find  them  fighting 
Indians  and  later  doing  good  service  against  the  British  during  the  war  for 
independence.  On  the  maternal  side  his  ancestors  were  all  English.  His 
grandparents,  Thomas  Ashton  and  Mary  (Edgar)  Ashton,  emigrated  to  this 
country  as  children  from  England  with  their  parents  early  in  the  nineteenth 
century  and  settled  in  Huron  county,  Ohio.  On  both  sides  his  ancestors  were 
prosperous  and  enterprising  people. 


348  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

In  the  spring  of  1866  his  parents  removed  to  Monroeville,  Ohio,  where 
his  father  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  agricultural  implements.  At  the  age 
of  six  he  entered  the  public  school  at  Monroeville,  graduating  from  that  insti- 
tution in  the  spring  of  1885.  After  teaching  school  for  two  years  he  decided 
to  try  his  fortune  in  the  west,  and  on  the  4th  of  July,  1887,  landed  at  Oberlin, 
Decatur  o  unty,  Kansas.  During  the  following'  September  he  settled  on  a 
quarter  section  of  government  land,  when  there  was  no-  house  within  sight  of 
his.  The  wolves  and  coyotes  were  plentiful  and  made  the  nights  hideous 
around  his  sod  house.  Antelopes  were  seen  occasionally,  and  jack  rabbits 
were  common.  Here  he  lived  alone,  boarded  himself  and  taught  school,  riding 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  daily  to  and  from  school.  During  that  winter  the 
thermometer  registered  lower  than  twenty-seven  degress  below  zero,  Fahr., 
for  six  straight  weeks.  During  the  following  March  he  proved  up  on  his 
claim,  and  by  payine  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  acre  received  a  government 
patent  for  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land. 

In  October,  1889,  he  returned  to  Ohio  and  went  into  business  with  his 
brother  at  Monroeville,  Ohio,  manufacturing  bent  wood  and  hardwood  lumber. 
Here  he  remained  until  May,  1893,  when  he  came  to  Gabon,  Crawford  county, 
Ohio,  bought  out  the  stockholders  of  the  Weaver  Bending  Company,  manufac- 
turers of  bent  felloes,  spokes  and  hardwood  lumber,  and  has  successfully  carried 
011  the  above  business  for  the  past  eight  years. 

On  the  14th  day  of  June,  1894,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Harriet 
G.  Fish,  daughter  of  George  S.  and  Frances  (Buckingham)  Fish,  of  Mon- 
roeville, Ohio.  Two  children  bless  the  union,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  Walter  and 
Do-rothy. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church,  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason  and  an  upright,  honorable  and  respected  citizen. 

MAJOR  EDMUND  ROBERTS  KEARSLEY. 

The  history  of  a  state,  as  well  as  that  of  a  nation,  is  chiefly  the  chronicle 
of  the  lives  and  deeds  of  those  who  have  conferred  honor  and  dignity  upon 
society.  The  world  judges  the  character  of  a  community  by  that  of  its  repre- 
sentative citizens,  and  yields  its  tribute  of  admiration  and  respect  for  the 
genius,  learning  or  virtues  of  those  whose  works  and  actions  constitute  the 
ird  of  a  state's  prosperity  and  pride;  and  it  is  in  their  character,  as  exem- 
plified in  probity  and  benevolence,  kindly  virtues  and  integrity  in  the  affairs 
of  life,  are  ever  affording  worth}-  examples  for  emulation  and  valuable  lessons 


o 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  351 

of  incentive.  Major  E.  Roberts  Kearsley  was  lung  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  and  honored  citizens  of  Bucyrus  and  Crawford  county, 
and  maintaining  deep  interest  in  the  affairs  of  life  until  called  away  in  death. 
He  led  a  long,  honorable  and  useful  career,  which  was  an  aid  and  inspiration  to 
which  occurred  February  21,  1901,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years, 
his  fellow  men  and  well  worthy  of  emulation. 

Fortunate  is  the  man  who  has  back  of  him  an  ancestry  honorable  and 
distinguished,  and  to  be  praised  is  he  who  has  cast  his  lines  of  life  in  harmony 
therewith.  In  person,  in  character  and  in  talents  Major  Edmund  Roberts 
Kearsley  was  a  a  worthy  scion  of  his  race.  Though  his  life  was  one  rather 
of  modest  reserve  than  of  ambitious  self-seeking,  he  was  a  peer  of  many  of 
the  most  prominent  men  in  the  state,  and  in  his  adopted  county  he  was  a  lead- 
ing figure  in  promoting  the  interests  calculated  to  advance  the  material,  in- 
tellectual and  moral  advancement  of  the  communitv. 

Major  Kearsley  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Harrisburg,  on  the  18th  of  May.  1816,  his  parents  being  Jonathan  and 
Margaret  (Hetich)  Kearsley.  His  mother  died  in  1821  and  he  then  went  to 
live  with  his  grandfather.  Samuel  Kearsley,  at  Paxton,  Pennsylvania.  The 
latter  had  served  as  a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  under  the  immediate 
command  of  General  Washington,  of  whom  he  was  a  great  favorite,  and  in 
the  possession  of  our  subject's  family  is  a  sword,  which  was  worn  by  Wash- 
ington at  General  Braddock's  defeat,  in  1755.  It  is  a  three-edged  Mint  rapier, 
on  which  is  engraved  : 

"Draw  me  not  without  reason : 
Sheathe  me  not  without  honor." 

At  Valley  Forge,  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  while  the  American 
soldiers  were  suffering  for  food  and  clothing  during  the  severe  and  memorable 
winter  there.  Captain  Kearsley  and  his  wife  presented  the  troops  with  all  the 
flour  and  meat  they  could  possibly  spare  from  their  own  larder.  Washington 
was  deeply  touched  by  this  and  ordered  the  troops  paraded  at  headquarters, 
and,  calling  Captain  Kearsley  from  the  ranks,  personally  thanked  him,  com- 
mended his  past  bravery  and  his  late  generous  act,  and  unbuckling  the  sword 
which  he  wore,  presented  it  to-  the  Captain.  This  weapon  passed  into  the 
possession  of  Major  Kearsley  and  was  highly  prized  by  him. 

Jonathan  Kearsley,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Middletown, 
Pennsylvania,  August  20.  1786,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  was  graduated 
in  Washington  College,  now  Washington  and  Jefferson  College,  of  Wash- 

19 


352  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

ington,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  man  of  superior  intellectual  attainments 
and  for  a  time  was  professor  of  languages  in  his  alma  mater.  In  the  war  of 
1812  he  served  as  a  captain,  becoming  a  member  of  the  staff  of  General  Win- 
field  Scott  and  participated  in  the  engagements  around  Lake  Erie.  August 
20,  1814,  he  was  commissioned  assistant  adjutant  general,  with  the  rank  of 
major.  The  loss  of  a  leg  caused  his  retirement  in  September,  1814.  He  was 
appointed,  in  181 7,  collector  of  inland  revenues  in  Pennsylvania,  holding  the 
position  until  1820,  when  he  went  to  Detroit  as  receiver  of  public  moneys 
and  as  a  member  of  the  land  board,  serving  in  those  capacities  until  1849,  when 
he  retired  to  private  life.  As  a  citizen  he  contributed  in  large  measure  to  the 
improvement  and  upbuilding  of  Detroit  and  at  one  time  filled  the  position  of 
mayor.  His  name  is  inseparably  connected  with  the  history  of  the  early  de- 
velopment and  progress  of  Detroit  and  he  won  for  himself  a  high  place  in 
the  esteem  and  regard  of  his  fellow  men. 

Major  Kearsley  remained  with  his  paternal  grandfather  at  Paxton.  Penn- 
sylvania, until  1825,  when  he  joined  his  father  in  Detroit  and  there  entered 
the  public  school,  which  in  those  days  was  held  in  the  ofricers*  quarters  in- 
side the  stockade.  At  recess  the  students  extracted  much  amusement  from 
climbing  over  the  pickets.  The  Major  also  pursued  his  education  in  Utica, 
New  York,  and  from  1829  until  j  832  was  a  student  in  Kenyon  College.  Ohio. 
He  then  went  to  Detroit  as  assistant  receiver  in  the  Michigan  land  office, 
under  his  father.  He  was  so  efficient  that  Major  John  Biddle,  register  of  the 
land  office,  requested  his  removal  to  his  department  and  made  him  chief  clerk, 
in  which  service  the  Major  continued  until  1840,  when  failing  health  caused 
his  retirement.  Believing  that  he  would  be  benefited  by  outdoor  life,  he  then 
took  up  Iris  abode  upon  a  farm  of  six  hundred  acres  in  Oakland  county,  Michi- 
gan, where  he  remained  until  1847.  His  health  being  fully  restored,  he  re- 
turned to  Detroit  and  among  other  things  superintended  the  construction  of 
the  Biddle  house.  Descended  from  military  ancestry,  he  possessed  the  same 
spirit  of  loyalty  and  patriotism  that  prompted  his  grandfather's  service  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution,  and  his  father's  aid  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  active 
in  organizing  the  Brady  Guards  and  became  captain  of  his  company.  The 
organization  was  named  in  honor  of  General  Hugh  Brady,  commander  of  the 
United  States  forces,  and  General  Scott  pronounced  the  guards  the  best  drilled 
company  under  his  inspection.  During  the  Canadian  rebellion  of  1837-8  the 
guards  were  called  into  active  service,  which  continued  a  vear  and  a  half. 
The  company  was  composed  of  the  best  young  men  of  Detroit,  and  during 
the  severe  winter  campaign  in  protecting  the  border  their  services  were  so  thor- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  353 

•oughly  performed  and  hardships  so  well  borne  as  to  elicit  the  highest  praise 
from  General  Brady.  Many  years  later  this  general,  while  driving  in  Detroit, 
was  thrown  from  a  carriage  and  sustained  injuries  from  which  he  died.  Major 
Kearsley,  who  in  the  meantime  had  left  the  city,  on  hearing  of  the  General's 
death,  returned,  and,  calling  the  old  Brady  Guards  together  again  for  the  last 
time,  now  composed  of  the  solid  business  men  of  the  city,  o  unmanded  them 
as  a  guard  of  honor  in  escorting  the  remains  of  the  brave  General  to  his  last 
resting  place  in  Elwood  cemetery. 

Major  Kearsley  was  for  many  years  secretary  of  the  Detroit  fire  depart- 
ment and  was  also  appointed  quartermaster  of  the  state.  In  that  capacity  he 
served  with  Captain  U.  S.  Grant,  then  stationed  in  Detroit.  He  remembered 
the  future  president  and  brilliant  military  commander  as  a  mild  and  unassum- 
ing officer.  In  his  younger  days  Major  Kearsley  was  a  thorough  sportsman 
and  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  was  his  favorite  hunting  ground.  During  those 
expeditions  he  formed  many  pleasant  acquaintances  in  the  then  newly  settled 
country  about  Bucyrus,  and  in  1851  he  took  up  his  residence  in  the  city,  en- 
tering the  office  of  his  uncle,  Charles  Hetich,  who  was  then  county  treasurer. 
In  1852  the  Major  became  deputy  auditor  under  A.  M.  Jackson.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  was  elected  county  auditor  and  was  re-elected  for  a  second  term. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  was  nominated  by  both  parties  for  a  third  term,  a 
compliment  never  before  or  since  conferred  upon  a  single  official  in  Craw- 
ford county.  During  his  service  in  the  office  the  court  house  and  jail  were 
erected.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  he  was  most  faithful  and  capable,  as  his 
re-elections  indicate  this.  In  1861  Major  Kearsley  retired  from  office,  but 
ever  afterward  retained  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  often  assisting 
county  officials  in  the  settlement  of  questions  requiring  a  ripe  experience. 
Through  a  long  period  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  and  did 
much  to  advance  the  interests  of  the  schools.  In  1862  he  was  appointed  draft 
officer  for  this  county,  where  the  draft  was  somewhat  bitterly  opposed  and 
(trouble  was  feared,  but  Major  Kearsley  took  personal  charge  and  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people  in  his  integrity  quieted  the  bitter  feeling.  In  later  years 
much  of  his  time  was  given  to-  business  interests  in  Detroit  and  elsewhere. 
Often  he  was  called  upon  to  preside  at  public  meetings,  which  were  held  in 
the  interests  of  the  city  and  all  improvements  found  in  him  a  cordial  supporter 
and  generous  contributor.  In  his  quiet  acts  of  Christian  charity  he  had  a  faith- 
ful assistant  in  his  wife  and  their  acts  of  benevolence  were  many,  yet  per- 
formed in  true  unostentation.  The  Major  was  a  veteran  of  the  Kearsley 
Cadets,   a  well  drilled  company  composed  of  the  best  young  men   of  the 


354  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

county  seat.  The  Bucyrus  Memorial  Library,  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the 
soldiers  and  sailors  of  the  Civil  war,  received  his  moral  and  financial  support, 
and  it  was  largely  through  his  instrumentality  that  the  library  was  placed 
on  a  safe  financial  footing.  It  stands  to-day  among  the  last  of  his  many  suc- 
cessful acts  for  the  benefit  of  the  citizens. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  1857,  Major  Kearsley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Martha  C.  Sweney,  a  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Geroge  Sweney,  a  member  of 
congress.  They  had  one  child,  a  daughter,  who  became  the  wife  of  Elmer 
L.  White,  and  her  only  daughter  is  Margaret  Sarah.  Mrs.  Kearsley  died 
February  25,  1874,  and  on  the  7th  of  September,  1875,  Major  Kearsley  was 
again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Susan  I.  Phillips,  then  of 
Geneseo,  Illinois,  but  formerly  of  Bucyrus.  He  was  connected  with  various 
fraternal  and  social  organization.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution  and  took  great  interest  in  its  work.  Prominent  in 
Masonic  circles,  he  was  for  several  years  master  of  Bucyrus  Lodge  and  was 
a  member  of  the  chapter  and  commandery.  He  was  also  identified  with  the 
independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  passed  all  the  chairs  of  the  subor- 
dinate lodge,  and  Kearsley  Encampment,  of  Bucyrus,  was  named  in  his  honor. 
A  man  of  strong  integrity  and  honesty  of  purpose,  he  despised  all  unworthy  or 
questionable  means  to  secure  success  in  any  undertaking  or  for  any  purpose, 
or  to  promote  his  own  advancement  in  any  direction,  whether  politically  or 
otherwise.  Not  even  the  tongue  of  calumny  ever  uttered  a  word  to  the  con- 
trary, nor  did  the  malevolence  of  detraction  dare  to  assail  his  private  reputa- 
tion. He  was  an  earnest  and  consistent  Christian,  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  and  of  the  same  faith  as  were  his  father,  grandfather  and 
many  generations  before  them.  It  is  our  duty  to  mark  our  appreciation  of 
such  a  man — a  man  true  in  every  relation  of  life,  faithful  to  even-  trust,  a 
citizen  diligent  in  the  service  of  his  country  and  seeking  only  the  public  good. 

NATHAN   LUST. 

Nathan  Lust,  who  resides  in  Liberty  township,  was  born  in  Lykens  town- 
ship, on  the  30th  of  September,  1861.  His  father,  Frederick  Lust,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  born  December  24,  1813,  and  during  his 
childhood  he  came  to  America  with  his  parents.  After  a  short  stay  in  Penn- 
sylvania the  family  removed  to  Marion  county,  Ohio,  where  the  grandparents 
ti  (  k  up  their  abode,  and  as  the  sons,  Caleb,  Conrad  and  Frederick,  attained 
sufficient   aye   and   strength,  thev   secured  work  on  the  Columbus  &  Sandusky 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  355 

turnpike.  In  this  way  they  earned  the  capital  which  they  later  invested  in  land, 
each  securing  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  early  in  the  '30s.  Caleb, 
who  was  married,  and  Frederick  Lust  came  to  Crawford  county  with  their 
household  effects  loaded  in  a  wagon,  and  on  reaching  Chatfield  township, 
they  located  on  a  farm  in  the  forest.  Caleb  there  entered  one  hundred  and 
sixtv  acres  of  land  and  erected  a  cabin  as  quickly  and  as  cheaply  as  possible, 
while  Frederick  Lust,  who  was  preparing  for  the  ministry,  boarded  with  his 
brother  and  sister-in-law.  He  adopted  the  ministry  as  his  life  work  and  for 
thirty  years  engaged  in  preaching  the  gospel.  Although  he  was  not  a  member 
of  an}-  organized  church,  he  gained  many  followers  through  his  teachings,  his 
wonderful  personality  and  his  clear  presentation  of  the  truths  of  Christianity, 
and  erected  what  was  known  as  the  Lust  church.  In  recent  years  the  old 
house  of  worship  was  torn  down  and  a  substantial  brick  church  was  erected, 
which  is  still  known  by  the  old  name.  Rev.  Lust  was  a  man  of  wonderful 
memory,  of  strong  mentality  and  of  unquestioned  fidelity  to  the  principles  in 
which  he  believed  and  which  he  taught.  He  labored  among  his  fellow  men 
for  their  own  good  and  upbuilding  of  the  cause  and  never  sought  remunera- 
tion for  his  work  in  the  church.  Some  time  after  his  arrival  in  Crawford 
county  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  of  Robert  Knott, 
who  was  the  original  settler  of  the  place.  The  farm  was  located  in  Lykens 
■township  and  there  he  resided  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1883.  In  his  political  views  he  was  a  Democrat  and  he  gave  his  hearty  co- 
operation to  every  movement  or  measure  which  he  believed  would  prove  of 
public  benefit.  In  early  manhood  he  married  Miss  Sophia  Beal,  who  was 
born  in  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  June  1,  1821,  a  daughter  of  Michael 
and  Sophia  Beal,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany,  but  became  early 
settlers  of  Crawford  county.  Mrs.  Lust  passed  away  December  23,  1864, 
when  our  subject  was  only  four  years  of  age,  and  the  father  afterward  mar- 
ried Miss  Dorothy  Gross,  who  still  survives  him,  and  is  now  the  widow  of 
Ernest  Wilhelm.  Unto  the  parents  of  Nathan  Lust  were  born  nine  children, 
five  of  whom  are  yet  living,  namely :  Lydia,  the  wife  of  Frederick  Hieber, 
of  Liberty  township;  Sophia,  the  widow  of  Martin  Durr,  of  Chatfield  town- 
ship; Louisa,  wife  of  Charles  Lindner,  of  Valparaiso,  Indiana;  Emanuel,  who 
is  living  in  Holmes  township;  and  Nathan. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Nathan  Lust  we  learn  that  his  boy- 
hood days  were  spent  under  the  refining  influences  of  a  good  Christian  home 
and  there  was  received  the  foundation  for  his  upright  character  and  his  useful 
career.      His  literarv  education  was  obtained  in  the  common  schools.     On 


3  56  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  25th  of  September.  1884,  be  married  Miss  Catherine  S.  Klopfenstein,  a 
daughter  of  Isaac  Klopfenstein,  a  prominent  merchant  and  stock  man  of 
Sulphur  Springs.  The  young  couple  began  their  domestic  life  upon  his  fa- 
ther's farm,  which  Mr.  Lust  rented  until  1889.  when  he  removed  to  Sulphur 
Springs,  and.  in  partnership  with  his  father-in-law,  purchased  the  flouring 
mill  at  that  place,  carrying  on  the  enterprise  for  three  years,  after  which  they 
exchanged  the  mill  for  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  known  as  the 
"Old  Fry"  farm,  just  north  of  the  town.  To  this  place  Mr.  Lust  removed, 
making  it  his  home,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father-in-law  in  1898,  he  pur- 
chased it  in  partnership  with  the  Keller  brothers,  cultivating  the  place  for 
one  year.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  farm 
and  purchased  his  present  home  of  forty-one  acres  in  Liberty  township.  He 
also  owns  forty-eight  acres  in  Sandusky  township,  which  has  been  his  property 
for  the  past  ten  years. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lust  has  been  blessed  with  four  children, 
of  whom  three  are  yet  living,  namely :  Wilbert  Lee,  Frederick  I.  and  Lloyd 
E.  The  daughter.  Lulu  L.,  who  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  is  now  de- 
ceased. Mr.  Lust  keeps  well  informed  on  the  political  issues  of  the  day  and 
votes  with  the  Democracy,  but  he  has  never  been  a  politician  in  the  sense  of 
an  office-seeker,  although  he  served  for  twelve  years  as  school  director.  He  be- 
longs to  the  German  Reformed  church,  in  which  he  has  held  the  office  of 
deacon  and  elder  for  several  years,  and  for  five  years  he  served  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday-school.  By  all  who  know  him  he  is  highly  esteemed  as- 
one  of  the  representative  men  of  his  community,  honored  for  his  sterling  worth 
and  respected  for  his  social  and  friendly  nature. 

JOSEPH  W.  OUAINTANCE. 

A  highly  esteemed  farmer  of  Holmes  township,  Crawford  county,  is  Jo- 
seph YV.  Ouaintance,  who  was  born  in  Steubenville,  Jefferson  count}',  Ohio,  on 
August  31,  1828.  a  son  of  Fisher  and  Sarah  (Irey)  Ouaintance,  and  was  a 
member  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  viz  :  Ann,  who,  as  the  widow  of  Henry 
Peasely,  recently  died  at  Ada,  Ohio;  Eli  P.,  who  was  a  respected  citizen  and 
prosperous  farmer  of  Flolmes  township,  is  also  deceased ;  Susanna,  win  >■  mar- 
ried John  Talbott.  is  also  dead;  Hannah  died  in  childhood;  Ira  died  at  New- 
ton, Iowa;  Dawson  is  a  resident  of  Putnam  county,  Ohio;  Joseph  \Y.,  our 
subject;  Charles  and  George,  twins,  the  latter  being  deceased  and  the  former  a 
resident  of  Bluffton,  Allen  county,  Ohio;  and  the  last  of  the  children,  Sarah 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  357 

Jane,  is  also  deceased.  Fisher  Quaintance  was  born  in  Cumberland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  on  October  12,  1793.  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Susanna  Quaintance, 
of  German  ancestry,  who  removed  to  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  when  their  son 
Fisher  was  a  young-  man.  Here  the  latter  married  and  six  of  his  children 
were  born.  In  1829,  with  his  family  and  his  parents,  he  removed  to  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  settling  in  Holmes  township.  The  grandfather  entered  forty 
acres  of  land,  the  father  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  his  brothers  Eli  and. 
Samuel  each  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  his  brother  William  eighty 
acres,  all  of  these  tracts  in  mutual  contiguity,  forming  a  settlement  of  the  name 
of  Quaintance,  and  here  all  of  the  original  members  of  that  settlement  lived 
and  died  on  their  farms.  On  each  tract  was  erected  the  pioneer  log  cabin,  in 
the  forest,  the  father  of  our  subject  finishing  his  in  one  week,  although  he  was 
obliged  to  work  through  rain  and  snow.  The  little  settlement  prospered,  and 
from  it  came  men  and  women  who  have  been  identified  with  much  of  the  devel- 
opment and  progress  of  this  county. 

Fisher  Quaintance  was  a  cooper  by  trade  and  pursued  it  in  connection  with 
his  farming  for  some  years  in  Crawford  county.  The  mother  was  a  most 
worthy  helpmate  in  those  pioneer  days,  and  while  all  praise  should  be  given 
those  courageous  men  who  faced  hardship  and  toil  for  the  sake  of  their  de- 
scendants, how  sympathetic  should  grow  the  heart  over  the  pioneer  mothers! 
It  was  not  alone  the  industry  of  Fisher  Quaintance  which  produced  such  ex- 
cellent results  and  furnished  not  only  the  necessities  but  also  the  comforts  of 
life  to  a  large  family,  for  every  hour  was  spent  by  the  busy  mother,  if  not  in 
household  tasks,  in  the  spinning  and  weaving  which  provided  the  family 
clothing  and  the  bedding  needed  through  the  long  winters.  Until  his  fifteenth 
year  our  subject  never  had  any  clothing  that  had  not  been  made  by  her  untiring 
hands.  Fisher  Quaintance  died  in  1866,  having  been  a  Whig  in  early  days 
but  later  a  Republican.  His  religious  belief  was  that  of  the  Quaker,  and  his 
honest,  upright  and  peaceful  life  was  a  practical  illustration  of  his  religion. 
His  testimony  was  against  war,  but  he  cheerfully  contributed  to  provide  sub- 
stitutes during  the  Rebellion  for  Holmes  township.  The  mother,  a  native  of 
Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  was  born  on  January  25,  1792,  a  daughter  of  Philip 
and  Hannah  Irey,  and  on  the  maternal  side  was  a  second  cousin  to  the  famous 
John  Brown. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in  his  home  and  obtained  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  his  locality.  After  reaching  his  majority  he  began  to  engage  in 
farming  on  the  home  place,  on  shares,  but  that  year  agricultural  conditions 
were  poor,  resulting  in  bad  crops.     In  1852  Mr.  Quaintance  purchased  two 


35«  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

hundred  sheep  and  put  them  on  the  farm.  For  the  first  shearing  he  received 
fifty  cents  a  pound,  and  with  this  money  he  bought  his  present  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  three  acres,  and  since  then  has  continually  prospered. 

Mr.  Ouaintance  was  married  on  March  17.  1853,  to  Lucina  L.  Gidley,  a 
native  of  Dartmouth,  Bristol  county,  Massachusetts,  the  daughter  of  Charles 
and  Bathsheba  (O'Kelly)  Gidley,  both  of  them  natives  of  Massachusetts  and 
prominent  members  of  the  sect  of  Quakers.  The  mother  died  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  then  the  father  removed  to  Crawford  count)',  Ohio,  in  1850,  married 
again,  and  fifteen  years  later  removed  to  Henry  county,  Ohio,  where  he  died. 

The  children  horn  to  Mr.  Ouaintance  and  wife  were:  Bathsheba  G.,  who 
married  John  Eaton,  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  once  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Kansas  legislature;  Isadore  B.,  the  widow  of  William  P.  Brown,  w1k>  re- 
sides with  her  parents;  Edith  M.,  who  married  and  is  now  the  widow  of  Dr. 
E.  B.  Simmons,  of  Los  Angeles.  California;  Ira  E.,  a  prominent  farmer  of 
Dallas  township,  this  count}-;  Lemert,  a  miller  in  Toledo,  Ohio;  Cora  E.,  who 
is  the  wife  of  W.  A.  Sherer,  of  the  Provident  Loan  Company,  of  Toledo;  and 
Howard  J.,  who  also  resides  in  Toledo. 

Mr.  Ouaintance  is  one  of  the  leading  Republicans  of  this  section  of  the 
countw  and  for  several  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  election  board.  His 
religious  belief  is  that  taught  him  by  his  beloved  mother,  but  he  attends  and 
assists  in  supporting  the  Lutheran  church  with  his  estimable  wife. 


HEXRY  ALTSTAETTER. 

Henry  Altstaetter,  for  years  one  of  the  most  public-spirited  citizens 
and  prominent  business  men  of  Galion,  died  in  1900.  mourned  by  a  very 
large  circle  of  friends.  He  was  born  in  Germany.  July  9,  1843,  an(l  was 
a  son  of  Frederick  and  Susannah  Altstaetter.  His  parents  came  to  this 
country  in  1851,  and  his  father,  who  was  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  located 
with  his  family  in  Allen  count}-.  Ohio.  He  was  not  dependent  upon  his 
ministerial  labors,  however,  for  the  support  of  his  family  of  eleven  children, 
as  is  shown  by  his  purchase  of  a  quarter  section  of  school  land  near  West: 
Cairo.  There  the  family  resided  for  nearly  a  decade,  when  the}-  removed 
to  Delphos,  Allen  county,  which  was  their  home  until  the  death  of  the  fa- 
ther, which  occurred  in  1883.  when  he  was  eightv-one  vears  of  age.  A  few 
years  later  the  mother  died. 

Henrv  Altstaetter  received  only   such   educational   advantages   as   were 


m, 


CENTEX X I AL  BIOGRAPHIC AE  HISTORY.  361 

afforded  by  the  common  schools  near  his  home,  and  then  was  enabled  to 
pursue  his  studies  only  through  the  winter  season,  for  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  the  year  his  services  were  needed  in  the  cultivation  and  improve- 
ment of  the  farm.  After  the  inauguration  of  the  Civil  war  he  offered  his 
services  to  the  government,  enlisting  in  Company  K,  Sixty-sixth  Illinois 
Infantry,  and  with  his  regiment  he  participated  in  some  of  the  most  hotly- 
contested  battles  of  that  sanguinary  conflict.  During  his  three  years'  service 
Mr.  Altstaetter  never  lost  a  day  from  sickness  or  wounds.  He  took  part 
with  his  regiment  in  the  siege  of  Corinth,  the  battles  of  Iuka  and  Chatta- 
nooga, the  Atlanta  campaign  and  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea,  and  at 
Pulaski  he  veteranized,  continuing  with  his  command  until  the  cessation  of 
hostilities.  He  was  one  of  the  most  popular  "boys"  of  the  regiment  and 
was  most  loyal  and  true,  being  ever  found  at  his  post  of  duty,  whether  it 
was  on  the  picket  line  or  the  firing  line.  The  patriotic  spirit  and  good  fel- 
lowship which  distinguished  him  in  the  great  civil  conflict  seems  to  have 
fallen  on  the  shoulders  of  his  son  Frederick,  now  a  lieutenant  with  the  regu- 
lar troops  in  the  Philippines. 

Mr.  Altstaetter  was  married  September  25,  1865,  to  Hedwig  Jettinger, 
of  Delphos,  and  to  them  were  born  the  following  children:  Henrietta  A., 
now  the  wife  of  Frederick  Berry;  Louisa  F. ;  Lina;  Carolina  M. ;  Emma  C. ; 
Frederick  W. :  Hedwig  and  Ida  H.  W. 

Air.  Altstaetter  conducted  a  brewery  at  Delphos  until  1877,  when  he 
removed  to  Upper  Sandusky.  A  few  years  later  he  assumed  charge  of  the 
Galion  brewery,  which  he  successfully  managed  until  his  death.  When  he 
took  control  of  the  enterprise  it  was  in  the  hands  of  an  assignee  and  trustees. 
From  the  first  his  wise  business  judgment  enabled  him  to  put  it  on  a  firm 
basis,  and  in  a  brief  period  he  had  absolute  control  of  the  plant.  He  also 
became  identified  with  many  other  business  interests  of  Galion,  including 
the  Citizens'  National  Bank.  Quiet  and  unassuming  in  manner,  he  was, 
nevertheless,  a  power  in  the  business  community,  and  no  project  of  any  im- 
portance to  the  city's  prosperity  was  discussed  without  the  counsel  and  ad- 
vice of  Mr.  xA-ltstaetter,  while  no  subscription  paper  was  circulated,  either 
to  help  a  new  enterprise  or  a  deserved  charity,  that  secured  a  larger  con- 
tributor than  he.  Modest,  quiet  and  retiring,  he  nevertheless  exerted  a 
strong  influence  for  good  along  many  lines,  and  he  enjoyed  the  friendship 
and  regard  of  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor.  His  death,  which  occurred  in 
1900,  came  as  a  shock  to  the  entire  community,  and  his  funeral  was  attended 


362  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

by  a  large  concourse  of  people,  many  of  whom  came  from  Allen  and  Wyan- 
dot counties,  where  he  had  previously  lived,  to  pay  their  last  tribute  of  respect 
to  one  whom  they  had  loved  and  honored. 

JOHN  MICHELFELDER. 

There  is  no  element  which  has  entered  into  our  composite  national  fabric 
that  has  been  of  more  practical  strength,  value  and  utility  than  that  furnished 
by  the  sturdy,  persevering  and  honorable  sons  of  Germany ;  and  in  the  progress 
of  our  Union  this  element  has  played  an  important  part.  Intensely  practical 
and  ever  having  a  clear  comprehension  of  the  ethics  of  life,  the  German  con- 
tingent has  wielded  a  powerful  influence,  and  this  service  cannot  be  held  in 
light  estimation  by  those  who  appreciate  true  civilization  and  true  advance- 
ment. 

The  subject  of  this  review  comes  from  stanch  German  stock.  He  was 
born,  however,  in  New  Washington,  September  6,  1847,  anc^  ^s  a  son  °f  Jonn 
and  Frederica  (  Utz)  Michelfelder.  His  father  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Ger- 
many. October  5,  1818,  and  there  spent  his  youth,  during  which  period  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker.  In  the  spring  of  1846  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  landing  in  New  York,  whence  he  proceeded  by  boat  to  Albany,  thence 
by  canal  to  Buffalo  and  on  to  Sandusky  by  way  of  lake  Erie.  At  the 
last  named  place  he  worked  at  his  trade  as  a.  journeyman  until  the  spring  of 
1847,  when  he  came  to  New  Washington,  Crawford  county,  and  soon  after- 
ward opened  a  shop  of  his  own.  In  1863  he  put  in  a  general  line  of  manu- 
factured shoes,  and  in  1870  admitted  Ins  son  John  to  a  partnership  in  the  busi- 
ness. In  1873  the  father  withdrew,  being  succeeded  by  his  son  Jacob,  and  in 
1 88 1  the  father  retired  altogether  from  active  business  life,  enjoying  a  quiet 
rest  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  September  14,  1891.  He  was 
a  stanch  Democrat,  but  never  an  office  seeker.  He  held  membership  in  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  his  upright  Christian  life  commended  him  to  the  high 
regard  of  all  with  whom  he  was  associated.  His  wife  was  also  a  native  of 
Wurtemberg,  born  January  23,  1823.  She  came  to  America  with  the  party  of 
which  her  future  husband  was  a  member.  After  remaining  in  Sandusky  for 
a  time  she  came  to  New  Washington,  where  she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage 
to  Mr.  Michelfelder.  Her  death  occurred  May  18,  1898.  This  worthy 
couple  were  the  parents  of  Ave  children,  namely:  John,  of  this  review;  Fred- 
erica,  wife  of  George  Hildebrand,  of  New  Washington ;  Jacob,  who  is  with  his 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  3°3 

brother  in  business ;  Catherine,  of  New  Washington ;  and  Frederick,  also  of 
New  Washington. 

John  Michel felder,  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  review,  has 
spent  his  entire  life  in  the  locality  of  his  birth.  His  educational  privileges 
were  limited,  for  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was  taken  from  school  by  his  father 
and  placed  on  the  shoemaker's  bench  to  assist  in  providing  for  the  family. 
When  he  liad  attained  his  majority  his  father  paid  him  a  salary  and  he  re- 
mained as  an  employe  in  the  shop  and  the  store  until  1870,  when  he  purchased 
a  half  interest  in  the  business.  In  1873,  however,  he  withdrew  from  the  firm 
and  established  a  store  of  his  own.  In  1880  his  brother  Jacob  purchased  the 
father's  business  and  the  two  stores  were  then  merged  into  one,  and  the  store 
has  since  been  conducted  under  the  firm  style  of  J.  Michelfelder  &  Brother. 
They  carry  a  large  and  well-selected  stock  of  goods  manufactured  by  reliable 
houses,  and  their  trade  is  extensive  and  profitable.  Their  business  methods 
commend  them  to-  the  confidence  and  support  of  the  public,  for  they  are  ener- 
getic, persevering  and  trustworthy. 

On  the  1st  of  December,  1873,  Mr.  Michelfelder  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Matilda  C.  High,  a  native  of  Cranberry  township  and  a  daughter  of 
Michael  High.  Her  paternal  grandfather,  Valentine  A.  High,  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Cranberry  township,  coming  to  this  county  from  Germany.  Mr. 
Michelfelder  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  measures  of 
Democracy,  and  in  the  '80s  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  councilmen 
of  New  Washington,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  eight  years.  During  the 
four  succeeding  years  he  was  township  trustee,  and  for  ten  years  was  a  member 
of  the  school  board,  while  for  three  years  during  that  period  he  served  as  its 
chairman  and  for  six  years  as  its  treasurer.  He  has  also  been  justice  of  the 
peace  for  three  years ;  for  four  years  was  treasurer  of  Cranberry  township,  and 
for  fourteen  years  was  deputy  county  collector,  collecting  the  taxes  for  Cran- 
berry township,  and  for  two  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  Democratic  cen- 
tral committee.  Thus  again  and  again  called  to  public  office,  his  long  reten- 
tion in  official  service  indicates  his  strict  fidelity  to>  duty  and  his  unquestioned 
probity  in  public  affairs.  He  is  a  zealous  advocate  and  consistent  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  and  in  that  organization  has  been  honored  with  various 
offices,  having  acted  as  deacon  for  ten  years,  as  church  treasurer  for  seventeen 
years  and  was  chairman  of  the  building  committee  at  the  time  the  present 
house  O'f  worship  was  erected.  This  is  one  of  the  finest  church  buildings  in 
the  country  in  a  town  of  its  size,  the  church  and  grounds  costing  twenty-two 
thousand  dollars.     Our  subject  is  a  representative  citizen  of  New  Washington. 


364  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

His  is  a  well-rounded  character,  in  which  he  has  given  due  attention  to  physical, 
mental  and  moral  development.  He  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading 
business  men  of  the  community,  and  as  a  financier  his  ability  is  widely  recog- 
nized and  his  integrity  is  above  question.  Pubic  spirited  and  progressive,  he 
withholds  not  his  support  from  any  movement  calculated  to  prove  of  benefit 
to  the  community. 

FREDERICK  SCHIFER. 

Although  Frederick  Schifer  is  one  of  the  largest  farmers  and  stock-raisers 
and  substantial  men  in  Crawford  county,  he  began  life  as  a  poor  boy,  coming 
alone  to  the  United  States  at  the  age  of  sixteen  and  climbing  the  ladder  of 
success  totally  unaided. 

Mr.  Schifer  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  April  7,  1857,  a  son  of 
George  and  Barbara  (Heinle)  Schifer,  also  natives  of  Germany,  who  lived 
and  died  in  their  native  land.  They  had  four  children,  of  whom  two  are  dead, 
and  our  subject  is  the  only  one  who  came  to  America.  Mr.  Schifer  was  reared 
in  the  town  of  Pfullingen  and  was  given  a  good  common-school  education, 
later  learning  the  butcher  trade.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  decided  to  emigrate 
to  this  country,  several  causes  inducing  him  to  leave  his  native  land.  Accord- 
ing to  German  law  he  would  have  been  obliged  to  serve  in  the  army  for  four 
years,  and  this  was  distasteful  to  him,  as  he  felt  he  could  better  use  his  youth 
and  strength  in  bettering  his  condition.  At  that  time  his  country  was  involved 
in  no  war  and  he  felt  that  his  services  were  not  really  needed  by  it.  Another 
reason  that  his  decision  was  made  at  that  time  was  that  his  maternal  relatives 
were  prospering  in  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  he  knew  he  could  reach  them 
and  he  felt  sure  enough  of  his  own  ability  and  energy  to  enable  him  also  to 
prosper  in  the  new  land. 

With  a  few  dollars,  Mr.  Schifer  reached  New  York  in  the  fall  of  1873, 
and  made  his  way  to  Bucyrus  township,  immediately  securing  employment  as 
a  butcher,  continuing  in  that  line  for  the  following  two  years  and  then  engaged 
as  a  farm  hand.  For  five  or  six  years  he  labored  hard,  and  then  married,  im- 
mediately after  forming  a  partnership  with  George  Kramer  in  the  butcher 
business,  this  connection  lasting  for  eight  years.  Mr.  Schifer  displayed  most 
excellent  business  judgment  in  the  buying  and  shipping  of  cattle,  handling  a 
great  amount  of  live  stock,  and  operating  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  best  meat 
markets  the  residents  of  Bucyrus  ever  had.  Two  or  three  years  previous  to 
his  withdrawal  from  the  butcher  business  he  bought  a  farm,  consisting  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  to  that  he  finally  removed,  adding  later  two 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  365 

tracts,  one  of  twenty  acres  and  another  of  eighty  acres,  and  started  into  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising  on  an  extensive  scale.  Mr.  Schifer  has  almost  all  of 
this  land  under  cultivation  or  prepared  for  it,  having  improved  its  drainage  by 
tiling,  and  here  he  has  made  a  number  of  most  desirable  improvements.  A 
fine  barn  with  stone  foundation,  and  a  commodious  and  comfortable  residence 
have  been  erected,  and  also  a  power  windmill,  which  is  utilized  not  only  for 
water  but  also  for  the  grinding'  of  feed.  Mr.  Schifer  is  modern  and  progres- 
sive and  has  all  the  comforts  and  conveniences  which  in  these  days  make  an 
ideal  country  home.  He  is  engaged  in  buying,  feeding"  and  selling  much  stock, 
principally  cattle,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  judges  of  the  same  in  the 
township. 

Air.  Schifer  was  married  in  1881  to  Miss  Lizzie  Leitzy,  and  the  four  chil- 
dren born  to  this  union  are :  William,  Emma,  Elsie  and  George.  He  has  been 
an  ardent  and  influential  Democrat,  and  for  six  years,  from  1894  to  1900,  he 
was  township  trustee,  serving  with  great  acceptability  to  the  people  of  both 
parties.  Both  he  and  wife  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church, 
where  they  are  highly  esteemed  for  their  many  excellent  traits  of  character. 
Mr.  Schifer,  by  his  honest  and  exemplary  life,  has  become  one  of  the  most 
highly  considered  citizens  of  Bucyrus,  and  well  represents  the  grand  old  coun- 
try of  bis  birth. 

SAMUEL  MYERS. 

Samuel  Myers  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  Gabon.  The  rest  which 
should  ever  crown  years  of  active  connection  with  business  has  been  vouch- 
safed to  him,  and  with  a  handsome  competence  acquired  by  former  toil  he  is 
now  spending  the  evening  of  life  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  well-earned  ease.  For 
forty-five  years  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the  city,  and  his  career  throughout 
that  period  has  been  as  an  open  book,  capable  of  bearing  the  closest  scrutiny. 
A  native  of  Switzerland,  Mr.  Myers  was  born  in  the  land  of  the  Alps,  in 
the  year  1837,  his  parents  being  Samuel  and  Mary  (Hildbold)  Myers,  who 
came  from  canton  Aargan,  Switzerland,  to  the  Lmited  States  in  the  year  1838. 
After  landing  on  the  American  seaboard  they  proceeded  across  the  country  to 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  took  up  their  abode  in  Vernon  township. 

There  upon  a  farm  Samuel  Myers  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood,  for 
he  was  only  but  a  year  old  at  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  family  here.  He 
worked  in  the  fields  in  his  youth,  and  in  the  schools  of  the  neighborhood  became 
familiar  with  the  common  branches  of  English  learning.     In  Vernon  he  mas- 


366  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

tered  the  trade  of  wagon-making  under  the  direction  of  his  twoi  brothers,  Jacob 
and  John  Myers,  who  established  and  conducted  business  along  that  line  in 
Vernon  township.  The  first  mentioned  of  these  brothers  is  now  deceased,  but 
the  latter  is  still  living.  Mr.  Myers,  of  this  review,  with  the  exception  of 
Adam  Howard,  Sr.,  was  the  first  to  engage  in  the  manufacture  of  buggies  and 
carriages  in  Galion.  He  took  up  his  abode  in  the  city  in  1856  and  opened  his 
factory,  which  he  conducted  with  signal  success  until  1882.  As  the  years 
passed  his  patronage  increased,  his  force  of  workmen  was  enlarged  and  the 
manufactured  articles  of  his  factory  were  sent  widely  over  the  country.  In 
1882,  after  twenty-six  years'  connection  with  the  business,  Mr.  Myers  retired, 
putting  aside  the  more  arduous  duties  and  cares  of  an  industrial  life.  In  the 
meantime  he  had  become  prominent  in  public  affairs,  and  was  ever  a  citizen 
who  gave  his  earnest  support  and  co-operation  to  every  measure  and  movement 
calculated  for  the  general  good.  In  1872  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Galion  and 
filled  the  office  for  two  years.  His  service  in  the  city  council  covers  a  period 
of  eight  years  altogether,  his  last  term  being  in  1893.  He  filled  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace  for  two  years,  occupying  that  position  at  the  same  time 
when  acting  as  mayor.  He  has  been  city  marshal,  and  was  constable  of  Polk 
township  for  four  years.  Over  the  record  of  his  official  career  there  falls  no 
shadow  of  wrong,  for  he  gave  earnest  and  careful  consideration  to  the  perform- 
ance of  his  duty  and  to  the  settlement  of  questions  affecting  the  weal  or  woe  of 
the  people  whom  he  represented.  At  the  present  writing,  in  the  spring  of 
190 1,  he  is  again  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  mayor. 

Mr.  Myers  was  united  in  marriage,  on  January  28,  1858,  to<  Miss  Cather- 
ine Hess,  a  daughter  of  Phillip  and  Philipina  (  Lautenslager)  Hess,  residents 
of  Jackson  township,  Richland  county.  They  were  natives,  however,  of  Ger- 
many, coming  from  Hesse-Darmstadt  to  the  new  world.  The  marriage  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Myers  has  been  blessed  with  three  children,  Charles  Franklin 
being  the  only  one  living,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  San  Francisco,  California. 
Nettie,  the  eldest  child,  was  born  March  31,  1859,  and  died  August  4,  1872; 
William,  the  youngest  child,  was  born  in  December,  1863,  and  died  November 
25,  1864.  Charles  Franklin  was  born  August  2^,  1861,  attended  school  in 
Galion,  and  in  1888  removed  to  the  west.  He  married  Miss  Anna  Archibald, 
of  this  city,  and  they  have  two  children, — Archibald,  who  is  now  a  student  in 
a  military  school  in  San  Francisco',  and  Marleteta. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  Mr.  Myers  has  been  an  exemplary  representa- 
tive of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to  the  lodge  in  Galion. 
He  closely  follows  the  beneficent  teachings  of  the  societv,  has  several  times 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  367 

passed  all  of  the  chairs  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  loyal  exponents  of 
the  principles.  His  political  support  has  ever  been  given  to  the  Democracy 
and  he  does  everything  in  his  power  to  secure  the  success  of  the  party  at  both 
the  state  and  county  elections.  He  belongs  to  the  Reformed  church  and  his 
life  record  is  consistent  with  his  profession.  In  an  analyzation  of  his  character 
and  life  work  we  note  many  of  the  characteristics  which  have  marked  the  Swiss 
nation  for  many  centuries,  the  perseverance,  reliability,  energy  and  unconquer- 
able determination  to  pursue  a  course  which  has  been  marked  out.  It  is  these 
sterling  qualities  which  have  gained  Mr.  Myers  success  in  life  and  made  him 
one  of  the  substantial  and  valued  residents  of  Galion. 

ALEXANDER  HALL. 

For  half  a  century  Mr.  Hall  has  resided  in  Crestline  and  is  now  a  worthy 
railroad  employe.  He  was  born  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  July  4,  1826,  and 
is  a  son  of  Joseph  Hall,  whose  birth  occurred  in  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  in 
1790.  When  a  young  man  the  father  sought  a  home  in  the  new  world,  and 
in  1 82 1  took  up  his  abode  in  Columbiana  county,  where  he  purchased  a.  tract 
of  land  and  carried  on  farming  for  a  number  of  years.  While  in  Ireland  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Connor,  and  they  had  a  son  and  daughter,  who  are  both 
deceased.  Mrs.  Hall  died  in  Ireland..  He  then  began  merchandising  in  New 
Alexander,  following  the  latter  business  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1832.  Ere  leaving  the  Emerald  Isle  he  married  Miss  Jane  McCormick,  who 
was  born  in  Ireland  in  1800  and  died  in  Ohio  in  1871.  By  this  union  there 
were  five  children — three  boys  and  two  girls.  Our  subject  and  the  youngest 
daughter,  Isabella  Gaff,  of  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  are  the  only  survivors  of  the 
family.     After  the  death  of  Mr.  Hall  she  was  a  second  time  married. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  our  subject  we  present  to  our  readers 
the  life  record  of  one  whose  days  form  a  connecting  link  between  the  primi- 
tive past  and  the  progressive  present,  for  he  lived  in  Ohio  during  the  period 
of  its  early  development.  He  pursued  his  studies  in  a  log  school  house  in 
Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  and  afterward  continued  his  studies  in  Hanoverton. 
He  remained  in  that  place  for  ten  years  and  then  went  to  New  Lisbon,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  clerking"  for  two  years.  He  afterward  spent  two  and  a  half 
years  as  a  salesman  in  a  hardware  store  in  Mansfield,  and  on  the  expiration 
of  that  period  went  to  Stark  county,  spending  six  months  in  selling  books  and 
stationery  upon  the  road.  He  afterward  located  in  Richland  county  and  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store,  while  for  five  years  he  occupied  the 


368  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

position  of  postmaster,  serving  in  that  capacity  during"  the  administrations  of 
Presidents  Taylor  and  Fillmore  and  under  Lincoln's  first  term.  In  the  year 
1852  he  came  to 'Crestline,  where  he  opened  a  general  mercantile  establishment, 
which  he  conducted  for  three  years,  after  which  he  entered  the  service  of  what 
is  now  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  as  chief  clerk  in  the  warehouse. 
He  is  connected  with  the  company  for  forty  years  and  was  then  retired  witli 
a  pension.  Great  corporations  never  retain  any  one  in  their  employ  who*  can- 
not show  a  clean  record  for  faithfulness,  ability  and  trustworthiness,  and  the 
fact  that  Mr.  Hall  was  so  long  connected  with  the  company  is  unmistakable 
evidence  of  his  commendable  qualities. 

In  1849  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Hall  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Gardner, 
who'  was  born  in  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1829,  and  was  taken  to 
Wayne  county,  Ohio;  when  ten  years  of  age.  She  afterward  removed  to  Rich- 
land county,  where  she  was  married.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  have  been 
born  six  children,  of  whom  four  are  yet  living,  namely:  Mary  R.,  Frank, 
Rose  and  Charles.  Lawrence,  the  second  child,  and  Elsworth,  the  youngest, 
have  now  passed  away.  Mr.  Hall  has  spent  some  time  in  public  office.  In 
addition  to  four  years  as  postmaster,  he  was  postal  clerk  for  two  years.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  and  was  trustee  of  the  water 
works  of  Crestline  for  two  years.  In  early  life  he  was  a  Whig  in  his  political 
affiliations,  and  since  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  he  has  been  one 
of  its  stalwart  advocates,  never  failing  to  cast  his  ballot  for  governor  or  presi- 
dent at  each  election.  Having  resided  in  Crestline  for  almost  a  half  century, 
he  is  very  well  known  here,  and  his  life  record  is  as  an  open  book,  which  all 
may  read. 

JONATHAN  F.  KIMERLINE. 

In  no  other  phase  of  life  can  a  man  better  demonstrate  his  fealty  to 
his  country  and  his  loyalty  to  its  interests  than  in  the  political  arena,  for 
therein  is  invested  the  vitality  of  the  nation's  power,  the  mainspring  of  its 
internal  machinery  and  the  keynote  to  its  progress  and  prosperity.  Among 
the  patriotic  citizens  of  Crawford  county  who  have  been  closely  identified 
with  the  Democracy  none  is  better  known  or  more  higiily  appreciated  than 
Jonathan  Frederick  Kimerline,  who  is  now  occupying  the  position  of  county 
auditor.  He  believes  that  it  is  the  duty  and  privilege  of.  every  American 
citizen  to  give  his  time  and  attention  to  some  measure  or  party  interest  and 
to  carry  out  this  principle  in  life  by  taking  an  energetic  part   in  political 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  371 

canvasses,  and  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  trite  saying,  that  "Eternal  vigilance  is 
the  price  of  liberty." 

Mr.  Kimerline  was  born  in  Wooster,  Ohio,  December  6,  1855,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Maria  (Derr)  Kimerline,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Germany,  the  father  having  been  born  in  Wurtemberg,  while  the  mother's 
birth  occurred  in  Baden.  They  were  married  in  that  country  and  came  to 
America  in  1854,  locating  in  Wooster,  Ohio,  whence  they  removed  to  a 
small  farm  in  Wayne  county,  upon  which  they  spent  their  last  days. 

Mr.  Kimerline,  of  this  review,  pursued  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Wayne  county  until  fifteen  years  of  age  and  afterward  spent  one 
year  as  a  teacher  in  Smithville  Academy.  He  then  became  identified  with 
educational  interests  as  an  instructor,  following  the  teacher's  profession  for 
five  or  six  years  during  the  winter  months,  while  in  the  summer  season 
he  continued  his  own  studies  in  the  Ohio  Normal,  at  Ada,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1882.  He  has  had  to  depend  entirely  upon 
his  own  efforts,  not  only  for  his  advancement,  but  for  the  educational  privil- 
eges which  he  received  beyond  those  of  the  common  schools.  His  labors 
enabled  him  to  pursue  a  college  course  and  thus  prepare  for  his  chosen  pro- 
fession. In  1874  he  was  employed  as  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Chatfield, 
Ohio,  and  the  following  year  was  made  superintendent  of  the  public  schools 
of  Xew  Washington,  where  he  remained  for  a  period  of  twenty  years,  retir- 
ing from  the  office  in  1895  with  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  the  people,, 
for  he  had  labored  untiringly  and  effectively  for  the  improvement  and  pro- 
motion of  the  schools  of  that  town.  In  1895  he  was  elected  to  the  office 
of  auditor  of  Crawford  county,  and  after  serving  through  his  first  term  was 
re-elected  in  1898,  so  that  he  is  the  present  incumbent.  This  is,  however, 
not  the  extent  of  his  public  service,  for  he  was  a  member  of  the  county  board 
of  school  examiners  from  1880  until  1888. 

In  Wayne  count}',  Ohio,  Mr.  Kimerline  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Ida  May  Breneman,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  H.  and  Lydia  (McNary)  Brene- 
man.  His  wife  was  a  very  successful  and  prominent  teacher  in  Wayne 
county  for  ten  or  twelve  years,  a  part  of  which  time  she  had  charge  of  the 
Congress  schools.  She  also  taught  in  the  Xew  Washington  schools.  Their 
marriage  is  blessed  with  two  living  children,— Harry  Breneman  and  Louise 
Marie.  Mr.  Kimerline  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  an 
active  worker  in  its  interests  and  has  served  as  trustee  and  a  member  of 
the  official  board.  For  three  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Northwestern 
Ohio  Teachers'  Association.  In  1899  he  was  elected  secretary  of  the  State 
-    -       20 


372  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Auditors'  Association,  a  position  which  he  held  for  two  years.  He  is  also 
identified  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity  and  the  Order  of  Ben 
Hur.  In  November,  1895,  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Bucyrus  and  he  and  his 
wife  there  enjoy  the  hospitality  of  many  of  the  best  homes  of  the  city. 

FRANKLIN  HOLBROOK. 

Franklin  Holbrook,  of  Bucyrus,  was  one  of  the  editors  and  proprietors  of 
the  daily  and  weekly  Forum  until  October,  1901,  when  that  paper  was  sold  to 
the  Bucyrus  Publishing  Company,  just  then  organized.  He  has  had  undoubted 
influence  on  public  thought  ami  opinion  through  his  connection  with  the  paper, 
which  is  the  oldest  journal  in  the  county  and  which  has  done  much  to  mold 
the  public  policy  of  city,  county  and  district,  having  ever  been  a  supporter  of 
all  movements  and  measures  calculated  to  promote  the  general  good  and  ad- 
vance progress  along  substantial  lines.  Air.  Holbrook  was  born  in  Wapako- 
neta,  Auglaize  county.  Ohio,  in  1854.  and  is  a  son  of  George  \Y.  and  Mary 
Virginia  (Nichols)  Holbrook.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  may  be  traced 
through  many  generations  to  Thomas  Holbrooke,  who,  with  his  brother  John 
and  a  number  of  other  emigrants,  left  Weymouth,  in  Dorsetshire,  England, 
in  1O24,  landing  on  the  coast  of  Massachusetts  in  the  same  year.  There  the 
part}-  founded  the  town  of  Weymouth  and  Thomas  Holbrooke  served  for 
many  years  as  selectman.  He  died  there  in  1676,  and  his  widow,  Joanna  Hol- 
brooke, passed  away  the  following  vear. 

George  W.  Holbrook,  the  father  of  Franklin,  was  born  in  Palmyra,  New 
York,  September  u,  1808.  He  studied  medicine  and  was  graduated  in  the 
University  of  Xew  York.  In  1834  he  settled  in  Wapakoneta,  Ohio,  and  be- 
came a  well-to-do  and  public-spirited  citizen.  In  the  affairs  which  had  marked 
influence  on  the  development  and  progress  of  Auglaize  county  he  took  an  ac- 
tive interest,  laboring  earnestly  for  their  promotion.  His  name  is  inseparably 
connected  with  the  history  of  that  community.  He  mapped  out  the  county, 
spent  three  winters  in  Columbus  in  attendance  on  the  state  legislature  and 
finally  secured  the  passage  of  a  bill  establishing  the  county,  practically  at  his 
own  expense.  He  owned  several  thousand  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of 
Wapakoneta  and  was  afterward  instrumental  in  having  the  county  seat  estab- 
lished there.  He  was  one  of  the  first  judges  in  the  county  under  the  old  con- 
stitution and  was  always  a  prominent  politician.  In  1881  he  was  elected  to 
the  state  legislature,  where  he  served  through  four  consecutive  years.  He 
studied  closely  the  needs  of  his  district  and  of  the  state  and  labored  untiringly 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  373 

to  secure  such  legislative  enactments  as  would  prove  of  general  good. 
On  the  30th  of  November,  1836,  he  married  Lydia  M.  Nichols,  who  died  De- 
cember 28,  1843,  anc1t  °'n  ^ie  I4^h  of  May,  1845,  he  wedded  Alary  Virginia 
Nichols,  who  died  November  20,  1893.  His  death  occurred  June  1,  1890.  and 
all  are  buried  at  Wapakoneta.  Her  father,  Isaac  Nichols,  was  a  captain  in 
the  war  of  1812.  He  represented  a  Virginia  family,  who  removed  from  Lou- 
doun county,  that  state,  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Lebanon,  Warren  county,  after  the 
second  war  with  England. 

Franklin  Holbrook  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Wapakoneta 
and  was  a  member  of  the  first  class  ever  graduated  in  the  high  school — the 
year  being  1871.  He  afterward  learned  the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  the 
Auglaize  County  Democrat,  becoming  familiar  with  the  business  in  all  its  de- 
partments. He  was  there  employed  until  1876,  when  he  established  a  paper 
called  the  Wapakoneta  Bee,  continuing  the  same  until  1883,  during  which  time 
he  had  made  it  a  representative  journal  that  received  a  liberal  patronage.  In 
Its  columns  he  took  an  active  part  in  public  affairs  and  labored  earnestly  for  the 
benefit  of  the  community.  In  1885  he  came  to  Bucyrus  and  purchased  of 
Major  Williston  a  half  interest  in  the  Forum,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  edi- 
tors and  proprietors  until  October,  1901,  as  stated  at  the  beginning  of  this 
sketch.  The  year  after  his  purchase  the  Major  sold  his  interest  to  Horace 
Holbrook,  a  brother  of  our  subject,  and  to  G.  A.  Nuit.  A  few  years  later 
the  last  named  purchased  the  fourth  interest  of  Horace  Holbrook,  and  in  1894 
Albert  M.  Ensminger  became  a  partner  in  the  enterprise.  Air.  Holbrook  de- 
voted his  time  and  attention  successfully  to  the  paper  after  coming  to  Bucyrus, 
and  during  this  period  its  circulation  was  more  than  doubled,  while  its  plant 
increased  two  or  three  fold  in  volume,  owing  to  the  purchase  of  new  and  im- 
proved machinery  and  materials.  The  firm  did,  and  still  does,  a  large  jo!) 
printing  business,  and  the  circulation  of  the  paper  is  extensive  and  constantly 
increasing.  This  makes  it  a  good  advertising  medium,  and  its  patronage  in 
various  lines  is  large  and  profitable. 

Mr.  Holbrook  was  married  at  Wapakoneta,  on  the  7th  of  January,  1879, 
to  Miss  Mary  F.  Keuthan,  a  daughter  of  F.  H.  and  Alary  W.  Keuthan,  the 
father  having  come  from  Germain'  to  .America  in  early  life,  while  the  mother 
was  a  native  of  this  country.  The  marriage  of  Air.  and  Airs.  Holbrook  has 
been  blessed  with  three  children:  George  Frederick,  who  was  born  Octoher 
1 1,  1879 ;  Beatrice,  born  July  2j,  1881  ;  and  Horace  Rollin,  born  May  17,  1884. 
Mr.  Holbrook  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  National  Union  and  the  Afaccabees.     He  and  his  wife 


374  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

have  a  pleasant  home  in  Bucyrus,  where  hospitality  abounds  and  where  their 
mam-  friends  desire  to  gather.  In  the  office  Mr.  Halo-rook  is  a  practical  man 
of  affairs,  busy  and  energetic,  and  has  attained  a  success  that  is  the  merited 
reward  of  his  earnest  labor  and  persistency  of  purpose.  In  his  home  he  is  a 
pleasant  and  agreeahle  companion,  and  in  whatever  place  or  relation  found  he 
is  a  thorough  gentleman  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  term. 

DANIEL  BRINKMAN. 

Prominent  among  the  successful,  progressive  and  substantial  farmers  of 
Holmes  township  is  Daniel  Brinkman,  who  comes  of  fine  old  German  ancestry. 
His  birth  was  in  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  on  January  7,  1840,  a  son  of  Christopher  and 
Mary  (Heinle)  Brinkman,  who  reared  nine  children.  The  three  survivors 
are:  Henry,  who  lives  retired  in  Holgate,  Henry  county,  Ohio-;  Frederick, 
who  resides  in  Putnam  county,  Ohio1;  and  Daniel,  who  is  the  subject.  The 
names  of  those  who  passed  away  are:  John,  Louis,  Christian,  Jacob,  Mary 
and  Elizabeth.  The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany, 
in  1804,  and  while  still  a  young  man  came  to  America  and  located  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. There  he  learned  the  wheelwright  trade  and  also  the  trade  of  chair- 
maker,  coming  to  Bucyrus  to  follow  these  lines.  Some  years  later  he  pur- 
chased an  eighty-acre  tract  of  land,  this  being  the  same  upon  which  his  son 
resides,  and  with  a  team  of  oxen  and  one  horse  hauled  logs  from  the  forest  to 
Bucyrus,  where  he  found  a  market  for  them,  and  in  1841  purchased  a  portion 
of  the  home  farm,  across  the  road  from  his  former  purchase.  The  former 
resident  had  left  a  modest  frame  house,  and  into  this  Mr.  Brinkman  moved, 
utilizing  it  as  both  a  residence  and  shop,  and  here  he  carried  on  his  work  of 
chair-making.  In  1858  he  was  able  to  erect  the  substantial  brick  residence 
which  was  his  comfortable  home  until  his  death,  in  1878.  Mr.  Brinkman  had 
made  a  success  of  his  life  through  his  own  efforts.  At  one  time  he  owned 
four  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  substantial 
farmers  of  his  locality.  His  political  leaning  was  toward  the  Democratic 
party.  In  the  German  Reformed  church  he  was  known  for  his  liberality  and 
display  of  Christian  characteristics. 

Daniel  Brinkman  gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  life  on  a  farm  during 
his  early  years,  and  has  followed  the  pursuit  of  agriculture  all  his  life.  His 
education  was  received  in  the  common  schools.  When  he  decided  to  set  up 
a  home  of  his  own  he  married  Miss  Sarah  A.  Layman,  a  native  of  this  county 
and  a  daughter  of  Mathias  Layman,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Craw- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  375 

ford  county,  from  Pennsylvania.  After  marriage  Air.  Daniel  Brinkman  took 
charge  of  a  portion  of  his  father's  land,  and  engaged  in  farming  on  shares  for 
some  four  years,  and  then  purchased  his  present  desirable  farm,  consisting  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres,  and  here  he  erected  a  comfortable  but  plain 
residence.  He  wished  to  clear  off  the  debt  of  his  farm  before  he  made  any  ex- 
tensive improvements,  but  in  1885  he  felt  justified  in  building  the  commodious 
and  attractive  country  home  which  now  adorns  his  estate.  In  his  farming  he 
has  been  successful,  and.  like  his  father,  is  regarded  as  a  very  solid  member  of 
the  farming  community. 

Mr.  Brinkman  has  two  of  his  five  children  and  his  estimable  wife  with 
him.  the  former  being  Charles  and  Alvin.  Martha,  Anna  and  Emma,  three 
beloved  daughters,  have  passed  out  of  life.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Brink- 
man  follows  the  example  of  his  father  and  votes  with  the  Democratic  party, 
and  is  interested  in  its  success,  but  he  is  no  seeker  for  office.  The  religious 
connection  of  the  family  is  with  the  Disciples  church,  where  he  is  known  for 
hs  charitable  and  benevolent  actions.  Mr.  Brinkman  is  held  in  high  esteem  ' 
in  the  township  and  deserves  the  good  feeling  that  is  generally  felt  for  him. 

EDWARD  FLICKINGER. 

The  day  of  small  undertakings,  especially  in  cities,  seems  to  have  passed 
and  the  era  of  gigantic  enterprises  is  upon  us.     In  control  of  mammoth  con- 
cerns are  men  of  master  minds,  of  almost  limitless  ability  to  guide,  of  sound 
judgment   and   keen   discrimination.     Their   progressiveness   must   not   onlv 
reach  the  bounds  that  others  have  attained,  but  must  even  pass  beyond  into  new 
and  broader,  untried  fields  of  operation  ;  but  an  unerring  foresight  and  sagacity 
must  make  no  mistake  by  venturing  upon  uncertain  ground.     Thus  continu- 
ally growing,  a  business  takes  leadership  in  its  special  line  and  the  men  who 
are  at  its  head  are  deservedly  eminent  in  the  world  of  commerce,  occupying  a 
portion  which  commands  the  respect  while  it  excites  the  admiration  of  all 
At  the  head  of  some  of  the  leading  industries  of  Gabon  stands  Edward  Flick- 
inger, who  is  president  of  the  Flickinger  Wheel  Works  and  of  the  Gallon 
Wagon  and  Gear  Company.     These  enterprises  are  not  only  of  great  benefit 
to  the  stockholders  but  have  also  materially  promoted  the  interests  of  the  city 
for  the  upbuilding  and  growth  of  the  community  depends  upon  the  industrial 
and  commercial  activity. 

Mr.  Flickinger  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  bis  birth  having  occurred  in  Hamilt.  m 
Butler  county,  on  the  12th  of  August,  1847.     The  family  is  of  Swiss  lineage 


3/6  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

and  was  founded  in  America  by  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  John 
Flickinger,  who  came  from  the  land  of  the  Alps  in  1752  to  the  new  world,  and 
settled  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  erected  the  first  building  in 
that  place,  and  it  is  still  standing.  His  son,  Jacob  Flickinger,  the  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  was  born  in  1784,  in  Lancaster  county,  soon  after  the  close  of 
the  Revolutionary  Avar,  and  became  a  minister  of  the  United  Brethren  church. 
In  1 8 10  he  removed  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Hamilton,  Butler  county.  He  was 
active  in  establishing  the  church  there,  and  his  work  along  lines  of  good  citizen- 
ship and  Christian  character  is  still  manifest  in  the  lives  of  all  who  knew  him. 
His  example  was  a  source  of  help  to  all  with  whom  he  was  associated,  and  his 
memory  remains  as  a  blessed  benediction  to  those  among  whom  he  lived  and 
labored.  He  died  in  1849.  He  married  Miss  Hannah  Kumler,  a  daughter 
of  Bishop  Henry  Kumler,  of  the  United  Brethren  church.  She  was  actively 
associated  with  her  husband  in  all  his  pioneer  ministerial  work  in  Butler 
county.  She  was  widely  loved  by  all  with  whom  she  came  in  contact.  Her 
death  occurred  in  r8o,2,  when  she  had  attained  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three 
years.  Through  a  long  period  she  took  an  active  interest  in  the  reunions  of 
her  relatives,  which  were  held  in  Butler  county. 

Henry  Flickinger,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Butler  county, 
Ohio,  in  18 19,  and  there  became  a  prominent  farmer  and  a  recognized  repre- 
sentative of  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  also  a  leading  and  influential  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Brethren  church,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  cause 
of  Christianity  among'  his  fellow  men.  He  was  considered  a  generous,  kindly- 
dispositioned  man.  and  no  worthy  object  or  needy  person  sought  his  aid  in 
vain.  His  political  support  was  first  given  to  the  Whig  party,  and  on  its  dis- 
solution he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party.  His  wife  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  I^lizabeth  Farlow  and  was  born  in  Berks  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1819,  coming  with  her  parents  to  Butler  county,  Ohio,  during  her 
childhood.  Her  father,  John  Farlow,  was  a  native  of  Berks  count}-.  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  died  in  Butler  county.  Ohio,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  In  religious 
belief  he  was  a  Lutheran,  and  in  his  political  faith  a  Democrat.  Mr.  Henry 
Flickinger  died  in  1891,  when  seventy  years  of  age,  and  the  mother  passed 
away  in  1896,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  The  members  of  their  family  are 
as  follows:  Amos,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Stone  River  in  the  Civil 
war ;  Matilda  and  Xoah,  both  now  deceased ;  Mrs.  Anna  Hone ;  Enoch ;  Lan- 
dis;  Susan;  and  Edward,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

The  last  named  was  only  sixteen  years  of  age  when,  in  response  to  the 
president's  call,  he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  377 

seventh  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  serving  until  the  close  of  hostilities.  He 
participated  in  the  campaigns  of  Virginia  and  West  Virginia  and  was  ever 
loyal  to  the  starry  banner.  After  his  return  to  the  north  he  became  identified 
with  the  industrial  interests  of  Ohio  in  1868  as  a  manufacturer  of  buggy 
wheels  in  Sandusky.  The  business  steadily  increased  in  volume  and  im- 
portance and  was  carried  on  until  1880,  when  Mr.  Flickinger  removed  to 
Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  Success  attended  his  industry  in  that  place  and  he  was 
in  control  of  an  extensive  business,  which  he  afterward  reorganized  under  the 
management  of  a  joint  stock  company,  of  which  he  was  chosen  president.  In 
1890  the  business  was  sold  to  the  Buggy  Wheel  Trust  Company,  and  in  1892 
our  subject  erected  a  large  factory  in  Gallon,  Ohio.  In  the  same  year  he 
removed  to  Galion.  Jn  his  wheel  manufactory  he  is  now  employing  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  men.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Galion  Wagon  and  Gear  Com- 
pany, and  his  employes  altogether  number  more  than  four  hundred  men.  His 
output  is  very  large,  but  can  hardly  keep  up  with  the  demands.  The  ware- 
houses of  the  company  are  filled  with  the  best  seasoned  stock,  and  both  factories 
are  now  equipped  with  the  latest  and  most  approved  machinery  that  money  can 
buy  and  that  will  turn  out  a  high  grade  of  work.  The  goods  sold  by  these 
factories  are  so  favorably  known  over  the  country  that  almost  daily  purchasers 
of  wheels  and  bodies  and  spring  wagons  come  to  Galion  from  all  parts  of  the 
United  States.  The  growth  of  his  factories  has  been  continuous  and  health- 
ful, and  the  enterprise  is  now  one  of  considerable  magnitude.  Much  of  the 
success  which  has  attended  these  two  undertakings  is  due  to  the  capable  busi- 
ness management,  keen  discrimination  and  resolute  purpose  of  Edward  Flick- 
inger, who  has  the  business  affairs  of  the  two  factories  well  in  hand,  and 
whose  knowledge  of  every  detail  is  the  result  of  a  lifetime  of  stud}".  Another 
enterprise  with  which  he  is  actively  connected  is  conducted  under  the  name  of 
the  Flickinger  Company,  the  partners  being  our  subject,  Fred  Unckrich  and 
Frank  Flickinger.  The  enterprise  was  established  for  the  purpose  of  manu- 
facturing a  special  line  of  wheel  machinery,  consisting  of  the  Unckrich  patent 
spoke  polishing  machine,  a  wheel  riveting  machine  and  several  other  machines 
which  are  now  in  process  of  construction.  The  company  controls  the  patents 
on  these  machines,  which  are  sold  to  wheel  manufacturers  all  over  the  United 
States,  and  are  spoken  of  in  terms  of  highest  praise  wherever  used.  Edward 
Flickinger  also  has  another  branch  of  business  which  is  equally  successful, 
though  of  an  entirely  different  nature.  In  1890  he  purchased  a  large  stock 
farm  at  Bellefontaine,  Ohio,  comprising  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres.     The 


3/8  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

place  is  called  the  Pleasant  Grove  Stock  Farm,  and  on  it  he  is  extensively  en- 
gaged in  breeding  fine  draft  and  French  coach  horses. 

Mr.  Flickinger  has  been  twice  married.  In  1872  he  married  Miss  Emma 
McCullough,  a  daughter  of  Judge  McCullough,  of  Logan  county,  Ohio.  They 
became  the  parents  of  two  children.  Frank,  who  has  charge  of  one  of  the 
departments  of  the  factory,  and  Edna.  In  1882  the  mother  died,  and  in  1884 
Mr.  Flickinger  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Elizabeth 
Colley,  of  Sandusky,  a  daughter  of  Edward  Colley,  deceased.  Their  children 
are  Edward,  Hazel  and  Russell.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Flickinger  is  a 
Republican,  and  socially  he  is  a  Mason,  having  attained  the  Knight  Templar 
degree  in  that  order.  To  the  subject  of  this  review  has  come  the  attainment 
of  a  distinguished  position  in  connection  with  the  great  material  industries  of 
Crawford  county,  and  his  efforts  have  been  so  discerningly  directed  along  well- 
defined  lines  that  he  seems  to  have  reached  at  any  one  point  of  progress  the 
full  measure  of  his  possibilities  for  accomplishment  at  that  point.  A  man  of 
distinctive  and  forceful  individuality,  of  broad  mentality  and  most  mature  judg- 
ment, he  has  left  and  is  leaving  his  impress  upon  the  industrial  world,  and  he 
certainly  deserves  the  splendid  success  which  he  has  attained,  for  it  has  been 
the  result  of  his  ability  to  recognize  and  improve  opportunities  and  to  control 
intricate  business  affairs.  Kindness,  amiability  and  courtesy  not  only  char- 
acterize his  social  relations  but  are  the  marked  features  in  his  business  life,  and 
his  employes  never  see  a  trace  of  the  overbearing  taskmaster  in  him. 


JAMES  F.  McMAHON. 

James  F.  McMahon  is  the  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Xews-Democrat, 
of  Crestline,  and  has  for  a  number  of  years  been  closely  identified  with  the 
journalistic  interest  of  Crawford  county.  He  was  born  in  Wooster,  Ohio, 
June  1.  1877,  and  is  the  youngest  son  of  John  J.  and  Rose  (Cullivan)  Mc- 
Mahon, both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ireland,  but  in  early  pioneer  days 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world,  and  were  married  in  Norwalk,  Ohio. 
Through  a  long  period  the  father  was  foreman  in  the  blacksmith  shop  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  at  Wooster,  Ohio,  and  after  a  useful  and 
honorable  career  he  passed  away  on  the  5th  of  May,  1890,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
four  years.  His  widow  still  survives  him  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Crestline. 
In  the  family  of  this  worthy  couple  were  four  children:  James  F. ;  John, 
who  is  a  car-builder  of  Toledo,  Ohio ;  Katie,  who  is  now  associated  with  our 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  381 

subject  in  the  publication  of  his  paper;  and  Mary,  the  wife  of  H.  A.  Schill,  of 
Crestline. 

Air.  McMahon,  of  this  review,  spent  the  days  of  his  youth  in  his  native 
city  and  is  indebted  to  its  public-school  system  for  the  educational  privileges 
which  he  enjoyed.  He  is  now  in  a  line  of  work  which  is  continually  in- 
creasing his  fund  of  information.  He  became  connected  with  the  printing 
business  in  Wooster,  Ohio,  in  1894,  and  in  1895  he  came  to  Crestline,  where 
he  was  associated  with  the  Vidette  until  the  establishment  of  the  News-Demo- 
crat in  1898.  This  journal  now  has  a  circulation  of  about  a  thousand  copies 
It  is  published  in  the  interest  of  the  Democratic  party  and  of  local  advance- 
ment, and  through  its  columns  Mr.  McMahon  treats  in  a  fair  and  impartial 
manner  the  questions  of  local  and  general  importance,  at  the  same  time  giving 
an  unswerving  support  to  the  principles  of  Democracy.  He  also  conducts  a 
job  printing  department,  and  in  that  branch  of  the  business  is  securing  a 
liberal  patronage,  which  materially  increases  his  income. 

WILLIAM  SNYDER. 

William  Snyder,  who  is  living,  in  Crestline,  Ohio-,  was  born  in  Middle- 
town,  Crawford  county,  July  12,  18.4.1.  His  grandfather,  Cristley  Snyder, 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Ashland,  Rich- 
land and  Crawford  counties.  He  took  up  his  abode  in  the  midst  of  the  deep 
forest  where  he  erected  a  log  cabin  and  owned  a  farm.  He  lived  to  the  very 
advanced  age  of  ninety-nine  years  and  nine  months  and  then  died  from  the 
effects  of  a  fall,  while  his  wife,  Alary  Magdaline  Snyder,  lived  to  the  venerable 
age  cf  one  hundred  and  eight  years.  The  father,  Peter  Snyder,  was  a  native 
of  Ashland  county,  born  in  1803,  and  in  1808  he  became  a  resident  of  Craw- 
ford county,  which  at  that  time  was  a  part  of  Richland  county.  Here  he  was 
reared  upon  the  farm,  and  in  a  log  school  house,  such  as  was  common  at  that 
day,  he  pursued  his  education.  When  he  had  attained  adult  age  he  married 
Miss  Lavina  Gilland,  who  was  born  in  this  county  before  its  separation  from 
Crawford  count}-.  In  this  part  of  Ohio  she  spent  her  entire  life,  dying  at  the 
age  of  seventy-one  years.  After  his  marriage  the  father  of  our  subject  took 
up  his  abode  in  Jefferson  township,  near  Middletown,  but  spent  the  last  twenty 
years  of  his  life  in  Crestline.  He  passed  the  ninety-second  milestone  and  was 
then  called  to<  his  final  rest.  He  took  an  active  part  in  Christian  work  as  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  held  several  offices  in  the  congregation 
with  which  he  was  identified.     A  life-Ion^  Democrat,  he  also  filled  some  minor 


3«2  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

political  positions.  He  took  an  active  part  in  everything  connected  with  the 
good  of  the  county  and  was  one  of  its  best  known  and  highly  respected  citizens, 
having  for  eighty-eight  years  lived  within  its  borders.  He  was  identified,  with 
its  development  and  progress  and  was  a  witness  of  its  transformation  from 
an  unbroken  wilderness  to  its  present  state  of  cultivation  and  improvement. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder  were  born  ten  children,  six  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, all  of  whom  reached  mature  years,  while  two  of  the  sons  and  three  of  the 
daughters  are  yet  living. 

William  Snyder  was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth  in  the  parents'  family. 
He  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day  in  a  log  cabin  in  Jefferson  township, 
and  remained  upon  the  old  home  farm  until  ten  years  of  age,  when  the  family 
remoA  ed  to  an  adjoining  farm.  He  pursued  his  studies  in  the  log  school  house 
in  the  primitive  manner  of  the  times,  and  assisted  his  father  in  the  clearing 
and  cultivation  of  the  fields  until  1 86 1 ,  when  his  patriotic  spirit  was  aroused 
by  the  attempt  at  secession  of  the  south  and  he  offered  his  services  to  the  gov- 
ernment, enlisting  among  the  "boys  in  blue"  as  a  member  of  Company  K, 
Sixty-fourth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  served  for  about  sixteen  months 
and  was  then  honorably  discharged  on  account  of  disability.  Immediately 
afterward  he  returned  home  and  has  since  been  identified  with  the  interests  of 
Crawford  county. 

In  i860  Mr.  Snyder  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Burnison,  a 
native  of  Monroe  county,  Ohio,  born  May  4,  1844,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Alary  (Myers)  Burnison,  who  were  early  settlers  of  that  county.  Her 
father  was  a  native  of  Stark  county,  Ohio,  but  her  mother  was  born  in  Ger- 
man)-. They  became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  Mrs.  Snyder  being  the  second 
in  order  of  birth.  She  was  reared  and  educated  in  her  native  county,  and  to 
her  husband  has  been  a  faithful  companion  and  helpmeet  on  the  journey  of  life. 
They  began  their  domestic  life  in  Jefferson  township,  where  they  remained  for 
about  four  years,  when  they  took  up  their  abode  in  Crestline,  Mr.  Snyder 
engaging  in  the  railway  service.  He  was  first  employed  as  a  brakeman  and 
was  soon  after  promoted  to  the  position  of  conductor  on  the  Pittsburg,  Ft. 
Wayne  &  Chicago'  road.  He  acted  in  that  capacity  for  eighteen  vears,  run- 
ning from  Crestline  to  Ft.  Wayne,  Indiana,  and  to  Chicago1.  During  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  he  was  a  passenger  conductor,  and  was  one  of  the  most 
reliable  and  trustworthy  employes  in  the  service.  On  leaving  the  road  in  1885 
he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  Crestline,  and  for  some  time  has  lived 
retired,  enjoying  a  well-merited  rest,  his  wants  being  supplied  by  the  com- 
petence which  he  had  gained  in  former  years  of  activity. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  3S3 

The  marriage  of  Air.  and  Airs.  Snyder  was  blessed  with  two  daughters 
and  a  son,  but  the  latter,  Frank,  is  now  deceased.  Minnie  Belle,  the  elder 
daughter,  is  the  wife  of  \V.  D.  Cover,  and  Alice  May,  the  younger,  is  still  with 
her  parents.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Snyder  is  a  Democrat,  and  on 
that  ticket  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  town  council  and  of  the  school  b<  >ard. 
He  belongs  to  Snyder  Post,  Xo.  101,  G.  A.  R.  and  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  He  has  always  lived  in  Crawford  county,  so-  that  his  history  is  well 
known  and  his  fellow  townsmen  have  ever  held  him  in  the  highest  respect  and 
regard,  owing  to  his  life-long  fidelity  to>  manly  principle,  his  social  character- 
istics being  those  which  in  every  land  and  every  clime  command  respect. 


JAMES  VV.  COULTER. 

In  the  last  half  of  the  past  century  the  lawyer  has  been  a  pre-eminent 
factor  in  all  affairs  of  private  concern  and  national  importance.  The  man 
versed  in  the  laws  of  the  country,  as  distinguished  from  business  men  or  poli- 
ticians, has  been  a  recognized  power.  He  has  been  depended  upon  to  conserve 
the  best  and  permanent  interests  of  the  whole  people,  and  without  him  and  the 
approval  of  his  practical  judgment  the  efforts  of  the  statesman  and  the  in- 
dustry of  the  business  man  and  mechanic  would  have  proved  futile.  The 
reason  is  not  far  to  seek.  The  professional  lawyer  is  never  the  creature  of 
circumstance.  The  profession  is  open  to  talent,  and  eminence  or  success  can- 
not be  obtained  except  by  indomitable  energy,  perseverance  and  strong  men- 
tality. Such  qualities  are  manifest  in  the  career  of  Mr.  Coulter,  now  a  well- 
known  and  successful  attorney  of  Gabon,  who  was  born  July  4,  1846,  in  West- 
Bedford,  Coshocton  county,  Ohio.  His  father,  Richard  Montgomery  Coulter, 
died  in  that  county  when  about  sixty  years  of  age.  He  was  a  native  of  Cum- 
berland county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  son  of  William  Coulter,  a  surveyor,  who 
became  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Coshocton  county.  He  erected  the  first 
brick  house  built  west  of  the  city  of  Coshocton,  and  for  many  years  he  was  an 
employe  of  the  United  States  government.  The  mother  of  our  subject  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Phoebe  Greer,  and  was  reared  in  Belfast.  Ireland,  whence 
she  came  to  America,  and  here  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Richard  M. 
Coulter. 

The  subject  of  this  review  pursued  his  education  at  Spring  Mountain, 
Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  and  after  completing  his  literary  course  he  commenced 
preparation  for  professional  life  as  a  student  in  the  law  office  of  Frank  H. 


384  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Hurd,  of  Mount  Vernon.  He  afterward  continued  his  studies  under  the 
direction  of  Hon.  A.  Jackson  and  Hon.  Thomas  Beer,  of  Bucyrus,  and  in 
1866  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  at  once  located  at  Galion,  where  he  has 
since  engaged  in  practice,  having  long  ago  won  a  position  of  distinction  among 
the  leading  representatives  of  the  fraternity  in  this  place.  Along  with  those 
qualities,  indispensable  to  the  lawyer, — a  keen,  rapid,  logical  mind  plus  the 
business  sense  and  ready  capacity  for  hard  work, — our  subject  brought  to  the 
starting  point  of  his  legal  career  gifts, — eloquence  of  language  and  a  strong 
personality.  An  excellent  presence,  an  earnest,  dignified  manner,  marked 
■strength  -of  character,  a  thorough  grasp  of  the  law  and  the  ability  accurately 
to  apply  its  principles  are  factors  in  Mr.  Coulter's  effectiveness  as  an  advocate. 

For  six  years  Mr.  Coulter  served  as  prosecuting  attorney  of  Crawford 
county.  He  was  also>  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  school  examiners  for 
four  years,  and  through  a  long  period  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  of 
Galion,  acting  as  its  president  for  some  time.  Since  his  retirement  from  that 
office  his  attention  has  been  given  strictly  to  the  private  practice  of  law,  for 
he  has  a  large  and  distinctivelv  representative  clientage.  However,  he  is 
known  as  a  leading  and  influential  member  of  the  Democratic  party,  has  served 
on  the  county  committee  and  has  done  considerable  campaign  work,  attending 
various  political  meetings  and  conventions  throughout  the  state.  He  is  a 
director  and  vice-president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Galion,  and  was  at- 
torney of  the  New  York,  Pennsylvania  &  Ohio  Railroad  and  the  New  York, 
Lake  Erie  &  Western  road,  now  known  as  the  Erie  line,  continuing  in  that 
position  for  thirty  years,  throughout  all  the  changes  made  in  ownership.  For 
twenty  years  he  has  managed  two  farms,  located  two  miles  west  of  Galion, 
and  is  one  of  the  largest  real  estate  owners  in  the  county. 

Mr.  Coulter  married  Miss  Flora  Hetrick,  of  Galion,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Hetrick,  one  of  the  old  pioneers  of  the  county,  and  his  married  life  is  an  excep- 
tionally happy  one,  his  wife  being  one  of  the  most  hospitable  and  generous 
women  in  Galion.  Socially  he  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and 
religiously  he  is  connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  began 
his  business  career  without  capital,  save  his  laudable  ambition  and  unfaltering 
determination,  and  the  fact  that  he  stands  among  the  wealthy  men  of  the 
county  is  due  entirely  to  his  own  efforts.  He  has  been  quick  to  note  oppor- 
tunities and  to  improve  them,  has  made  judicious  investments  and  throughout 
his  career  has  transacted  his  business  in  harmony  with  the  strictest  professional 
ethics.  With  him  success  in  life  has  been  reached  by  sterling  qualities  of  mind 
and  a  heart  true  to  every  manly  principle.     He  has  never  deviated  from  what 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  3S5 

his  judgment  would  indicate  to  be  right  and  honorable  between  his  fellow  men 
and  himself  and  he  has  gained  not  only  wealth,  but  the  respect  and  good  will 
of  the  entire  community  in  which  he  lives. 

I 

NICHOLAS  FETTER. 

Nicholas  Fetter  is  a  retired  farmer  and  miller  living  in  Crestline.  An 
excellent  example  of  the  self-made  American  citizen  whose  life  illustrates  the 
progress  that  an  ambitious  foreigner  can  make  in  this  country  of  unbounded 
opportunity  is  shown  in  the  case  of  Air.  Fetter,  one  of  the  leading  German- 
American  citizens  of  Crawford  count}-.  His  signal  success  is  due  to  his  own 
energy  and  the  high  ideal  which  his  laudable  ambition  placed  before  him. 
Success  in  any  walk  in  life  is  an  indication  of  earnest  endeavor  and  painstaking 
effurt, — characteristics  that  he  possesses  in  an  eminent  degree. 

Mr.  Fetter  was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  December  28.  1832, 
His  father,  George  Fetter,  was  a  native  of  the  same  locality,  was  a  millwright 
by  trade,  and  in  184(8,  when  about  fifty  years  of  age,  came  to  America,  settling- 
in  Pennsylvania.  There  he  carried  en  farming  and  also  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  oak  shingles.  About  1853  he  came  to-  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  passing  away  in  1886.  He  married,  in  the 
Fatherland.  Miss  Catherine  Beach,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, rive  sons  and  a  daughter,  namely:  Nicholas,  Adam,  George,  Jacob, 
Catherine  and  Henry.  All  were  born  in  Germain-,  with  the  exception  of 
Henry,  whose  birth  occurred  in  the  Keystone  state. 

Nicholas  Fetter  is  the  oldest,  and  was  reared  in  his  native  country  until 
fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  voyage  to  the 
new  world,  locating  in  Blair  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  remained  for 
about  five  years.  In  1853  he  came  to  Crawford  county  and  began  work  in  a 
sawmill,  also  followed  farming  in  the  employ  of  others.  In  i860  he  began- 
business  on  his  own  account,  and  was  so  engaged  until  1895,  when,  having 
acquired  a  comfortable  competence,  he  retired  to  private  life  and  has  since  en- 
joyed a  well-merited  rest. 

In  the  year  [860  Mr.  Fetter  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Mary  Heckler, 
who  was  born  in  Germany,  June  20.  1837.  and  came  to  the  new  world  when 
about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  taking  up  her  abode  in  Crawford  county. 
Their  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  twi  1  s<  >ns  and  a  daughter,  namely  :  Caro- 
line, wife  of  Nicholas  Amos,  who  is  proprietor  of  the  Continental  Hotel  at 
Crestline;  Frances,  wife  of  Frank  Nicely,  of  Galion ;  and  John,  who  married'. 


386  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Miss  Ludwig  and  resides  in  Crestline.  Air.  Fetter  has  served  as  a  member 
jof  the  board  of  education  of  the  city  and  is  deeply  interested  in  everything  that 
pertains  to  the  substantial  improvement  of  the  community.  He  votes  with 
the  Democracy  and  is  a  member  of  the  German  Reformed  church.  He  has 
ever  conducted  his  business  affairs  so  that  he  has  won  the  confidence  and  good 
will  i  if  all  who  know  him.  As  a  man  and  citizen  he  enjoys  the  added  prosper- 
ity which  conies  to  those  genial  spirits  who  have  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand 
for  all  those  with  whom  they  come  in  contact  from  day  to  day  and  who  seem 
to  throw  around  them  in  consequence  so  much  of  the  sunshine  of  life. 

ISAAC  C.  GUINTHER. 

The  world  instinctively  pays  deference  to  the  man  whose  success  has 
been  worthily  achieved,  who  has  acquired  high  reputation  along  the  line  to- 
ward which  his  energies  have  been  directed  and  whose  social  prominence  is  not 
less  the  result  of  an  irreproachable  life  than  of  recognized  natural  gifts.  It 
is  a  pleasing  indulgence  to  write  the  biography  of  a  man  of  this  character. 
The  country  has  produced  many  brilliant  men,  who  in  military  or  civil  life  have 
won  prominence  and  honor;  most  of  our  noblest  and  best  men  are  self-made, 
and  Air.  Guinther  is  a  representative  of  this  class,  for  his  life  has  been  de- 
voted to  labors  where  wealth  or  influence  availed  little  or  naught,  the  measure 
of  success  depending  upon  the  mentality,  intellectual  acquirements  and  broad 
culture  of  the  individual.  Air.  Guinther  has  left  the  imprint  of  his  individu- 
ality on  each  place  in  which,  for  any  length  of  time,  he  has  resided,  and  has 
opened  to  many  the  portals  of  knowledge,  wherein  memory's  casket  may  be 
filled  with  the  choicest  gems, — the  only  treasures  which  we  may  safely  call 
our  own.  As  an  educator  Professor  Guinther  is  widely  known  and  is  m  iw 
occupying  the  responsible  position  of  city  superintendent  of  the  schools  of 
Gabon.  Familiarity  through  the  medium  of  books  and  study  with  the  most 
gifted  minds  of  every  nation  and  of  every  clime  has  well  qualified  him  for 
the  incumbency.  He  has  served  in  this  capacity  since  1896,  during  which 
period  the  schools  have  made  marked  progress. 

Professor  Guinther  is  numbered  among  the  native  sons  of  Crawford 
county,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Whetstone  township,  December  25,  1856, 
and  his  parents  being  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Schallenmiller)  Guinther.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  Wurtemberg,  near  Stuttgart,  in  18 14, 
but  when  fourteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  the  new  world,  taking  up  his  abode 
in  Philadelphia,  where  he  remained  until  he  had  attained  his  majority.     He 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  387 

then  came  to  Ohio,  acting  as  clerk  for  William  Miller  in  one  of  the  first  hotels 
in  Bucyrus.  Subsequently  he  located  upon  a  farm  in  Tully  township,  Marion 
county.  A  few  years  afterward  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Whetstone  township, 
Crawford  county,  a  location  joining"  the  one  in  Tully  township,  where  he  spent 
his  remaining  days,  his  death  occurring  in  1884,  when  he  was  about  seventy 
years  of  age.  His  wife  represents  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, her  people  having  located  in  the  Keystone  state  prior  to  the  war  of 
the  Revolution.  From  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  representatives  of  the 
name  came  to-  Ohio,  and  Mrs.  Guinther  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  on  the 
plains  south  of  Bucyrus.  She  is  still  living  at  the  old  homestead  in  Whet- 
stone township,  south  of  New  Winchester,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Her 
children  were  as  follows:  Mrs.  Mar)-  Ulmer,  who  is  living  in  Whetstone 
township:  George  J.,  a  resident  of  the  old  homestead  in  Tully  township,  Ma- 
rion county;  Sophia,  at  home;  Catherine,  the  wife  of  S.  Rexroth,  of  Polk 
township.  Crawford  county:  Isaac  C,  of  this  review;  Charlotta,  wife  of  S. 
Stump,  of  Wnetstone  township;  and  J-  F.,  who  is  living  on  the  old  homestead 
in  Whetstone  township.  Jacob  Guinther  was,  as  is  still  his  surviving  widow, 
well  known  for  honesty  and  integrity,  and  for  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  the 
family,  and  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all. 

Professor  Guinther,  who  forms  the  immediate  subject  of  this  review,  pur- 
sued his  preliminary  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Whetstone  township 
and  later  entered.the  Northwestern  Ohio  Normal  University,  at  Ada,  where  he 
pursued  the  scientific  and  classical  courses,  being  graduated  in  1883,  with 
the  degree  of  bachelor  of  science  and  master  of  arts.  He  determined  to  de- 
vote his  life  to  educational  work,  and  some  time  before  his  graduation  he 
began  teaching,  his  first  school  being  at  New  Winchester,  in  Whetstone  town- 
ship, taking  charge  thereof  in  the  y  ear  1876.  For  several  years  his  time  was 
devoted  to  teaching  and  to  stud}-.  After  graduation  he  continued  teaching, 
having  been  employed  at  Nevada,  Galena,  and  Utica,  all  in  Ohio.  At  Ne- 
vada, one  year;  Galena,  three  years  and  Utica,  four  years.  Throughout  his 
teaching  he  has  never  been  obliged  to  change  positions,  but  did  so  as  better 
fields  opened  up  for  his  service.  In  1891  he  accepted  a  position  as  teacher  in 
the  grammar  grades  at  ( ialion,  since  which  time  he  has  been  identified  with  the 
schools  of  this  place.  In  1892  he  became  principal  of  the  high  school, 
and  for  four  years  served  in  that  capacity,  and  was  then,  in  1896,  chosen 
to  the  position  of  superintendent  of  the  Gabon  schools.  In  this  position 
he  has  direction  and  supervision  of  all  the  pupils  of  the  public  schools,  and 
at  present  thirty-two  teachers.  There  are  four  school  buildings  in  the  city, 


338  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

The  high  school  course  now  covers  four  years  and  is  most  thorough  ana 
efficient,  as  is  the  work  done  in  the  grades.  Professor  Guinther  is  contin- 
ually studying,  striving  to  improve  the  school  work  and  introduce  new  meth- 
od •  .  as  they  seem  of  practical  value  and  benefit,  and  his  own  interest  in  the 
work  is  an  inspiration  and  aid  to  the. teachers. 

In  1885  occurred  the  marriage  of  Professor  Guinther  and  Miss  Mary  M. 
Rexroth,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Anna  (Reimhern)  Rexroth,  who  came  from 
Germany  to  this  country  in  1840  or  '41,  and  are  now  deceased.  The  mar- 
riage of  our  subject  and  his  wife  has  been  blessed  with  five  children,  namely: 
Paul  Emerson,  a  youth  of  fourteen,  who  is  now  in  the  high  school ;  Fred 
Ernest.  Robert  I.  and  Lawrence  Oliver,  aged,  respectively,  twelve,  ten  and 
seven  years ;  and  Mildred  Lucile,  the  only  daughter,  now  a  little  maiden  of  four 
summers. 

In  his  political  affiliations  the  Professor  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  no  time 
for  active  political  work.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  is  deeply  interested  in  its  growth  and  progress.  He  is  a  man  of  broad, 
scholarly  attainments,  who  has  had  marked  influence  upon  the  intellectual  de- 
velopment of  the  city  and  whose  labors  have  been  of  incalculable  and  of  far- 
reaching  benefit. 

L.  M.  SMITH. 

L.  M.  Smith,  the  well-known  business  manager  of  the  Crawford  County 
Xews.  was  born  in  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  September  1,  1868, 
his  parents  being  Frederick  and  Lucy  Ann  (Shupp)  Smith.  The  father 
located  in  this  county  when  a  young  man,  in  1840.  He  was  a  native  of 
Saxony,  Germany,  and  on  coming  to  America  first  took  up  his  abode  in 
Columbus,  Ohio,  whence  he  came  to  this  county.  He  did  contract  work  on 
the  national  pike  and  afterward  purchased  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Lykens 
township,  which  he  brought  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  first  mar- 
ried Christiana  Tipman,  of  Saxony,  German v,  who  died  in  1846,  leaving  four 
children,  namely:  Louis  F.,  of  Lykens  township,  who  has  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace  and  notary  public;  John  F.,  a  resident  farmer  of  the  same  town- 
ship; Adolph  G.,  a  contractor  living  in  Aurora,  Illinois:  and  Clara,  now  the 
wife  (if  Joseph  Laipply,  of  Lykens  township.  After  the  death  of  his  first 
wife  the  father  married  Lucy  Ann  Shupp,  a  daughter  of  Michael  Shupp,  a 
native  of  Pennsvlvania  and  a  pioneer  of  Crawford  county.  She  was  born 
June  3,   1830,  and  the  children  born  of  this  marriage  are:     Cornelius,  who 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  391 

is  living  in  Bncyrus  ;  Matilda,  deceased ;  Catherine,  the  wife  of  Jacob  Meek, 
of  Holmes  township;  Frederick,  who  is  engaged  in  business  at  Lemert,  Ohio; 
Henry,  a  farmer  of  that  place;  Lucy  Ann,  deceased;  Jefferson  I.,  of  whom 
mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume;  Emma  J.,  wife  of  Abraham 
Scheifer,  of  Lykens  township;  L.  Melancthon;  and  Serepta,  wife  of  C.  H. 
Flickinger,  of  Holmes  township.  The  father  of  this  family  was  a  very 
prominent  and  influential  citizen  of  Crawford  county,  and  from  1862  until 
the  time  of  his  death  served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  His  rulings  were  strictly 
fair  and  impartial  and  his  counsel  was  sought  far  and  wide  in  law  matters. 
He  was  also  township  clerk  for  many  years  and  during  a  greater  part  of 
the  time  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  actively  promoted  the  edu- 
cational interests  of  his  community.  He  was  also  a  leading  member  of  the 
Grange  and  was  an  active  and  progressive  citizen.  He  died  December  3,  1877, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1891,  when  also 
sixty-one  years  of  age. 

L.  M.  Smith,  of  this  sketch,  spent  the  days  of  his  childhood  upon 
the  home  farm  and  in  the  district  schools  of  the  neighborhood  acquired  the 
rudiments  of  his  education.  He  was  only  nine  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
father's  death,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  forced  to  start  in  life  on 
his  own  account.  For  several  years  he  acted  as  a  salesman  in  a  general  store 
belonging  to  bis  brother  Lemert.  and  the  practical  business  training  which 
he  there  received  has  proven  of  value  to  him  in  his  later  career.  Realizing  the 
importance  of  education  and  feeling  its  lack  in  his  own  life  he  determined  to 
add  to  the  knowledge  he  had  previously  acquired  and  therefore  entered  the 
high  school  at  Bucyrus.  At  a  later  date  he  also  pursued  a  commercial  course 
in  the  Ohio  Business  College,  at  Mansfield,  and  was  graduated  in  that  institu- 
tion in   1888. 

After  leaving  school  Air.  Smith  rilled  important  positions  with  a.  large 
manufacturing  establishment  and  with  the  Adams  Express  Company  until 
1 891,  when  he  became  connected  with  the  journalistic  interests,  becoming  an 
equal  partner  in  the  New  Washington  Herald  in  conjunction  with  his  brother. 
J.  I.  Smith,  deputy  count}'  auditor,  lie  successfully  managed  the  Herald  until 
September,  1898,  when,  being  desirous  of  locating  in  the  county  scat,  he 
purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  Crawford  County  News,  of  which  he  is  the 
business  manager.  He  is  a  conscientious  and  far-sighted  business  man  and 
his  executive  ability  is  manifest  in  bis  capable  control  of  the  business  affairs 
of  the  News  office.      Prosperity  has  attended  the  undertaking,  owing  in  no 

smal  degree  to  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Smith. 
21 


392  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

In  New  Washington,  Ohio,  in  1892,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
L.  M.  Smith  and  Miss  Bessie  Sexauer,  a  daughter  of  C.  Frederick  and  Mary 
(  Zeigler)  Sexauer.  Her  paternal  grandparents  were  Christian  and  Caroline 
Schindler)  Zeigler,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Baden,  Germany.  They 
■came  to  America  in  1827,  locating  in  Sulphur  Springs.  After  the  death  of 
her  first  husband  Mrs.  Sexauer  married  J.  G.  Kinnger,  who  opened  a  wagon 
shop  at  Sulphur  Springs,  Ohio.  He  was  joined  in  the  industry  by  his  step- 
son, C.  F.  Sexauer.  Together  they  carried  on  business  for  a  number  of  years. 
The  wife  of  C.  F.  Sexauer  is  a  daughter  of  Dr.  G.  L.  Zeigler,  who  was  a 
prominent  physician  in  pioneer  times.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
•of  Pythias  lodge  and  he  and  his  wife  hold  membership  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church. 

P.  S. — Since  the  foregoing  sketch  of  Mr.  Smith  was  penned,  the  Bu- 
cyrus  Publishing"  Company,  a  stock  company,  was  organized.  The  new  or- 
ganization purchased  the  Daily  and  Weekly  Foriim  and  the  Semi-Weekly 
News,  and  combined  the  two  newspapers.  Stock  in  the  new  company  was 
offered  for  sale  to  the  public,  many  leading  Democrats  of  the  county  taking 
stock.  Such  was  the  popularity  of  Mr.  Smith  that  he,  also  being  a  stock- 
holder, was,  upon  the  organization  of  the  company,  elected  a  director  and 
the  treasurer  and  business  manager,  a  position  he  is  ably  filling  at  this  writ- 
ing. 

JOSEPH  W.  HOLMES. 

As  the  prosperity  or  progress  of  a  nation  is  the  result  of  the  aggregate 
endeavor  of  its  individual  citizens,  so  the  history  of  a  nation  is  the  record  of 
the  aggregate  achievements  of  its  people.  Biography  thus  becomes  the  very 
inundation  upon  which  must  rest  all  general  history  of  mankind.  The  im- 
portance of  making  permanent  record  <  f  the  life  work  of  men  who  are  worthy 
Mich  distinction  cannot  be  overestimated.  Colonel  Joseph  W'illiam  Plolmes 
is  one  who  has  attained  distinction  in  connection  with  public  affairs  in  Craw- 
:ord  county  and  in  the  military  service  of  his  country,  where  he  won  the 
title  by  which  he  is  now  known.  At  present  he  is  living-  retired,  enjoying 
a  well  merited  rest.  His  lite  history  closely  associates  him  with  the  pro- 
gress and  advancement  in  this  portion  of  Ohio,  and  therefore  he  well  deserves 
honorable  mention  in  this  volume. 

Colonel  Holmes  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Dalton,   in   September,    1821,   his   parents   being  Joseph    and    Ruth   Ann 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  393 

(Renne)  Holmes.  The  father  was  a  native  of  England,  his  birth  occurring 
near  the  city  of  Boston,  in  Yorkshire.  When  a  young  man  he  crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  the  new  world,  and  here  met  and  married  Miss  Renne,  who  was 
a  native  of  the  Empire  state.  The  wedding  was  celebrated,  however,  in  the 
old  Bay  state,  where  they  resided  for  a  few  years,  after  which  the  father 
started  on  a  return  trip  to>  England  to  settle  up  an  estate  there,  and  on  his 
homeward  journey  was  lost  at  sea.  The  mother  had  one  brother  who  served 
in  the  war  of  1812  and  afterward  became  a  pioneer  settler  of  Springfield, 
Illinois,  where  many  of  his  descendants  are  still  living. 

Colonel  Holmes  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  city 
and  spent  much  of  his  youth  upon  a  farm,  but,  not  desiring  to  follow  agri- 
cultural pursuits  as  a  life  work,  he  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet-making. 
After  attaining  his  majority  he  made  his  way  to  Albany,  Xew  York,  and  at 
different  times  resided  at  New  Lebanon  Springs,  Chatham  Four  Corners, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  business  as  a  cabinet-maker  and  undertaker.  While 
residing  at  Lebanon  Springs  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Alary  Lord, 
a  daughter  of  Joseph  Lord,  but  she  did  not  long  survive  their  marriage.  She 
died  leaving  one  daughter,  Mary  Josephine,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Ernest 
S.  Cooper,  a  merchant  traveler  residing  in  Toronto,  Canada. 

Colonel  Holmes  continued  his  residence  in  the  Empire  state  until  1862, 
when,  the  country  having  become  involved  in  war  over  the  slavery  question  and 
the  right  of  the  southern  states  to  secede  from  the  Union,  he  enlisted  in  re- 
sponse to  the  president's  call  for  troops,  joining  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-ninth  Xew  York  Infantry  at  Niagara  Falls,  in  1862.  This  was 
afterward  changed  to  the  Eighth  New  York  Heavy  Artillery  and  was  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Peter  A.  Porter.  Mr.  Holmes  was  mustered  into  the 
service  as  captain  of  Company  E,  Eighth  Regiment  of  New  York  Heavy 
Artillery,  for  three  years,  on  the  22d  of  August,  1862;  was  appointed  major 
011  the  19th  of  June,  1864,  and  became  lieutenant  colonel  on  the  14th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1865.  He  served  in  the  Second  Brigade,  Second  Arm}-  Corps,  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  acted  as  commander  of  the  regiment  and  also  of 
the  battalion,  much  of  the  time,  for  Colonel  Porter  was  killed  at  Cold  Harbor 
while  making  a  charge  upon  a  masked  battery  and  the  senior  major  was  there 
wounded,  so  that  Colonel  Holmes  was  left  to  command  the  battalion.  When 
the  start  was  made  for  the  James  he  also  commanded  the  battalion.  The  regi- 
ment numbered  nineteen  hundred  men.  On  the  18th  of  June,  1804,  in  front  of 
Petersburg,  his  promotion  first  came  to  him  on  the  field  of  battle,  in  recog- 
nition of  his  coolness  and  braverv  under  fire  and  in  return  for  his  services  in 


394  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

preventing  a  panic  in  the  line  in  front  of  his  command.  With  fixed  bayonet 
he  ordered  his  troops  to  gather  the  panic-stricken  line  into  place  until  their 
officer  could  get  the  men  once  more  under  control.  This  prevented  a  great 
disaster  to  the  Union  troops.  The  aide  at  division  headquarters  praised  this 
as  one  of  the  most  prompt  acts  he  had  ever  witnessed  in  an  emergency.  Col- 
onel Holmes  participated  in  the  battles  of  Spottsylvania  Court  House  from 
the  1 7th  to  the  21st  of  May,  1864;  Harris  House,  May  19:  North  Anna. 
May  22  to  26;  Totopiitomy,  May  2j  to  31  ;  Cold  Harbor,  June  3;  the  move- 
ment before  Petersburg  from  the  15th  of  June  until  April,  1865;  the  assault 
on  Petersburg,  continuing  from  the  15th  to  the  19th  of  June,  1864:  Weldon 
Railroad,  June  21  to  2^;  Deep  Bottom,  July  27  to  29;  Strawberry  Plains,  Au- 
gust 14  to  18;  Reams'  Station,  August  25;  Boyington  Plank  Road,  October 
2/  to  28;  Dahney  Mills,  February  25  to  2j ;  the  attack  on  the  works  at  Peters- 
burg, March  2^:  Appomattox,  from  the  28th  of  March  to  the  9th  of  April; 
White  Oak  Road,  March  29  to  31  ;  the  fall  of  Petersburg,  on  the  2d  of  April  ; 
the  battle  of  High  Bridge,  April  7 ;  the  engagement  at  Appomattox,  on  the 
Qth  of  April;  and  many  others  of  lesser  importance.  On  account  of  the  close 
of  the  war  Colonel  Holmes  was  mustered  out  of  service  on  the  5th  of  June, 
1865.  In  .1863  he  had  been  made  provost  marshal  at  Fort  McHenry,  serv- 
ing there  until  the  month  of  May,  1864.  The  Colonel  was  ever  found  at 
his  post  of  duty  as  a  faithful  defender  of  the  old  Mag,  and  his  own  bravery 
and  loyalty  inspired  his  men  to  deeds  of  valor  in  many  an  attack  upon  the 
Rebel  works  or  the  troops  in  the  field. 

When  hostilities  had  ceased  Colonel  Holmes  returned  to  Niagara  Falls 
and  entered  the  railway  service.  He  was  afterward  at  Meadville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Kent,  Ohio,  and  in  [$65  entered  the  service  of  the  Atlantic  & 
Great  Western  Railroad,  at  Galion,  Ohio,  with  which  he  remained  for  nine- 
teen years  in  charge  of  the  car  department.  In  1884  he  went  to  Peru,  Indiana, 
in  the  service  of  the  Wabash  Railroad  Company,  and  afterward  to  Big 
Springs,  Texas,  on  the  Gould  railroad.  Subsequently  he  returned  to  Peru, 
Indiana,  and  was  later  transferred  to  Butler,  Indiana,  having  charge  of  the 
car  department.  When  the  shops  were  destroyed  by  fire  he  went  to  Alle- 
gheny, on  the  Pittsburg  &  Western  Railroad,  where  he  was  made  general 
foreman  in  the  car  department,  acting  in  that  capacity  most  acceptably  until  ill 
health  forced  his  retirement  in  1890.  Mr.  Holmes  then  returned  to  Galion, 
where  he  has  since  resided,  one  of  the  valued  and  honored  residents  of  this 
place.  His  long  continuance  in  the  railroad  service  is  a  proof  of  his  fidelity 
to  duty  and  his  faithful  performance  of  all  work  entrusted  to  his  care. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  395 

Colonel  Holmes  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1862,  in  Niagara  Falls,  New 
York,  to  Miss  Emily  Parsons,  a  native  of  that  place.  They  now  have  one  son, 
•Charles  Parsons,  who  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Galion 
and  afterward  entered  the  railroad  service,  being  foreman  in  the  machine 
shops  of  the  Big  Four  Railroad  at  Linclale,  Ohio,  and  at  the  present  time  is 
employed  in  the  Erie  Railroad  at  Cleveland,  this  state.  The  family  are  Pres- 
byterians in  religious  belief,  and  the  Colonel  is  a  stanch  Republican,  having 
■supported  that  party  since  attaining  his  majority.  Since  1846  he  has  been  a 
valued  and  loyal  representative  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  having  joined  the 
order  at  Chatham  Four  Corners,  Xew  York.  He  now  belongs  to  the  blue 
lodge,  chapter,  council  and  commandery,  and  has  attained  the  Thirty-second 
degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite.  He  passed  all  the  chairs  in  the  subordinate  lodge 
and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  Galion  Lodge,  No.  414,  F.  &  A.  M.  He 
also  belongs  to  the  Grand  Arm}-  of  the  Republic,  and  in  1884  served  as  com- 
mander of  the  post  in  this  place.  His  life  has  been  open  to  his  fellow  citizens, 
and  no  suspicion  of  any  doubtful  practice  in  business  has  ever  been  attached 
to  it.  It  has  been  clean  in  every  way,  and  his  influence  has  ever  been  for 
what  is  honest,  for  everything  that  is  elevating,  for  everything'  that  con- 
serves the  interests  of  the  city,  for  everything  that  is  sound  in  finance,  for 
■everything  that  is  true  and  everything  that  is  right. 

JACOB  H.  PETRI. 

For  more  than  a  quarter  of  century  Jacob  Henry  Petri  has  been  num- 
bered among  the  merchants  of  Galion  and  is  to-day  the  leading  dealer  in 
men's  furnishing  goods  and  clothing.  He  also  conducts  a  general  merchant 
tailoring  establisment,  and  through  the  long  period  of  his  association  with 
•commercial  interests  in  the  city  he  has  enjoyed  a  large  and  constantly  increas- 
ing patronage.  A  native  of  Germany,  he  was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (  Yeater)  Petri,  the  former  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation. In  the  year  1866  the  subject  of  this  review  bade  adieu  to  the  father- 
land, and,  with  a  determination  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  new  world,  crossed 
the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States.  He  had  pursued  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Germany,  but  aside  from  his  education  had  little  to  aid  him  in 
•starting  nut  in  life  on  his  own  account. 

Ohio  became  the  scene  of  his  labors,  and  he  took  up  his  abode  in  the 
city  of  Akron,  whence  he  came  to  Galion  in  1872.  Here  for  two  and  a  half 
years  he  was  employed  as  a  cutter  in  a  merchant  tailoring  establishment  and 


396  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

then,  with  the  capital  he  had  acquired  through  his  industry  and  economy  in 
former  years,  he  began  business  on  his  own  account,  opening-  a  merchant 
tailoring  establishment.  Success  crowned  his  efforts  and  in  about  three 
years  he  increased  his  business  by  adding  a  line  of  ready-made  clothing, 
hats  and  caps;  and  so  successfully  has  been  his  adventure  that  to-day  he  has 
one  of  the  finest  and  best  stocked  gents'  furnishing  stores  in  Gabon.  As  the 
years  have  passed  he  has  enjoyed  an  excellent  trade,  for  his  workmanship 
in  the  one  department  is  reliable  and  the  line  of  ready-made  clothing  which 
he  carries  is  just  what  it  is  represented  to  be.  His  business  methods  are  in 
harmony  with  the  strictest  ethics  of  commercial  life,  and  his  well  known 
honesty  and  fair  dealing  have  gained  for  him  a  liberal  share  of  the  public 
patronage. 

Mr.  Petri  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  B.  Byrider,  of  Akron,. 
Ohio,  and  unto  them  have  been  born  the  following  named :  Edward  \Y '., 
who  is  engaged  in  business  with  his  father;  Otto  G.,  who  is  also  in  the  store; 
Laura,  Estella  and  Florence,  who  are  at  home.  Mr.  Petri  is  a  valued  and 
consistent  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  of  Gabon,  in  which  he  has 
served  as  trustee  through  the  past  twenty  years. 

He  takes  quite  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  doing  all  in  his  power  to 
promote  the  substantial  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  community.  For 
four  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  city  council  and  for  six  years  was  trustee 
of  Polk  township,  while  for  three  years  he  occupied  a  position  on  the  board 
of  equalization.  In  1901  he  received  the  nomination  for  county  commis- 
sioner on  the  Democratic  ticket.  In  the  positions  which  he  has  filled  his  fidel- 
ity to  duty  has  been  most  marked  and  commendable  and  has  been  the  salient 
feature  which  has  caused  his  retention  in  office.  He  is  public  spirited  in  an 
eminent  degree :  national  progress  and  local  advancement  are  causes  both 
dear  to  the  heart  of  this  adopted  and  thoroughly  loyal  son  of  the  republic. 
His  devotion  to  the  country  is  above  question,  and  no  native  son  of  America 
is  more  true  to  her  institutions  or  more  faithful  to  his  duties  of  citizenship. 

WILLIAM  LINN. 

It  is  generally  conceded  that  the  state  of  Ohio  has  a  type  of  citizenship 
which  is  not  surpassed  by  that  of  any  other  state  in  the  Union.  From  its 
farming  communities  have  come  men  of  world-wide  fame.  Crawford  county 
is  particularly  favored  and  among  the  representatives  of  old  and  honored^ 
families  is  William  Linn,  whose  ancestors  were  among  the  early  settlers. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  397 

William  Linn  was  born  in  Holmes  township,  Crawford  county,  on  July 
ly,  1835,  a  son  of  William  and  Sophia  (Veivle)  Linn,  who  reared  a  family 
of  eight  children,  four  of  whom  still  survive,  these  being :  William,  of  this 
sketch ;  Caroline,  the  wife  of  Augustus  Cronenbaugh,  of  Ada,  Ohio ;  Julia,  the 
wife  of  Louis  Holker,  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri;  and  Louis,  of  Williams 
count)',  Ohio.  The  father  and  mother  were  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  and 
married  there,  where  two  children  were  born.  In  the  spring  of  1834  they 
emigrated  to  America,  landing  in  Xew  York  City,  after  a  voyage  of  thirty-five 
days,  and  coming  then  to  Ohio,  spending  six  months  in  Massillon,  where  Mr. 
Linn  worked  at  his  trade  of  shoemaker.  The}'  then  came  to  Crawford  county 
and  settled  on  thirty  acres  of  land,  nearly  all  of  which  was  covered  with 
timber,  on  the  Sandusky  pike  road,  in  Holmes  township.  Mr.  Linn  im- 
mediately set  to  work  clearing'  his  land  and  built  a  log  cabin  and  settled  down 
to  hard  and  laborious  work.  Later  he  purchased  eighty  acres,  which  is  now 
owned  by  our  subject,  and  an  additional  eighty  acres,  which  is  now  the  prop- 
erty of  Henry  Leimenstoll.  The  father  lived  and  died  on  the  thirty-acre  farm, 
on  March  30,  1895,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one  years.  His  political 
choice  of  party  had  been  that  of  Democracy.  A  faithful  member  of  the 
German  Lutheran  church,  he  was  valued  for  his  man}-  excellent  qualities. 

Our  subject  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  found  much  to  do  while  still  a 
lad.  His  school  facilities  were  limited,  but  his  natural  ability  enabled  him  to 
learn  quickly  when  he  had  the  oportunity.  In  1856  he  married  Miss  Leah 
Fralick,  a  native  of  Holmes  township,  in  this  county,  the  daughter  of  Jacob 
Pralick,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  count}".  Then  Mr.  Linn  located  on 
his  present  home  farm,  which  was  covered  with  timber  except  some  fifteen 
acres,  upon  which  was  erected  a  log  cabin.  Game  was  plentiful,  squirrels,  wild 
pigeons  and  wild  turkeys  were  abundant.  Mr.  Linn  set  about  industriously  to 
clear  his  land  and  paid  his  father  a  stipulated  sum  yearly  up  to  the  time  of 
his  death.  A  number  of  additions  have  been  made  to  the  original  tract,  and 
now  Mr.  Linn  owns  five  hundred  acres  of  some  of  the  very  choicest  land  in 
Crawford  county. 

A  family  of  seven  children,  two  boys  and  five  girls,  blessed  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Linn,  these  being:  Washington  G.,  a  farmer  of  this  township; 
Lafayette,  a  farmer  of  this  township;  Allie  J.,  the  wife  of  T.  W.  James,  of 
Holmes  township  :  Lucy  A.,  the  wife  of  Charles  S.  Sp<  ire,  of  I  [<  >lmes  township  ; 
Melissa,  at  home;  Laura  J.,  the  wife  of  George  Heilerman,  of  Marion  county  ; 
and  Clara  D.,  the  wife  of  Welmer  Sawyer,  a  manufacturer  of  soft  drinks  in 
Bucyrus,  Ohio. 


39^  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Mr.  Linn  is  a  stanch  Republican,  although  he  was  born  and  bred  a  Dem- 
ocrat. Slavery  in  the  old  party  caused  him  to  join  the  Republicans.  For  many 
years  he  has  been  a  consistent  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  men  of  the  county. 

DANIEL  BABST. 

Daniel  Babst  was  born  at  Elkirch,  a  little  village  near  Strasburg,  France, 
.March  n.  1810.  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  reached  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-three  years,  one  month  and  nine  days.  His  father,  Jacob  Babst.  was 
an  officer  in  the  French  army,  holding  a  commission  from  Napoleon  I.  His 
mother  was  of  a  wealthy  and  distinguished  family  of  Great  Hoffstaater,  near 
the  city  of  Berne,  Switzerland.  Her  father  was  one  of  two  staatsrather  rep- 
resenting the  canton  of  Berne  in  the  stamde-rath  of  Switzerland,  an  elective 
body  corresponding  to  our  United  States  senate. 

The  youth  of  Daniel  Babst  was  passed  amid  the  stirring  events  following 
the  time  of  Napoleon  I,  a  vivid  impression  of  which  he  ever  retained,  especially 
the  return  of  Napoleon's  straggling  army  from  Waterloo.  His  home  being 
broken  up  by  the  death  of  his  mother  he  resolved  to  come  to  America,  and 
landed  in  New  York  city  in  the  summer  of  1832.  Some  years  later  he  was 
followed  by  the  members  of  his  immediate  family.  In  his  later  years  he  was 
fond  of  relating  to  his  grandchildren  his  hunting"  experiences  on  the  present 
site  of  Central  Park;  Hoboken,  New  York's  populous  suburb,  comprising  only 
truck  farms.  During  his  three  years'  residence  in  the  city  he  was  a  frequent 
witness  of  the  heartless  persecution  of  the  embryo  Abolition  Association,  a  fact 
which  accounts  for  his  subsequent  anti-slavery  activity.  In  1835  he  removed 
to  Massillon,  and  from  there  to  Canal  Fulton,  one  of  the  most  considerable 
towns  on  the  Ohio  canal,  then  the  only  direct  connection  between  the  lakes  and 
the  Ohio  river.  At  Canal  Fulton  he  was  married  to  Margaret  Yost  in  1841, 
which  union  was  blessed  by  seven  children,  five  of  whom,  and  the  aged 
mother,  survive  him;  the  children  being  Mrs.  C.  F.  Frank,  Jacob  Babst  and 
Daniel  Babst,  Jr.,  of  this  city,  Mrs.  William  Ritter,  of  Mansfield,  and  Thomas 
P.  Babst,  of  Topeka,  Kansas. 

Previous  to  his  removal  to  Crestline,  he  made  an  extended  prospecting 
tour  through  the  west  and  northwest,  spending  several  days  at  the  present  site 
of  Chicago,  then  a  mere  hamlet,  presenting  no  very  attractive  inducements  to 
a  prospective  citizen.  Crestline  was  one  of  the  most  important  railroad  towns 
in  the  State  and  presented  advantages  to  Mr.  Babst.  which  resulted  in  his  re- 


<&<su+^0/3c 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  40 1 

moval  here  in  1852,  coming  on  the  first  passenger  train  of  the  old  Pennsyl- 
vania &  Ohio  Railroad,  the  present  Pennsylvania  main  line.  Possessing  con- 
siderable wealth  he  made  extensive  purchases  in  real  estate,  building  and  open- 
ing the  American  House,  the  present  Billow  block.  In  1858  he  built  his  beau- 
tiful home  south  of  town,  where  he  resided  with  his  aged  wife  until  the  time  of 
his  death.  In  1871  he  founded  Babst  Banking  House  with  his  son,  Jacob 
Babst,  cashier.  In  1878  he  retired  from  all  active  business  in  favor  of  his 
s<  us  Jacob  and  Daniel  Babst,  Jr.  In  the  business  life  of  Crestline  there  has 
been  no  important  enterprise  which  has  not  felt  the  influence  of  his  energy  and 
vigorous  business  ability. 

Never  seeking  political  advantage,  he  always  adhered  tio  the  principles 
represented  by  the  Whig  and  later  by  the  Republican  parties,  his  single  polit- 
ical service  being  that  of  delegate  to  the  national  Whig  convention  of  1848. 
His  outspoken  and  strong  convictions  on  the  slavery  controversy  are  matters 
of  local  history  well  known  to  many  of  our  citizens  active  in  those  violent 
times.  In  his  retirement  no  picture  of  family  love  could  be  brighter  than  that 
presented  by  this  aged  couple,  living  in  their  beautiful  home,  surrounded  by 
children  and  grandchildren.  Fifty-two  years  of  constant  companionship  had 
taught  them  the  joys  of  love  and  contentment,  easing  life's  cares  by  the  confi- 
dence of  mutual  steadfastness,  and  to  the  immediate  friends  and  family  the 
fading  outline  of  this  happy  devotion  will  ever  be  of  blessed  memory  and  a 
perpetual  inspiration  to  ndelitv  and  love. 

FRANK  C.  McGAUGHY,  D.  D.  S. 

Among  the  younger  representatives  of  the  dental  fraternity  in  Crawford 
county  is  Dr.  Frank  Cloud  McGaughy,  of  Gallon,  who  has  already  attained 
a  success  which  many  an  older  practitioner  might  well  envy.  He  is  a  native 
of  Chesterville,  Ohio,  and  a  son  of  Hugh  P.  McGaughy,  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  the  state,  who  was  born  at  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  March  24, 
1838.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  William  McGaughy,  of  Gettysburg,  who 
in  pioneer  days  came  with  his  family  to  Ohio,  casting  in  his  lot  with  the 
early  settlers  of  Morrow  county.  Hugh  P.  McGaughy  was  only  fifteen  years 
of  age  at  the  time  of  the  removal.  The  family  located  upon  a  farm,  and  there 
he  was  reared  to  manhood.  After  attaining  his  majority  he  was  joined  in 
wedlock  to  Miss  Hannah  Bonar,  a  native  of  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  and  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Clarissa  (Lewis)  Bonar,  the  latter  of  Knox  county, 
Ohio. 


4Q2  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

The  Doctor  spent  his  youth  in  Chesterville  and  at  the  usual  age  entered 
the  schools  of  that  city,  pursuing  his  studies  there  until  he  had  completed 
the  high-school  course.  Wishing  to-  devote  his  life  to  professional  labors  he 
resolved  to  join  the  dental  fraternity  and  became  a  student  in  the  dental  de- 
partment of  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  in  which  he  was  graduated  with  the 
class  of  1897.  On  the  1st  of  July,  1898,  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Galion, 
where  he  has  since  remained,  and  already  he  has  won  an  enviable  place  among 
the  representatives  of  his  chosen  calling,  having  a  large  patronage,  which  is 
constantly  increasing.  His  methods  are  modern,  his  workmanship  excellent 
and  his  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  the  science  of  dentistry  is  comprehensive 
and  exact.  Socially  the  Doctor  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
lodge.  He  is  a  young  man  of  genial  disposition,  unfailing  courtesy  and  gen- 
uine worth,  and  these  qualities  have  rendered  him  very  popular. 

CHRISTIAN  F.  EISE. 

Christian  Frederick  Eise,  a  well-known  resident  of  Gabon,  was  born  in 
the  city  which  is  still  his  home,  his  natal  day  being  July  30,  1859.  His  parents, 
Frederick  and  Catherine  (Poister)  Eise,  are  both  now  deceased.  The  father 
was  a  railroad  carpenter  and  was  a  well  known  and  highly  respected  citizen 
of  his  community,  giving  special  aid  to  the  work  of  advancement  and  the 
moral  interests  of  his  county.  He  labored  earnestly  in  the  church  and  Sunday- 
school  and  his  life  was  a  potent  influence  for  good.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were 
natives  of  Germany,  becoming  residents  of  Gabon  in  1856.  and  there  remaining 
until  called  to  their  final  rest. 

In  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city  Christian  F.  Eise  pursued  his  edu- 
cation, becoming  familiar  with  both  the  German  and  English  languages.  His 
desire  for  newspaper  work  led  him  to  serve  an  apprenticeship  in  a  newspaper 
office  in  Indianapolis  before  his  graduation  at  school,  which  event  occurred 
in  1874.  Throughout  his  entire  business  career  he  has  been  identified  with 
journalistic  work.  In  1879  he  began  the  publication  of  a  paper  in  West 
Milton,  Ohio.  A  year  later  he  was  appointed  a  historian  of  county  histories 
and  in  1881  he  established  the  Bainbridge  Courier,  at  Bainbridge,  Ohio,  con- 
tinuing as  its  editor  and  publisher  until  188^.  He  was  then  employed  in  the 
government  printing  office  at  Washington,  D.  C,  for  a  year,  and  afterward 
about  eight  years  in  the  office  of  the  Galion  Inquirer.  In  1891  he  estab- 
lished the  Galion  Daily  Leader,  with  which  he  is  still  connected.  This  is  a 
wide-awake  and  enterprising  journal  and  now  has  a  good  circulation,  whicb 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  403 

makes  it  an  excellent  advertising  medium.  It  is  devoted  to  local  interests 
and  to  the  dissemination  of  general  news,  and  is  a  journal  which  would  prove 
creditable  in  almost  any  city.  In  the  year  1887  Mr.  Eise  was  elected  city 
clerk  of  Galion  and  his  faithfulness  and  ability,  as  well  as  the  confidence  re- 
posed in  him  by  his  fellow  men,  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  held  the. 
office  continuously  for  eight  years.  He  also  served  as  health  officer,  has  been 
a  member  of  the  county  election  board  and  has  held  other  important  political 
positions. 

Mr.  Eise  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Zetta  Lois  Norton,  a  resident 
of  Yellow  Springs,  Ohio,  the  wedding  being  celebrated  in  1881.  They  now 
have  one  child,  Florence  Norton,  a  young  lady  of  eighteen  years.  Socially 
Mr.  Eise  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  with  the 
Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics  and  with  the  Daughters  of 
America.  He  is  likewise  connected  with  Galion  Tent,  Knights  of  the  Mac- 
cabees, and  has  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  great  camp.  Both  as  a  public 
citizen  and  as  the  publisher  of  one  of  the  leading  papers  of  the  county  Mr. 
Eise  contributes  in  large  measure  to  the  general  welfare  by  supporting  all 
movements  calculated  to  prove  of  public  benefit. 

JACOB  D.  FIRSTENBERGER. 

Throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  life  Jacob  D.  Firstenberger  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Galion  and  was  long  an  active  and  honorable  factor  in  the  business 
interests  of  the  city.  His  death  occurred  on  the  4th  of  December,  1900,  and 
the  community  thereby  lost  a  valued  resident,  whom  they  had  learned  to  re- 
spect and  honor  for  his  upright  career  and  fidelity  to  principle.  He  was  born 
in  this  city  in  185 1.  and  was  a  son  of  Christopher  Firstenberger,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, who  believing  that  he  might  find  better  opportunities  for  advancement 
in  the  new  world  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Galion.  Here 
in  the  public  schools  our  subject  acquired  his  education,  gaining  a  good  prac- 
tical knowledge  which  served  him  well  in  his  business  career.  His  first 
independent  venture  was  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store  in  Marion,  and  later  he 
was  employed  in  Pittsburg,  but  in  1874  he  returned  to  Galion,  establishing  a 
grocery  store  on  his  own  account  and  successfully  conducting  the  same  until 
his  life's  labors  were  ended.  He  carried  a  carefully  selected  stock  of  staple 
and  fancy  groceries  and  his  business  methods  commended  him  to'  the  public 
patronage.  He  was  fair  in  his  dealings  and  in  his  career  demonstrated  the 
truth  of  the  old  adage  "honesty  is  the  best  policv." 


4o4  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

In  Marion  county,  in  1876,  Air.  Firstenberger  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Lydia  Dutt,  a  native  of  that  county  and  a  daughter  of  Michael  and  Cath- 
erine (  Meily)  Dutt.  Her  father  was  a  grocer  and  took  up  his  abode  in 
Marion  county  at  an  early  day,  coming  to  this  country  from  Germany  in  his 
youth.  Mrs.  Dutt  was  a  daughter  of  William  Meily,  of  Marion,  a  brother 
of  Henry  Meily,  father  of  Mrs.  Senator  Brice  and  Mrs.  General  Or.  Mrs. 
Firstenberger  still  survives  her  husband  and  is  yet  living  in  Galion,  where  she 
has  made  her  borne  since  her  marriage  and  where  she  has  many  warm  friends. 

In  public  affairs  Mr.  Firstenberger  always  took  a  very  active  and  unselfish 
interest,  doing  everything  in  bis  power  to  promote  the  measures  and  move- 
ments which  be  believed  would  prove  of  general  good.  In  politics  be  was  a 
Democrat,  served  as  assessor  for  about  six  years,  was  a  member  of  the  board 
of  equalization  for  three  years,  was  elected  to  the  office  of  trustee  of  Polk 
township  in  1895,  was  re-elected  in  1898,  and  during  the  last  three  years  of 
liis  service  in  that  capacity  he  served  as  the  president  of  the  board.  When 
sixteen  years  of  age  he  was  confirmed  in  the  German  Reformed  church  and 
was  ever  afterward  a  consistent  member.  He  enjoyed  the  uniform  confidence 
and  esteem  of  all  throughout  the  county  by  reason  of  his  irreproachable 
official  career  and  as  a  business  man  and  citizen. 

WILLIAM  H.  SHECKLER. 

William  H.  Sheckler  is  a  well-known  resident  of  Bucyrus,  where  he 
has  served  as  pension  attorney  for  fourteen  years,  while  since  1896  he  has  oc- 
cupied the  position  of  justice  of  the  peace.  He  is  a  native  of  the  city  which 
is  yet  bis  home,  bis  birth  having  occurred  July  13,  1847.  The  family  is  of 
German  lineage,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject  having  been  born  in  Baden, 
Germany,  near  Heidelberg.  Hugh  Sheckler,  the  father,  was  born  in  Bedford 
count)',  Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1818,  and  there  resided  until  1847,  when  he 
came  to  Bucyrus  and  engaged  in  business  as  a  wagon-maker.  He  was  thus 
identified  with  the  industrial  interests  of  the  city  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
later  in  life  be  located  on  a  farm  one  mile  north  of  the  town,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  dairy  business,  meeting  with  creditable  success  in  the  under- 
taking. He  was  a  well-known  and  respected  cutizen,  faithful  to  the  obliga- 
tions of  both  public  and  private  life.  His  death  occurred  in  1888,  when  he 
had  reached  the  psalmist's  span  of  three  score  years  and  ten.  His  wife  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Susan  Cheney  and  was  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
although  her  parents  were  born  in  Holland. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  405 

William  H.  Sheckler  is  indebted  to  the  public  school  system  of  Bucyrus 
for  the  educational  privileges  which  he  enjoyed.  He  was  about  sixteen  years 
of  age  when  he  entered  the  military  service  of  his  country,  enlisting  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1864,  as  a  member  of  Company  E,  Thirty-fourth  Ohio  Infantry 
(known  as  the  First  Ohio  Piatt  Zouaves),  in  which  he  remained  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  West  Virginia, 
and  he  participated  in  the  campaign  of  the  Shenandoah  valley  under  General 
Phil  Sheridan.  January  11,  1865,  he  was  captured,  with  the  balance  of  his 
regiment,  at  Beverly,  West  Virginia,  and  in  Libby  prison  spent  two  months 
and  was  then  exchanged.  When  hostilities  had  ceased  and  the  stars  and 
stripes  were  planted  in  the  capital  of  the  southern  Confederacy  he  returned 
to  his  home  in  Bucyrus,  where  he  has  remained  continuously  since.  For  four- 
teen years  he  has  been  notary  public  and  for  a  similar  period  has  been  pension 
attorney,  representing  the  interests  of  the  soldiers  who  fought  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  Union  and  were  thereby  somewhat  unfitted  for  the  duties  of  a. 
business  career.  In  1896  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  on  the  Republican 
ticket  for  a  term  of  three  years.  In  the  meantime  his  political  views  changed 
and  became  an  adherent  of  the  Democracy,  so  that  in  1899  ne  was  rnade  the 
candidate  of  that  party  for  the  same  office,  in  which  he  was  re-elected.  He 
is  strictly  fair  and  impartial  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  his  decisions  being 
based  upon  the  facts  in  the  case  and  the  law  applicable  thereto.  In  1870  Mr. 
Sheckler  married  Ida  Reed,  who  died  in  1873,  leaving  one  child,  a  daughter, 
Fairy. 

In  1877  Mr.  Sheckler  was  united  in  marriage  to-  Miss  Sarah  Steele,  a 
daughter  of  William  Steele,  who  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  Bucyrus.  She 
died  in  1883,  leaving  no  children.  Air.  Sheckler  holds  membership  in  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Grand  Army  Post,  of  Bu- 
cyrus, in  which  he  is  serving  as  commander.  The  high  esteem  in  which  he  is 
held,  not  only  in  official  circles,  but  among  all  his  acquaintances,  speaks  better 
than  words  can  do  concerning  his  character  as  a  man  and  a  citizen,  one  in 
whom  his  town  and  county  have  a  just  pride. 

G.  W.  BURT. 

G.  W.  Burt,  who  fills  the  important  position  of  station  agent  for  the  Big 
Four  Railroad  Company  at  Gabon,  and  for  the  American  Express  Company, 
has  occupied  these  positions  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  is  a 
native  of  what  at  the  time  of  his  birth  was  Marion  county,  Ohio,  but  is  now 


406  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Morrow  county.  His  father,  Ebenezer  Burt,  took  up  his  abode  in  Marior. 
county  in  1820.  removing  to  Ohio  from  Greene  county,  Pennsylvania.  There 
he  died  when  our  subject  was  only  two  and  a  half  years  of  age,  passing  away 
in  1835.  His  vvife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  Hernard  and  resided  in 
Greene  county,  Pennsylvania. 

During  his  youth,  Air.  Burt  of  this  review,  pursued  his  education  in  the 
public  schools.  He  entered  the  railroad  service  in  1852,  and  has  since  been 
one  of  its  representatives.  In  1855  he  secured  a  situation  as  telegraph  opera- 
tor and  clerk  at  Shelby,  Richland  county,  Ohio,  and  was  there  located  during 
the  period  of  the  Civil  war.  After  various  removals  he  came  to  Gabon  in 
1874  and  has  remained  here  continuously  since,  covering  a  period  of  twenty- 
seven  consecutive  years.  He  is  one  of  the  most  trusted  and  reliable  employes 
of  the  company,  very  careful  and  painstaking  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  and 
loyal  to  the  trusts  reposed  in  him.  Socially  he  is  identified  with  the  Masonic 
Order  and  has  attained  the  Thirty-second  degree  in  the  Scottish  Rite,  belong- 
ing to  Cleveland  Consistory.     In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Republican. 

JOHX  C.  SCHIEBER. 

Among  the  old  and  highly  esteemed  farmers  of  Holmes  township  is  John 
Christian  Schieber,  who  came  here  when  this  locality  was  still  covered  with  its 
native  growth  of  timber.  His  birth  was  in  Germany,  a  country  which  has 
contributed  many  excellent  citizens  to  America,  and  he  was  born  September 
27,  1828.  He  was  a  son  of  Gottleib  and  Alagdalena  (Brosie)  Schieber,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  Y\  urtemberg,  Germany,  in  1794,  and  the  latter 
in  the  same  place,  in  1802.  In  1832,  with  their  rive  children  and  a  large  party 
of  neighbors  and  friends,  they  emigrated  to  the  United  States.  They  had 
some  section  in  the  state  of  Ohio  as  their  destination,  and  came  by  way  of  the 
lakes  as  far  as  Sandusky.  A  former  neighbor  by  the  name  of  Fred  Feichtner 
had  located  some  years  previously  in  Crawford  county,  and  the  Germans  deter- 
mined to  find  him,  if  possible,  and  follow  his  advice  in  the  matter  of  locating 
homes  of  their  own  in  this  county.  With  this  end  in  view,  Gottleib  Schieber, 
with  several  of  his  fellow  emigrants,  left  their  families  in  Sandusky  and  set 
out  on  foot  to  find  their  friend,  although  their  knowledge  of  his  whereabouts 
was  very  vague.  However,  after  a  long  and  wearisome  trip,  they  found  him, 
most  comfortably  located  in  Liberty  township  near  Broken  Sword.  The  ap- 
pearance of  the  surrounding  country  pleased  them,  and  after  a  short  visit  they 
started  back,  on  foot,  as  they  came.     At  Sandusky  they  procured  teams  and 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  407 

brought  their  effects  to  this  locality  and  then  turned  their  industrious  efforts 
to  clearing  and  improving  the  land. 

Mr.  Schieber  bought  a  tract  of  forty  acres  from  J.  Caris.  and  soon  after 
this  he  entered  forty  acres  and  gradually  added  more  until  his  farm  consisted 
of  one  hundred  and  ten  acres.  This  constituted  the  homestead  where  the 
children  were  born  and  where  they  grew,  to  maturity.  The  children  num- 
bered nine  in  all,  their  names  being :  Christopher,  Gottleib,  Fredericka,  Chris- 
tian, Jacob,  Catherine,  John,  Abraham  and  Mary,  the  survivors  being  our 
subject;  Catherine,  the  widow  of  Christian  Brown,  of  Sandusky  township; 
and  Mary,  the  wife  of  Solomon  Shupp,  of  Nebraska.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject died  in  1870,  but  the  mother  survived  until  1893,  when  she  had  reached 
her  ninety-first  year.  In  early  life  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  the  issues  of  the 
Civil  war  made  him  a  Republican,  though  in  his  later  years  he  returned  to  the 
Democratic  part}-.  For  many  years  he  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  was  one  1  »f  the  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  the  county. 

John  Christian  Schieber,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  in  the  pio- 
neer home  and  received  but  few  educational  advantages  because  good  school 
privileges  were  not  obtainable  at  that  time  and  place.  He  possessed  an  abund- 
ance of  natural  intelligence,  was  energetic  and  industrious,  and  by  the  time  he 
had  reached  his  majority  understood  all  of  the  demands  of  an  agricultural  life. 
In  February,  1852,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Leah  Hershberger,  who  was  born 
in  Lancaster  county.  Pennsylvania,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Jacob  Hersh- 
berger, who  came  to  Crawford  count}-  about  1848.  A  family  of  children 
grew  up  around  our  subject  and  wife,  viz. :  Samuel,  of  Oklahoma;  Amanda, 
the  wife  of  Emanuel  Haller,  of  this  township;  Jacob,  of  this  township;  Jo- 
seph, of  Chicago,  Illinois;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Mack,  of  this 
township;  Matilda,  at  home;  Charles,  the  farmer  on  the  home  farm;  and  Ida, 
at  home. 

After  marriage  our  subject  settled  on  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  located  in 
Liberty  township,  which  he  purchased  of  his  father,  and  here  he  erected  a 
hewed-log  house  and  a  round-log  barn,  some  six  years  later  replacing  the  lat- 
ter with  a  substantial  frame  barn.  This  land  was  all  heavily  covered  with  a 
native  growth  of  timber  with  the  exception  of  nine  acres,  and  it  required  four- 
teen years  of  industry  to  redeem  the  whole  tract  from  the  forest.  In  1866 
our  subject  sold  this  farm  and  purchased  the  farm  which  he  now  occupies. 
At  one  time  he  owned  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  but  has  retained  but 
one  hundred  and  sixty,  which  is  admirably  managed  by  his  son  Charles. 

In  politics  Mr.  Schieber  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party  and  one  of 


4o8  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  leading  members  of  the  Methodist  church,  to  which  his  estimable  wife  also 
belongs.  During  his  long  life  in  the  township  he  has  seen  many  changes  and 
has  done  his  share  in  the  development  of  the  county,  and  now  enjoys  the 
esteem  of  the  whole  community. 

CHARLES  E.  KIMERLINE. 

The  medical  profession  is  ably  represented  in  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
and  one  of  the  best  known  members  there  is  Charles  Edward  Kimerline,  of 
Lykens  village,  who  as  a  physician  of  wide  and  accurate  knowledge  has  won 
an  enviable  professional  success  and  stands  deservedly  high  in  the  esteem  of 
his  fellow  citizens. 

Charles  E.  Kimerline,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  New  Washington.  Ohio,  July 
4,  1S71.  a  son  of  Lewis  J.  Kimerline.  a  well  known  citizen  of  that  town.  He 
was  graduated  at  the  public  schools  of  New  Washington,  in  1889,  and  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  bachelor  of  science  at  the  Ohio  Normal  University,  in 
1892.  From  1893  to  1896,  he  was  a  student  in  the  medical  department  of  the 
Western  Reserve  University.  After  his  graduation  from  that  institution  with 
the  degree  of  medical  doctor,  he  located  at  Lykens  village,  where  he  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  to  which  he  has  since  given  his  undivided 
attention.  He  has  became  favorably  known  throughout  the  surrounding 
country  and  has  a  satisfactory  and  constantly  increasing  practice.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat  and  wields  a  recognized  influence  in  local  affairs,  but  he  is 
not  an  office-seeker  nor  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term  a  practical  politician, 
but  his  public  spirit  is  such  that  he  is  a  useful  and  helpful  citizen  ready  at  all 
times  to  further  all  worthy  objects.  He  was  married  June  24,  1897,  to  Miss 
Fairy  Scott  and  the)-  have  a  daughter  whom  they  have  named  Mary  Scott. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church. 

C.  P.  FRANK. 

Among  the  representatives  of  railroad  interests  residing  in  Crestline  is 
Mr.  Frank,  who  occupies  the  position  of  foreman  of  the  copper  shops  for  the 
Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad  Company.  He  was  born  in 
Butler  county,  Pennsylvania,  January  21,  1839.  His  father.  John  G.  Frank, 
was  a  native  of  Muelhausen.  Germany,  was  there  reared  and  learned  the  tan- 
ner's trade.  In  1835  he  came  to  America,  locating  in  Butler  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, at  the  little  town  of  Saxonburg,  where  he  carried  on  tanning  and 


<?<§. 


Ax)" 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  411 

farming.  There  he  died  in  1870,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  1800.  He  was  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  and  a 
man  of  the  highest  respectability.  He  wedded  Mary  Schneider,  also  a  native 
of  the  fatherland.  She  had  previously  been  married  and  was  the  widow  of 
Carl  Haulm.  By  her  first  husband  she  had  five  children,  and  by  the  second 
marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  five  children. 

C.  P.  Frank,  the  eldest  son  and  the  second  number  of  the  family,  was 
reared  in  his  native  county  until  seventeen  years  of  age  and  acquired  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools,  which  he  attended  for  about  three  months  each 
year.  When  a  youth  of  seventeen  he  began  learning  the  coppersmith's  trade 
at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  serving  an  apprenticeship  of  four  years,  after 
which  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  firm  of  Prior,  Harbeck  &  Company,  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  .where  he  continued  for  nine  months.  On  the  expiration  of 
that  period  he  went  to  Galion,  becoming  an  employe  of  the  old  Bee  Line  Com- 
pany, with  which  he  continued  for  four  years.  The  year  1863  witnessed  his 
arrival  in  Crestline,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  Here  he  engaged 
with  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad,  working  at  his  trade  as  a 
journeyman.  The  business  at  that  time  was  small  but  has  continually  in- 
creased in  volume  and  importance,  and  he  has  remained  steadily  with  the  com- 
pany in  the  position  which  he  now  occupies  with  the  exception  of  one  year 
when  he  was  granted  a  leave  of  absence.  Pie  has  been  foreman  of  the  com- 
pany for  thirty-six  years  and  is  one  of  its  oldest  and  most  reliable  employes, 
carefully  superintending  the  department  of  which  he  has  charge,  the  work- 
manship being  of  a  high  grade. 

On  the  4th  of  February,  1862,  Air.  Frank  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Fllen  A.  Keen,  a  native  of  Germany,  but  when  three  years  of  age  was  brought 
to  America  by  her  parents,  the  family  locating  in  Crawford  count}-,  where  they 
were  early  settlers  There  her  girlhood  days  were  passed  and  the  common 
schools  afforded  her  her  educational  privileges.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank 
have  been  born  six  children:  John  E.,  who  resides  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Jefferson 
county.  Ohio,  is  agent  for  the  Lake  Erie  &  Western  Railroad  Company;  Mary 
M.  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  I.  \\".  Larkworthy,  of  Ottawa,  Ohio;  Willard  A.  is  a 
machinist  employed  by  the  Erie  Company  at  Galion;  and  Frederick  G.  is  with, 
his  father,  working  at  the  trade  of  coppersmith.  Nellie  C.  and  Alice  J.,  two 
daughters  of  the  family,  died  in  earlv  childhood.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Frank  is  an  earnest  Republican,  giving  an  unfaltering  support  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  his  party.  Fraternally  he  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  Order  and 
for  a  number  of  years  has  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
22 


4i2  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

lows.  He  and  his  family  belong  to  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  has 
long  been  a  trustee.  Faithful  to  duty  and  the  trusts  reposed  in  him  in  busi- 
ness life,  he  is  also  recognized  as  a  public  spirited  citizen  and  a  man  of  true 
worth  of  character. 

WILLIAM   HOOD   CRITZER. 

.Mam-  people  give  music  the  highest  rank  among  the  fine  arts.  It  has  not 
the  limitations  of  sculpturing  or  painting,  it  is  not  bounded  by  form,  color  or 
:size,  and  therefore  leaves  much  greater  play  to  the  imagination.  It  reaches 
man  only  through  the  sense  of  hearing  aiM  exercises  over  him  an  intangible 
power  the  more  strongly  felt  because  indescribable.  From  the  remotest  ages 
it  has  administered  to  man  pleasure,  has  given  enthusiasm  to  the  soldier  on 
the  field  of  battle,  brought  comfort  to  the  sorrowing  and  heightened  the  happi- 
ness of  the  joyful.  It  appeals  to  and  touches  all  classes  of  people  as  no-  other 
art  does,  and.  in  fact,  is  the  only  universal  language.  The  musical  taste  and 
culture  of  Crawford  county  has  largely  been  promoted  through  the  efforts  of 
Professor  William  Hood  Critzer,  who  is  director  of  music  in  the  public  schools 
of  Gabon,  Mount  Gilead  and  Crestline,  having  thus  been  connected  with  the 
•esthetic  education  of  three  towns  since  1891. 

Professor  Critzer  is  numbered  among  Ohio's  native  sons,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Pike  township,  Fulton  county,  in  1857.  and  his  parents  being 
William  and  Amelia  (  Mathews)  Critzer.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Fred- 
crick,  Maryland,  being  born  July  17,  1810;  the  mother,  of  Wheeling,  West 
Virginia,  was  born  August  4,  1824.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was 
Jaci  b  Critzer,  who  was  born  in  Maryland,  October  10,  1780.  He  was  a 
stone-mas<  m  and  followed  contracting  throughout  his  life.  He  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  Beckenbough,  October  9,  1803.  His  good  wife  died  August 
20,  1821.  and  he  passed  away  January  20,  1831.  On  the  maternal  side  Mr. 
Critzer*s  ancestry  can  be  traced  back  to  Charles  Hood,  his  great-grandfather, 
who  erected  the  first  of  the  Ellicot  mills  in  Maryland  just  after  the  close  of 
the  Revolution  and  was  a  very  prominent  factor  in  the  substantial  upbuilding 
of  that  portion  of  the  state.  The  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Elzc 
Mathews,  was  a.  resident  of  West  Virginia,  but  at  an  early  day  came  to  Ohio, 
locating  in  Franklin  county,  near  Columbus.  He  brought  with  him  his  slaves 
whom  he  had  owned  in  the  south,  and  here  gave  them  their  freedom.  The 
father  of  our  subject  was  reared  at  Frederick,  Maryland,  and  earlv  in  life 
began   teaching  school,  which  he  followed   for  several   rears,   and  after  his 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  413 

marriage,  accompanied  by  his  young  bride,  emigrated  to  Fulton  county,  Ohio, 
where  they  shared  the  trials  and  hardships  of  frontier  life.  Here  he  cleared 
his  land  and  followed  farming  for  many  years,  when  eventually  he  sold  his 
farm  and  moved  to  Delta,  Fulton  county,  where  he  engaged  in  the  milling 
business  as  buyer  and  seller  of  grains.  While  here  he  was  elected  mayor,  and 
had  the  honor  of  being  the  first  mayor  of  Delta.  Subsequently  he  removed 
to  Ai,  Fulton  county,  where  he  purchased  a  drug  store,  which  he  successfully 
conducted  throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  October  29,  1874.  In 
his  political  views  he  was  a  Republican. 

Professor  Critzer's  love  of  music  was  early  manifest.     From  his  boyhood 
he  displayed  exceptional  fondness  for  the  art,  and  when  a  youth  of  twelve, 
after  much  coaxing,  he  persuaded  his  father  to  buy  him  a  flute,  which  he 
learned  to  play  unaided.     When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  began  his  preliminary 
training  in  vocal  culture,  under  the  direction  of  W.  H.  Leibe,  of  Kansas  City, 
Missouri,  and  afterward  studied  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  George  A.  Veazie,  of 
Chelsea,  Massachusetts,  and  his  later  preceptors  were  James  M.  McLaughlin,  of 
Boston,  and  Dr.  Lowell  Mason,  of  the  same  city.     He  completed  his  studies 
in  the  Detroit  Conservatory,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1890.     He  had  made 
possible  the  continuation  of  his  musical  education  through  the  work  which  he 
had  done  as  a  teacher.     .He  was  conductor  of  music  in  the  Northwestern  Nor- 
mal Collegiate  Institute,  in  Wauseon,  Ohio,  in  1887,  but  previous  to  this  time 
he  spent  from  1885  to  1887  as  musical  director  in  the  Fayette  Normal  Music 
and  Business  College.     He  gave  private  instructions  as  opportunity  offered, 
and  while  in  Detroit  he  conducted  the  St.  George's  boy  choir  and" was  pre- 
ceptor in  the  Central  Methodist  Episcopal  Sabbath-school.      In   1891   he  ac- 
cepted the  position  of  musical  director  in  the  public  schools  of  Galion,  Mount 
Gilead  and  Crestline.     In  the  first  named  he  has  charge  of  four  school  build- 
ings, giving  instruction  to  the  pupils  of  the  various  departments  ten  days  each 
month.     He  spends  four  days  in  Mount  Gilead  and  four  days  in  Crestline, 
and  under  his  leadership  the  schools  have  made  rapid  and  commendable  ad- 
vancement in  music,  the  high  school  of  Galion  having  a  reputation  unexcelled 
by  any  similar  institution  in  the  state.     Professor  Critzer  is  also  choir  master 
of  four  choirs,  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  the  German  Reformed 
church,  the  English  Lutheran  church  and  the  United  Brethren  church.     He  is 
also  conductor  of  the  Galion  Choral  Society,    of    seventy-five    voices.     The 
work  undertaken  by  the  high  school  of  Galion  is  of  a  very  high  and  classical 
order.     In  the  year  1900  they  gave  a  rendition  of  Haydn's  '•Creation,"  with 


4i4  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

two  hundred  voices,  assisted  by  the  Choral  Society,  and  in  1901  they  gave  a 
most  excellent  production  «  I  Handel's  "Messiah." 

Professor  Critzer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Cora  M.  Nobbs,  of 
Fulton  county,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Ann  (  Fetterman )  Nobbs,  her  parents 
being  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Fulton  county,  coming  from  England  to 
this  state.  The  Professor  and  his  wife  now  have  rive  children, — Edna,  Ruth. 
Walter  Eugene,  Paul  and  Marjorie  .May.  The  family  is  one  of  prominence 
in  the  community,  occupying  a  leading  position  in  social  circles,  where  culture 
and  intelligence  are  received  as  the  passport  into  good  society.  The  Professor 
is  a  member  of  Masonic  Lodge  Xo.  414,  in  Gabon,  the  Order  of  Foresters  and 
the  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur.  His  influence  in  the  two  cities  of  Crawford  county 
and  the  county  seat  of  Morrow  county  with  which  he  is  connected  is  incal- 
culable, but  is  certainly  very  far-reaching  and  very  beneficial.  To  no  other 
citizen  is  the  advancement  of  musical  taste  so  justly  accredited,  and  through 
his  dissemination  of  the  knowledge  of  the  art  he  has  added  greatly  to  the 
enjoyment  and  happiness  which  should  form  no  small  part  of  life. 

R.  C.  TRACFIT. 

Among  the  leading  attorneys  of  Gabon  is  R.  C.  .Tracht,  who,  though  a 
young  man,  has  gained  distincti<  n  as  a  member  of  the  bar  by  reason  ot  quali- 
fications that  always  insure  success.  Endowed  by  nature  with  strong  men- 
tality and  developing  his  powers  through  study  and  close  application,  he  is 
now  occupying  a  position  in  the  legal  fraternity  that  many  an  older  lawyer 
might  well  envy. 

He  is  numbered  among  the  native  sons  of  Crawford  county,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Jefferson  township  in  1866.  He  is  of  German-English 
lineage,  and  his  family  is  one  of  a  group  of  pioneers  who  have  made  Crawford 
one  of  the  foremost  counties  in  the  great  northwest.  In  his  boyhood  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools  in  his  native  township  and  later  became  a  student  in 
the  Roanoke  Seminary,  in  Roanoke,  Indiana,  his  studies  there  being  supple- 
mented bv  a  course  in  the  United  Brethren  Normal  Academy  at  Fostoria, 
Ohio.  In  1883  he  began  teaching  school,  and  for  five  years  successfully  fol- 
lowed that  profession,  being  recognized  as  a  teacher  of  exceptional  ability. 
In  the  fall  of  1888  he  matriculated  in  the  Ohio  Norma]  University  at  Ada, 
Ohio,  where  he  was  graduated  in  July,  1892,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts.  On  the  7th  of  December,  [893,  lie  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  and  his 
pr<  gress  has  been  marked  and  rapid  in  his  professional  career.     Fie  is  a  stu- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  415 

dent,  earnest  and  discriminating,  and  his  knowledge  of  legal  principles  is  pro- 
found and  comprehensive.  Thorough  preparation  well  tits  him  for  the  con- 
tests of  the  courtroom,  where  he  has  won  many  victories  for  his  clients.  A 
careful  and  conscientious  counselor  and  an  able  advocate,  he  holds  his  pro- 
fessional integrity  as  a  sacred  trust. 

Mr.  Tracht  was  married  to  Miss  Myrtle  Gledhill,  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
Gledhill,  of  Jefferson  township.  Our  suhject  and  his  wife  hold  membership 
in  the  English  Lutheran  church,  and  in  his  political  views  he  is  a  stalwart 
Democrat.  He  possesses  exceptional  oratorical  ability  and  power,  and 
through  the  past  live  years  has  delivered  many  political  addresses  which  in 
their  effective  eloquence  have  wrought  good  for  the  party.  He  has  been  hon- 
ored with  a  number  of  local  offices,  and  in  1898  he  was  a  prominent  candidate 
for  nomination  for  prosecuting  attorney,  but  was  defeated  by  a  small  vote. 
His  education  and  his  success  are  due  to  his  own  efforts.  His  own  labor  pro- 
vided him  with  the  means  of  continuing  his  more  advanced  study,  and  since 
entering  upon  his  professional  career  his  thorough  understanding  of  legal 
principles,  combined  with  the  utmost  fidelity  to  his  clients'  interest,  have 
insured  him  continued  advancement. 

charles  w.  Mccracken. 

The  name  of  McCracken  has  been  so  long  closely  connected  with  the 
history  of  Crawford  county  that  representatives  of  the  family  need  no  special 
introduction  to  the  readers  of  this  volume.  James  McCracken,  the  father  of 
him  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  the  first  mayor  of  Bucvrus.  and 
through  many  years  took  a  leading  part  in  the  work  of  public  progress  along 
the  lines  of  material,  intellectual  and  moral  advancement. 

He  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  16.  1800.  a 
son  of  James  and  Rachel  (  Kelly)  McCracken,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Ireland.  After  arriving  at  man's  estate  the  former  came  to  the  new  world, 
the  date  of  his  emigration  being  about  1790.  The  Kellys,  however,  came  to 
the  United  States  before  the  Revolution,  and  the  great-grandfather  of  our 
subject  served  as  a  quartermaster  in  the  American  army  during  the  struggle 
for  independence.  Being  captured,  he  was  placed  on  an  English  prison  ship 
in  Xew  York  harbor,  where  he  was  incarcerated  for  some  time.  James  Mc- 
Cracken, Sr.,  located  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  upon  a  farm 
seven  miles  from  Greensburg.  He  was  married  in  that  state  to  Miss  Kelly, 
and  in  1807  removed  to  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  where  he  made  his  home 


416  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

for  about  nine  years.  In  1816  lie  went  to  Wayne  county,  taking  up  his  abode 
near  Wooster.  In  that  year  his  wife  was  drowned  in  Killbuck  creek.  The 
children  of  their  family  were:  James,  the  father  of  our  subject;  Thomas  and 
Nathaniel,  who  lived  and  died  in  Columbiana  county;  John,  who  became  a 
resident  of  Crawford  county;  Mrs.  John  Moderwell,  who  died  in  Crawford 
county,  where  her  husband  served  as  sheriff;  Mrs.  Josiah  Scott,  who  also  died 
in  this  county  and  whose  husband  was  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  Ohio 
and  for  twenty  years  practiced  law  in  Bucyrus  and  in  Hamilton ;  and  Mrs. 
Hattie  Adair,  of  Wayne  county,  Ohio. 

James  McCracken,  the  father  of  our  subject,  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  removal  to  this  state,  residing  first  in  Columbiana    and    afterward  in 
Wayne  county.     From  Wooster,  Ohio,  he  came  to  Bucyrus,  in  1825.     He  was 
a  wheelwright  by  trade,  and  for  some  years  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
spinning-wheels  at  this  place.     A  recognized  leader  in  public  thought  and  ac- 
tion, he  took  a  very  prominent  part  in  public  affairs  and  had  marked  influence 
in  shaping  the  policy  of  the  county  and  promoting  its  interests.     On  the  in- 
corporation of  Bucyrus,  in  1832,  he  was  elected  its  mayor.     For  many  years 
he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  discharging  his  duties  in  a  strictly  fair  and 
impartial  manner,  and  from  1840  until   1844  he  served  as  postmaster  of  the 
county  seat.     He  married   Miss   Ruth   Marquis,   a  daughter  of  William  V. 
Marquis,  who  came  to  Crawford  county  in  1829,  settling  on  a  farm  two  miles 
south  of  Bucyrus.     Her  mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Park  and  was 
a  native  of  Washington  county.  Pennsylvania.     Her  father  was  killed  by  the 
Indians    soon    after    the    close    of    the    Revolutionary  war.     From  Belmont 
county,  Ohio,  the  Marquis  family  came  to  Crawford  county,  but  the  father  of 
Mrs.   McCracken  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  Winchester,  where  his 
people  lived  during  the  Revolutionary  days.     The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McCracken  was  blessed  with  eight  children,  who  attained  to  years  of  matur- 
ity.    Portia  A.,  the  eldest,  died  in  Bucyrus.     William  V.,  who  married  Juliet 
Mason,  of  Tiffin,  Ohio,  died  in  New  York  City.      He  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  war,  serving  as  captain  of  a  company  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
third  Ohio  Infantry  and  remaining  at  the  front  for  two  and  a  half  years. 
Joseph  Kelly,  who  was  orderly  sergeant  in   the  Eighty-sixth   Regiment   of 
Ohio  Volunteers,  married  Miss  Ella  A.  Davis  and  is  living  in  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana.     Alexander  McBride,  a  resident  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,   married 
Miss  Augusta  F.  Van  Fleet,  of  Pennsylvania.     Augusta  N.  is  librarian  of 
the  Memorial  Library,  of  Bucyrus.     Harvey  Marquis,  who  married  Cather- 
ine Freeman,  of  Fort  Wrayne,  Indiana,  is  now  living  in  Louisville,  Kentucky. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  417- 

Charles  W.,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  is  yet  a  resident  of  Bucyrus.  The 
children  were  all  educated  in  the  schools  of  this  city.  The  sons  are  mostly 
connected  with  railway  business,  and  in  politics  are  Republicans.  The  father 
of  the  family  died  in  Bucyrus  in  1875.  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  and  in 
his  death  the  community  lost  one  of  its  most  valued  and  reliable  citizens 

Charles  Wallace  McCracken,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  is  a 
civil  engineer,  and  has  followed  his  profession  all  over  the  county.  His 
marked  skill  and  ability  in  that  line  and  his  efficiency  have  won  him  a  liberal 
patronage.  From  1886  until  1890  he  was  state  canal  commissioner,  having 
been  appointed  to  that  office  by  Governor  Bushnell. 

E.  M.  FREESE. 

The  subject  of  this  notice,  the  senior  member  of  E.  M.  Freese  &  Com- 
pany, manufacturers  of  clay-working  machinery  and  appliances  at  Galion, 
Ohio,  was  born  in  Medina  county,  this  state,  September  23,  1845,  a  son  °* 
Harlow  and  Almira  (Morton)  Freese,  the  former  a  native  of  Lee,  Massachu- 
setts, and  the  latter  of  Pittsfield,  that  state.  Harlow  Freese  was  a  son  of  B. 
W.  and  Clarrissa  (Beaumont)  Freese,  who  removed  from  Lee,  Massachu- 
setts, when  Harlow  was  eight  years  of  age,  in  1818,  and  located  in  Brunswick, 
Medina  county,  Ohio,  becoming  the  owner  of  about  one  thousand  acres  of  land, 
then  an  unbroken  wilderness,  and  engaged  extensively  in  farming. 

Harlow  Freese  grew  to  manhood  in  Brunswick  and  there  married  Almira 
Morton,  continuing  his  residence  there  during  his  life  and  following  the 
occupation  of  a  farmer,  and  was  an  exemplary  man  and  an  estimable  citizen. 
To  Harlow  and  Almira  (Morton)  Freese  were  born  two  children  (sons),  E.. 
M.  and  M.  L.  Freese.  The  last  mentioned  died  about  twenty  years  ag<  k 
Harlow  Freese  died  in  1890,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  and  Almira,  his  wife, 
in  1887,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 

E.  M.  Freese  obtained  a  practical  education  in  the  public  schools  near  his 
home.  Early  in  life  he  developed  a  decided  love  of  mechanics,  and  following 
his  inclinations  he  became,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  a  machinist's  apprentice  at  the 
works  of  Turner  Parks  &  Company,  manufacturers  of  grain-cleaning  and 
sewer-pipe  machinery  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio,  where  during  the  succeeding 
four  years  he  gained  much  proficiency  in  mechanical  work.  He  then  entered 
the  shops  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  at  Crestline.  Ohio,  where 
he  was  employed  until  1881.  Here,  by  the  exercise  of  industry  and  economy. 
he  accumulated  the  means  with  which  to  engage  in  a  small  way  in  the  nianu- 


418  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

facture  of  clay-working  machinery  at  Plymouth,  Ohio.  Beginning  with  two 
partners,  he  successively  purchased  the  interests  of  each  and  became  sole  owner 
of  the  business  in  i  890,  and  has  continued  the  same  up  to  the  present  time.  By 
the  advantage  of  natural  mechanical  genius  and  persistent  and  industrious 
effort,  he  was  able  to  greatly  improve  the  machinery  used  for  the  manufacture 
of  building,  street-paving  and  fire  brick,  and  for  terra-cotta,  fire-proofing  and 
drain  tile,  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  this  way  in  revolutionizing  these 
industries,  which  have  had  a  wonderful  growth  in  the  United  States,  the  value 
of  clay  products  now  (  1901  )  amounting  to  about  one  hundred  million  dollars 
yearly.  Conservative  methods  soon  placed  the  venture  upon  a  firm  footing 
and  the  business  was  constantly  increased  in  extent  and  larger  facilities  became 
necessary,  and  in  1891  the  works  were  removed  to  Gabon,  Ohio,  where  they 
are  permanently  located,  occupying  extensive  and  commodious  buildings 
erected  for  the  purpose  and  equipped  with  modern  machinery  and  appliances 
especially  suited  to  this  class  of  manufacture  and  with  many  conveniences  not 
usually  found  in  other  works  of  this  kind.  The  machinery  manufactured  here 
is  sold  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  in  some  foreign  countries,  and  is 
noted  for  originality  of  design,  the  economy  of  its  operation  and  the  supe- 
riority of  the  wares  it  produces. 

Familiarity  with  all  details  of  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  the  variety  oJi 
machinery  in  this  class  now  manufactured,  and  painstaking  and  conscientious 
attention  to  the  demands  of  the  trade,  on  the  part  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
have  developed  a  large  and  prosperous  business  which  is  destined  to  continue 
to  flourish. 

In  1882  E.  M.  Freese  was  married  to  Miss  Rosina  Berger,  of  Gabon. 
They  have  three  children, — Herbert  H.,  Arthur  J.  and  Horace  E.  Freese. 

JOHN  REXROTH. 

There  is  much  in  the  life  history  of  John  Rexroth  that  is  worthy  of  emu- 
lation. He  possessed  a  determined,  resolute  character  that  was  well  balanced 
by  sound  judgment  and  upright  principles,  and  throughout  his  business  career 
he  not  only  won  prosperity  but  also  gained  for  himself  that  good  name  which 
is  rather  to  be  chosen  than  great  riches,  thus  leaving  to  his  family  a  priceless 
heritage. 

Mr.  Rexroth  was  born  in  Bucyrus,  on  the  10th  of  May.  1835,  and  died 
on  his  farm  two  miles  south  of  the  city.  May  8,  1895,  when  sixty  years  of 
age,  lacking  two  days.  Fie  was  the  son  of  John  X.  and  Anna  M.  (Wirtman) 


^d^/^ 


C~<isC/< 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  421 

Rexroth.  The  father  was  born  in  the  village  of  Erbach,  Hesse-Darmstadt, 
Germany,  November  6,  1800,  and  in  his  native  land  attended  school  between 
the  ages  of  six  and  fourteen  years,  after  which  he  learned  the  trade  of  black- 
smithing,  following  that  pursuit  in  his  native  country  until  thirty  years  of 
age,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States.  He  landed  at  Baltimore  after  a 
voyage  of  six  months,  being  shipwrecked  twice  on  the  way.  In  Baltimore 
he  met  and  married  Anna  M.  Wirtman,  the  wedding  being  celebrated  on  the 
1st  of  March,  1831.  The  lady  was  born  near  Carlsruhe,  Baden,  and  came  to 
America  about  the  same  time  her  husband  made  the  voyage — the  only  one  of 
her  family  to  seek  a  home  in  this  country.  Immediately  after  their  marriage 
they  removed  to  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  they  remained  for  a  little 
more  than  a  year,  and  in  1833  they  came  to  Bucyrus.  The  father  followed 
his  trade  until  1855.  In  the  meantime  he  resided  in  Winchester  from  1839 
until  1849.  He  accumulated  property  rapidly,  but  by  going  security  for  others 
he  lost  nearly  all  that  he  had  made  with  the  exception  of  his  home.  He  was 
reared  a  Lutheran  but  when  he  came  to  Bucyrus  he  united  with  the  Evangeli- 
cal Association — a  society  which  did  not  prosper,  however,  and  he  afterward 
joined  the  German  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  remained  a  devoted 
Christian  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  15th  of  June, 
1867.  He  was  the  father  of  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  reached  years  of 
maturity,  namely:  Adam,  deceased;  Catherine;  John,  deceased;  Daniel; 
Elizabeth,  deceased:  Sarah;  David;  Margaret;  and  Lydia,  deceased. 

John  Rexroth  was  only  three  years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed 
from  Bucyrus  to  Winchester,  where  ten  years  of  his  youth  were  passed.  He 
attended  school  there  for  three  months  each  year,  and  in  1849  he  again  be- 
came a  resident  of  Bucyrus,  where  he  continued  his  studies  in  the  winter  sea- 
son until  1854.  and  throughout  the  remainder  of  the  year  he  assisted  his 
father  in  the  blacksmith  shop.  About  this  time,  however,  his  father  met  with 
reverses  in  financial  life  and  our  subject  and  his  brother  rented  farming  land 
and  by  farming  and  teaming  supported  the  family.  In  1857  the  family  ex- 
changed town  property  for  eighty  acres  of  land  lying  just  south  of  Bu- 
cvrus,  to  which  they  removed,  remaining  there  for  some  time,  after  which 
they  took  up  their  abode  upon  another  farm  near  by.  That  continued  to 
be  their  home  until  after  the  death  of  the  father  in  1867,  when  they  returned 
to  Bucyrus. 

Thus  far  John  Rexroth  had  been  a  member  of  his  father's  family,  but 
on  the  18th  of  December,  1867.  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Maggie 
S.  Frey,  a  daughter  of  John  Martin  and  Magdaline  (Lininger)   Frey,  who 


422  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

were  natives  of  Germany  and  came  to  America  in  1853,  settling  in  Plymouth, 
Ohio,  whence  they  removed  to  Bncyrns.  They  spent  their  last  days,  how- 
ever, in  the  home  of  their  daughter,  Mrs.  Rexroth.  She  was  born  in  Ger- 
many and  was  a  little  maiden  of  six  summers  when  her  parents  came  to  the 
United  States.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rexroth  were  born  the  following  chil- 
dren: Charles  F.,  a  farmer  of  Bucyrus  township,  who  was  born  October  1, 
1868,  and  married  Catherine  Keiffer ;  John  Jay,  who  died  when  about  three 
years  of  age;  Lillian  Iona,  born  Jul)-  5,  1875;  Royal  A.,  born  December  8, 
1877;  Clyde  N.,  born  September  15,  1879;  and  Elva  May,  born  July  8,  1881. 
After  his  marriage  Air.  Rexroth  removed  to  the  farm  upon  which  his 
widow  yet  resides  and  began  the  cultivation  of  the  land  .He  became  one  of 
the  largest  agriculturists  and  stock  raisers  of  the  county  and  his  landed  pos- 
sessions were  extensive.  For  years  his  flock  of  sheep  outnumbered  almost 
every  other  in  the  county  and  this  branch  of  his  business  proved  to  him  a 
profitable  industry.  For  a  number  of  years  he  successfully  conducted  his 
business  affairs  and  year  by  year  his  capital  increased,  but  one  cold  night 
a  few  months  before  his  death  his  home  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  the  ex^ 
posure  which  he  endured  brought  on  a  severe  cold,  which  eventually  ter- 
minated his  life.  His  was  a  useful  career,  and  in  business  affairs  steady  ad- 
vancement attended  his  earnest  and  well  directed  efforts,  so  that  he  left 
his  family  in  comfortable  circumstances.  In  politics  he  was  always  a  Re- 
publican, and  in  religious  belief  he  was  a  Methodist,  belonging  to  the  church 
in  Bucyrus.  A  straightforward  business  man,  a  faithful  friend,  a  devoted 
husband  and  father  and  an  earnest  Christian,  in  his  death  the  community 
lost  one  of  its  valued  representatives. 

BURTON   R.   MILLER,   M.   D. 

Dr.  Miller,  who  occupies  an  enviable  position  as  a  member  of  the  medical 
fraternity  in  New  Washington,  was  born  November  16,  1864,  in  what  was 
known  as  the  Half  Way  House,  located  midway  between  Tiffin  and  Republic, 
in  Clinton  township,  Seneca  county,  Ohio.  His  parents  were  Peter  and 
Lovina  (Robenalt)  Miller.  The  father  was  born  September  16,  1833,  in 
Ontario  county,  New  York,  and  was  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Anna  (  Bergstresser) 
Miller,  both  of  whom  were  of  German  descent  and  were  probably  natives  of 
the  Empire  state.  With  their  family  they  removed  to  Seneca  county,  Ohio1,  in 
1837,  locating  in  Scipio>  township.  Subsequently  they  removed  to  Lincoln 
township,  where  they  spent  their  remaining  days.     The  father  of  our  subject 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  4?3 

was  reared  under  the  parental  roof  and  in  early  life  learned  the  trade  of  a 
cooper.  As  the  family  located  in  the  midst  of  the  vast  wilderness,  he  also  did 
his  share  in  the  work  of  reclaiming  the  wild  lands  for  purposes  of  civilization, 
cutting  away  the  trees  and  preparing  the  fields  for  the  plow.  On  the  2d  of 
March,  1854,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lovina  Robenalt,  a  native  of 
Clinton  township,  Seneca  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Catherine 
(Powell)  Robenalt,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  but  were  of 
German  descent.  Coming  to  Ohio  in  1829,  they  took  up  their  abode  in 
Seneca  county,  where  they  remained  until  called  to  the  home  beyond.  The 
grandfather  of  our  subject  died  in  1863,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years,  and 
his  wife,  long  surviving  him,  passed  away  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 

After  his  marriage  Peter  Miller  and  his  wife  began  their  domestic  life 
upon  a  small  farm  in  the  eastern  part  of  Clinton  township.  He  there  built  a 
log  cabin  and  a  log  shop,  and  of  evenings  and  on  rainy  days  when  he  could  not 
work  in  the  fields  he  followed  coopering-,  but  in  good  weather  he  worked  upon 
farms,  and  thus  in  two  years  he  was  enabled  to  pay  for  his  property.  He 
purchased  the  Half  Way  House,  which  he  used  as  a  residence.  He  continued 
his  coopering  business  and  resided  there  until  1805.  when  he  exchanged  his 
property  for  a  dwelling  in  Tiffin,  and  in  that  city  he  followed  his  chosen  trade 
for  three  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  purchased  the  old  Robe- 
nalt homestead  and  removed  to  the  farm,  which  is  located  four  miles  east  of 
Tiffin.  For  five  years  he  resided  in  the  old  pioneer  log  house  and  then  pur- 
chased an  adjoining  farm,  upon  which  he  erected  a  modern  and  commodious 
brick  dwelling,  making  one  of  the  handsomest  homes  in  the  county.  He  con- 
tinued coopering  until  within  the  past  ten  years,  but  now  gives  his  entire  atten- 
tion to  the  management  of  his  extensive  farming  interests.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  his  political  affiliations,  and  for  twelve  years  he  served  as  trustee  of  his 
township,  called  again  and  again  to  that  office  by  his  fellow  townsmen,  who 
recognize  his  worth  and  ability.  He  is  one  of  the  influential  men  in  his  dis- 
trict, and  wherever  known  is  held  in  high  regard.  Socially  he  is  connected 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to  Seneca  Lodge.  Xo. 
35,  of  Tiffin. 

In  1887  Mr.  Miller  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who 
died  on  the  28th  of  February  of  that  year.  She  was  an  active  and  earnest 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  to  which  Mr.  Miller  also  belongs,  being  one 
of  its  liberal  supporters  and  zealous  advocates.  This  worthy  couple  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  six  are  yet  living,  namely:  Franklin  P., 
of  Morris,  Ohio ;  Orlando  A.,  who  is  living  near  Lawton,  Michigan ;  Daniel 


424  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

\\\,  who  makes  his  home  in  Clinton  township,  Seneca  county,  Ohio;  Alice  V., 
wife  of  Otto  F.  Swander,  of  "West  Lodi,  Ohio;  Burton  R.,  of  this  review;  and 
Anna  May,  wife  of  N.  R.  Heaton,  of  Clinton  township,  Seneca  county. 

!  )r.  Miller  pursued  his  education  in  the  country  schools  until  he  had  mas- 
tered the  common  English  branches  of  learning  and  later  became  a  student  in 
the  Milan  Normal,  the  Fostoria  Normal  and  in  Heidelberg  University,  at 
Tiffin,  Ohio.  He  attended  the  country  schools,  however,  until  he  was  twenty 
years  of  age,  and  then  successfully  passed  an  examination  entitling  him  to 
teach  in  the  country  schools.  On  his  twenty-first  birthday  he  began  educa- 
tional work,  and  followed  teaching  for  five  terms,  during  which  period  his 
salary  was  steadily  increased,  and  when  called  to  the  Tiffin  schools  he  received 
twenty-five  cents  more  per  day  than  an}-  other  teacher  in  the  township.  In 
the  autumn  of  1890  he  began  teaching  as  principal  of  the  fourth  school  dis- 
trict in  Tiffin,  where  he  remained  for  four  years.  Determining  to  make  the 
practice  of  medicine  his  life  work,  he  began  reading  under  the  direction  of 
Dr.  H.  K.  Hershiser  in  the  summer  of  1894.  and  during  the  two  succeeding 
vacations  he  was  a  student  in  the  office  of  Dr.  H.  B.  Gibbon.  He  entered  the 
Starling  Medical  College,  at  Columbus,  in  the  fall  of  1894.  and  in  the  autumn 
of  1895  matriculated  in  the  Ohio  Medical  University,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated on  the  6th  of  April,  1897.  Immediately  afterward  he  took  up  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine,  which  he  has  since  followed  with  good  success. 

Soon  after  his  graduation  Dr.  Miller  was  married,  on  the  21st  of  July, 
1897,  near  Lawton,  Michigan,  to  Miss  Myrtle  M.  Hooper,  a  daughter  of 
George  and  Jennie  E.  (Laughlin)  Hooper.  Her  father  was  born  May  20, 
1842,  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  was  of  English  parentage,  and  on  the  1st 
of  November,  1865,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jennie  E.  Laughlin,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Berlin  township,  Erie  county,  Ohio.  She  was  a  daughter 
•of  Milton  Laughlin,  whose  grandparents  were  natives  of  Ireland  and  came  to 
America  with  their  family  of  eleven  sons,  settling  in  Georgetown,  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  date  of  their  emigration  is  unknown,  but  it  must  have  been  over 
a  century  ago. 

John  Laughlin.  one  of  the  eldest  children  of  this  family,  married  Eliza- 
beth Hoak.  and  after  a  few-  years  joined  the  party  of  adventurers  who  left 
Walnut  Creek,  Pennsylvania,  for  the  Huron  river.  Subsequently  he  re- 
moved from  the  bottom  lands  of  the  river  to  Milan,  then  an  Indian  village, 
where  he  resided  for  two  years.  He  became  greatly  attached  to  the  Indians 
and  they  to  him.  He  was  an  excellent  hunter  and  they  admired  his  dexterity. 
His  children  played  with  the  Indian  children,  and  when  his  little  son  Benjamin 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  425 

was  taken  ill  he  was  doctored  by  the  Indian  medicine  man,  and  when  he  died 
was  buried  by  the  Indians  after  their  custom.  In  18 10  Air.  Laughlin  built  a 
small  log  house  on  lot  8,  which  has  since  been  known  as  the  Laughlin  place, 
and  there  he  removed  with  his  family.  One  of  his  six  children,  Henry,  suc- 
sumbed  to  fever  and  was  buried  on  the  high  bank  of  Huron  river.  The  fam- 
ily had  a  desperate  struggle  to  get  along,  owing  to  the  unhealthful  climate  and 
pioneer  conditions.  While  living  there  news  of  Hull's  surrender  was  received, 
and  the  settlers,  expecting  the  Indians  to  rush  down  upon  them,  fled  for  safety. 
Mr.  Laughlin  and  his  family  started  for  the  old  home  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
on  horseback  and  on  foot  made  their  way  through  the  almost  interminable 
forests.  Scon  after  reaching  their  destination  Milton  Laughlin  was  horn, 
the  date  of  his  birth  being  Christmas  of  1813.  After  two  years,  however,  the 
family  returned  to  Ohio,  and  in  1814  a  log  cabin  was  erected,  in  which  the 
grandfather  resided  until  his  death.  The  family  experienced  all  the  hard- 
ships and  difficulties  of  pioneer  life.  Corn  was  pounded  into  meal  in  a  mortar 
made  in  a  stump  hollowed  out  by  fire.  Milton  Laughlin  was  reared  amid  such 
surroundings  and  became  a  hard-working,  persevering  and  determined  man, 
yet  rather  silent  and  of  undemonstrative  habits.  The  other  members  of  the 
family  were  Katy,  Henry,  John,  Nancy,  Benjamin,  Anna,  Betsey  and  Belinda. 
On  the  28th  of  November,  1837,  Milton  Laughlin  married  Mary  B.  Krom, 
of  Wilkesbarre,  Luzerne  county,  Pennsylvania,  but  formerly  of  Xew  York 
city.  He  arranged  with  his  father  to  pay  some  of  the  latter's  debts,  and  in 
return  he  was  to  receive  a  part  of  the  old  homestead.  He  worked  on  his  farm 
during  the  summer  and  in  the  winter  season  was  employed  in  the  ship-yard  at 
Milan.  He  aided  in  sawing  the  timber  for  the  docks  on  the  canal  and  often 
made  four  dollars  and  forty  cents  per  day,  although  the  average  wages  paid 
were  only  one  dollar  and  a  half  per  day.  His  efforts  were  admirably  seconded 
by  his  wife,  and  by  perseverance,  industry  and  attention  to  business  he  ac- 
cumulated a  handsome  competence  and  gained  the  title  of  West  Berlin  banker. 
The  children  born  of  his  marriage  are  as  follows:  Ransom  F.,  who  was  born 
June  9,  1839,  married  Sarah  Springer  on  the  8th  of  August,  i860,  and  now 
resides  in  Milan  township;  Nancy  L.,  born  June  if),  1842,  was  married  April 
14,  1868,  to  William  Squire,  of  Milan,  and  died  April  19,  1875;  Jane  E..  born 
January  23.  1843.  married  George  Hooper  on  the  1  st  of  November,  1865,  and 
resides  in  Ohio,  near  Tiffin;  Frank  AW,  born  February  5,  1849,  enlisted  in 
the  Union  army  and  died  in  the  service  in  South  Carolina,  March  2,  [865; 
Willis  M.,  born  June  29,  1859,  was  married  August  8,  1880,  and  resides  on 
the  old  homestead;  Bertha  E.,  born  March  14,   1868,  was  married  June  24, 


426  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

1890.  In  the  spring  of  1883  Mr.  Laughlin  removed  with  his  family  to  Milan, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  October  16,  1884,  when  he 
was  seventy-two  years  of  age.  In  early  life  he  united  with  the  Methodist 
church  and  was  ever  a  consistent  Christian. 

After  the  marriage  of  George  Hooper  and  Jennie  E.  Laughlin  they  re- 
moved to  Milan,  in  1866,  and  on  the  19th  of  August,  1873,  went  to  Van 
Buren  county,  Michigan.  Subsequently  they  became  residents  of  Allegan 
county,  that  state,  and  in  the  spring  of  1875  returned  to  Ohio,  locating  in 
Berlin  township,  Erie  county.  In  1877,  however,  they  again  went  to  Michi- 
gan, spending  the  winter  in  Lawton,  and  in  the  spring  took  up  their  abode 
upon  a  farm  in  that  state,  where  they  continued  until  the  fall  of  1900,  when 
they  located  in  Seneca  count}-,  Ohio.  Mr.  Hooper  was  a  member  of  the 
Thirteenth  Michigan  Infantry  during  the  Civil  war  and  served  for  three  years 
and  eight  months.  He  was  taken  prisoner  November  14,  1864,  when  on  the 
march  of  Sherman  to  the  sea,  and  was  incarcerated  in  the  prison  at  Florence, 
South  Carolina,  but  after  three  months  was  paroled  at  Goldsboro>,  North  Caro- 
lina. On  the  26th  of  February,  1865,  he  was  sent  to>  Camp  Chase  and  there 
discharged.  He  now  owns  and  operates  an  eighty-acre- farm,  which  is  highly 
improved.  For  five  years  he  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  was  also 
school  director  for  several  years.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  belongs 
to  the  Methodist  Protestant  church,  has  served  as  class-leader  and  has  been 
quite  prominent  in  church  work. 

Dr.  Miller,  whose  name  begins  this  review,  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and 
in  the  spring-  of  1893  was  elected  treasurer  of  Clinton  township,  receiving  the 
highest  vote  of  any  candidate  on  the  ticket.  In  1895  he  was  re-elected  with 
an  increased  majority  of  over  one  hundred  votes.  He  was  vice-president  of 
the  Seneca  County  Teachers'  Institute  in  the  term  of  1894,  and  was  unani- 
mously chosen  president  in  the  terms  of  1895-6.  In  1896-7  he  was  city  school 
examiner,  but  resigned  in  order  to  remove  to.  New  Washington,  and  on  the 
5th  of  August,  1897,  he  began  practice  in  this  place.  In  1894,  before  bidding 
final  adieu  to  the  profession  of  teacher,  Dr.  Miller  succeeded  in  bringing  about 
the  adoption  of  township  supervision  of  the  schools  in  Clinton,  his  native 
township,  the  first  to  adopt  such  in  Seneca  county,  four  other  townships  of 
the  county  having  adopted  the  same  plan  of  supervision.  He  is  the  present 
health  officer  for  New  Washington.  He  also'  enjoys  a  large  private  practice, 
and  his  business  is  steadily  increasing.  He  has  been  correspondent  for  the 
Tiffin  Advertiser,  the  Tiffin  News,  the  Tiffin  Tribune,  the  Tiffin  Times,  the 
Bloomville  Independent,  the  Crawford  County  News,  the  Crawford  County 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  a°-7 

Forum,  and  at  the  present  time  sends  his  communications  to  the  last  named. 
In  1893  Dr.  Miller  visited  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago'.  Socially  he  is  con- 
nected with  Pickwick  Lodge,  No.  175,  K.  P.,  of  Tiffin;  Cranberry  Lodge, 
No.  441,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  and  Rex  Tent.  No.  229,  K.  O.  T.  M.,  while  he  and  his 
wife  are  active  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  take  a  leading 
part  in  Sunday-school  work.  Both  are  members  of  Horace  Mann  Command- 
ery,  No.  14,  and  the  order  of  the  Red  Cross.  The  Doctor  and  his  wife  are 
ardent  supporters  of  educational  and  other  means  of  advancing  intellectual 
and  moral  development.  He  is  president  of  the  New  Washington  Lecture 
Association. 

JACOB   F.   SCHAFER. 

Not  many  of  the  older  citizens  of  Chatfield  township,  Crawford  county, 
Ohio,  were  born  at  their  present  places  of  residence.  Jacob  Schafer  has  this 
distinction.  He  is  a  son  of  Jacob  Schafer,  Sr.,  and  was  born  February  2\, 
1862,  in  his  father's  house  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives. 

Jacob  Schafer,  Sr.,  the  son  of  Adam  Schafer,  was  born  in  Hoheinod, 
Germany,  and  was  brought  to  America  by  his  father.  The  elder  Schafer  set- 
tled in  Bloom  township,  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  and  from  there  removed  to 
Chatfield  township,  Crawford  county,  with  his  son,  Jacob  Schafer,  the  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  About  the  time  of  their  arrival  they  bought 
about  forty  acres  of  wild  land,  and  later  they  bought  forty  acres  more,  on 
which  stands  the  residence  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Adam  Schafer  died 
pn  this  property,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years.  His  wife  was  Catharine 
Fox,  also  a  native  of  German}-. 

Jacob  F.  Schafer,  who  is  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the 
tenth  in  order  of  birth  of  a  family  of  eleven  children.  Mary,  the  eldest,  became 
the  wife  of  Gottlieb  Knecht.  Valentine  lives  in  Chatfield  township,  Crawford 
county,  Ohio.  Lucy  married  Philip  Schemp  and  lives  in  Seneca  comity. 
Catharine  is  the  wife  of  Peter  Regula,  of  Carothers,  this  state.  Gertrand 
married  Emanuel  Lutz.  Caroline  is  the  wife  of  Peter  Reidle.  Adam  lives 
at  Chatfield,  Crawford  county,  Ohio.  Martha  married  William  Lutz,  of 
Chatfield,  Crawford  county,  Ohio.  Lizzie  married  Wiliam  Seafort,  of  Cran- 
berry township.  Sophia  died  in  infancy.  At  one  time  the  father  of  these  chil- 
dren owned  three  hundred  and  forty-six  acres  of  land.  At  his  death,  which 
occurred  December  23,  1898,  he  owned  one  hundred  and  ninety-nine  acres.  He 
was  a  man  of  influence  in  his  township  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 


428  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  to  the  life  of  a  farmer  boy  of  all 
work,  and  received  as  good  an  education  as  the  common  schools  afforded. 
He  was  married,  in  1885,  to  Miss  Caroline  Lanehart,  and  they  have  seven 
children,  named  as  follows:  Erna,  Albert,  William,  Loretta,  Clara,  Marie 
(who  died  October  2j,  1898)  and  Delverta. 

Air.  Schafer  owns  seventy-nine  acres  of  land  in  his  home  farm  and  another 
farm  of  forty  acres,  and  is  a  successful  general  farmer.  He  and  all  the  mem- 
bers of  his  family  are  identified  with  the  Lutheran  church.  Politically  he  is 
a  Democrat,  and  while  he  is  influential  in  public  affairs  he  has  never  been  a 
seeker  of  public  office.  His  public  spirit  has  impelled  him  to  ally  himself  with 
many  movements  which  he  has  believed  promised  to  improve  the  condition  of 
his  fellow  citizens. 

MOSES  PUGH. 

When  the  tocsin  of  war  sounded  and  it  was  known  that  rebellion 
in  the  South  had  threatened  the  disruption  of  the  Union  men  from  all  walks 
of  life  offered  their  service  to  the  government.  From  the  work  shop,  the  fields, 
the  school-room  and  the  offices  they  flocked  to  the  standard  of  the  nation  and 
followed  the  stars  and  stripes  to  the  battle-fields  of  the  South.  Among  the 
number  was  Moses  Pugh,  and  well  may  he  lie  proud  of  the  military  record  he 
gained  when  wearing  the  blue  uniform;  he  fought  for  the  principles  of  liberty, 
justice  and  an  undivided  country. 

Crawford  county  may  well  be  proud  to  number  him  among  her  native 
sons,  for  he  has  ever  been  a  man  worthy  of  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all. 
His  birth  occurred  in  Lykens  township,  April  6,  1843,  and  he  represents 
one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  this  portion  of  the  state.  His  great-grand- 
father was  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Mansfield,  Ohio,  and  erected  the 
first  brick  chimney  built  in  that  place.  For  several  years  he  conducted  a  hotel 
there.  His  grandparents,  Muses  and  Christina  Pugh,  were  both  natives  of 
Virginia  and  the  former  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  When  the  country  be- 
came involved  in  the  second  war  with  England  he  joined  the  service  and 
loyally  aided  in  its  defense.  His  father,  Aaron  Pugh,  was  bora  near  Wheel- 
ing, in  a  little  hamlet  known  as  Pughtown,  in  Hancock  count}-.  West  Vir- 
ginia, on  the  13th  of  April,  1813.  At  that  time,  however,  the  district  was  a 
part  of  the  Old  Dominion,  the  division  into  two  states  having  not  yet  been 
made.  Upon  the  home  farm  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  were  spent 
and  in  1837  he  came  to  Ohio,  entering  from  the  government  forty  acres  of 


C^UcAzlM)       (Bjuj/hs 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  431 

wild  land  in  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
forest  he  built  a  log  cabin.  On  his  arrival  here  his  personal  property  con- 
sisted of  an  ax  and  with  this  he  cleared  a  small  patch  of  ground.  After  some 
months  he  returned  to  Virginia  and  brought  his  parents,  his  brothers  and  sis- 
ters to  the  new  Ohio  home.  On  his  second  arrival  he  entered  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  in  Lykens  township,  upon  which  the  grandfather  settled 
and  made  his  home  until  his  death,  while  the  father  of  our  subject  took  up 
his  abode  upon  his  forty-acre  farm,  there  residing  until  the  spring  of  1862,. 
when  he  sold  that  property  and  came  to  Cranberry  township,  purchasing  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  where  his  son  Moses  is  now  living.  He 
also  owns  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  a  farm  of  fifty  acres  in  Huron 
county,  which  he  had  purchased  a  year  previous,  and  later  he  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  near  Crestline.  He  died  December  22,  1888,  and  then 
was  ended  a  long  and  useful  business  career,  wherein  he  won  success  as  the 
result  of  his  energy  and  enterprise.  His  grandfather  was  a  Virginian  slave- 
holder, but  freed  his  slaves  prior  to  the  war.  His  father  was  a  stalwart  Dem- 
ocrat, but  Aaron  Pugh  became  an  ardent  Republican  and  gave  to  the  party 
his  earnest  support.  He  held  membership  in  the  Christian  church  and  while 
residing  in  Lykens  township  served  as  trustee. 

He  married  Miss  Mary  Jackson,  who  was  born  in  Hancock  county,  Vir- 
ginia, January  13,  181 7,  and  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  Jackson, 
who  took  up  their  abode  in  Crawford  count}-  about  the  time  the  Pugh  fam- 
ily was  founded  within  its  borders.  Mrs.  Pugh,  the  mother  of  our  subject,, 
died  January  7,  1885.  She  had  been  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
in  early  life  and  afterward  joined  the  Freewill  Baptist  church.  By  her  mar- 
riage she  became  the  mother  of  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  yet  living, 
namely:  Elizabeth,  the  widow  of  J.  W.  King,  of  Chicago  Junction,  Huron 
county,  Ohio;  Moses,  of  this  review:  Alanson  and  Anson;  twins,  the  former- 
living  in  Columbus  Grove,  Putnam  county,  Ohio,  while  the  latter  lives  in 
Cranberry  township,  Crawford  county:  Albert  B.,  of  Xew  Washington,  Ohio;, 
and  John  C,  who  is  living  in  Deshler.  Ohio. 

The  duties  of  the  school-room,  the  pleasures  of  the  playground  and  the 
work  of  the  home  farm  occupied  the  attention  and  energies  of  Moses  Pugh 
prior  to  his  eighteenth  year.  But  the  war  spirit  of  his  grandfather  asserted 
itself  when  the  country  called  for  troops  and  he  responded  to  her  need  of  loyal 
soldiers,  enlisting  on  the  14th  of  September.  1861,  as  a  member  of  Company 
H,  Fifty-fifth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
until  October  14,  1863,  and  at  the  time  of  Rosecrans'  defeat  was  transferred 

23 


432  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  and  participated  in  the  engagements  of  Cross 
Keys,  Cedar  Mountain,  Burnt  Hickory,  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  Chancel- 
lorsville,  Antietam,  Gettysburg',  Lookout  Mountain,  Mission  Ridge,  Rocky  Face 
Gap,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Resaca  and  the  siege  of  Atlanta.  He  was  also  with 
Sherman  on  the  march  to  the  sea.  aided  in  the  capture  of  Bentonville,  the  siege 
of  Savannah,  and  took  part  in  the  grand  review  in  Washington,  where  the 
loyal  troops  who  had  accomplished  their  task  of  preserving  the  Union, 
marched  in  victorious  battle  array  before  the  stand  upon  which  stood  the 
president  of  the  nation.  He  was  then  mustered  out  July  n,  1865,  in  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky.  Air.  Pugh  had  been  three  times  wounded  in  the  battle  of 
Bull  Run,  and  was  wounded  in  the  right  leg  at  Stephenson,  Alabama,  after 
which  he  lay  in  the  convalescent  hospital  for  three  weeks  and  four  days.  This 
injury  caused  the  amputation  of  the  limb  in  1893.  He  entered  the  service  as 
a  private  and  was  mustered  out  a  second  lieutenant,  being  commissioned  by 
Governor  Brough.  He  participated  in  every  engagement  of  his  command,  and 
was  never  absent  from  his  regiment,  save  the  time  he  lay  in  the  hospital. 

When  the  war  was  over  and  the  country  no  longer  needed  his  services 
Mr.  Pugh  returned  to  his  home  and  resumed  the  duties  of  civil  life.  On  the 
26th  of  July,  1866.  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Martha  Johnston,  a 
native  of  Cranberry  township,  Crawford  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Alary  (Reed)  Johnston,  the  former  born  in  Lycoming  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, October  20,  1819,  and  the  latter  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  April  10, 
1 81 7.  The  Johnstons  originally  came  from  Albany,  New  York,.  The  Johns- 
ton and  Reed  families  both  came  to  Crawford  county  about  1836,  and  her  fa- 
ther entered  from  the  government  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  He 
died  March  4,  1882,  and  his  wife  died  May  8,  1853. 

Jacob  Johnston  was  for  years  a  prominent  man  in  public  affairs,  ever 
supporting  all  measures  for  the  general  good.  He  was  a  strong  Republican 
in  politics,  and  an  ardent  and  active  member  of  the  Protestant  Methodist 
•church.  ,  The  marriage  of  Air.  and  Airs.  Pugh  was  blessed  with  six  children, 
as  follows:  Gertrude  L.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  H.  H.  Carpenter,  of  Rich- 
mond township,  Huron  county;  Effie  I.,  Alary  Jane,  Senate  A.,  Logan  H.  and 
Burdett  W.,  all  at  home. 

After  his  marriage  Air.  Pugh  took  his  bride  to  a  farm  of  eighty  acres 
about  one  mile  north  of  his  present  home,  and  which  he  had  purchased  of  his 
father  with  money  saved  during  his  army  service.  There  he  erected  a  plank- 
house  and  began  clearing  and  improving  his  land,  but  after  seven  years  he 
sold  that  property  and  purchased  eighty  acres  one  mile  west  of  his  present 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  433 

residence.  There  he  lived  for  two  years,  when  he  traded  that  property  to  his 
father  for  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  the  old  homestead  and  took  up  his 
abode  thereon,  his  father  removing  to  the  town.  This  he  sold  in  1899.  Mr. 
Pugh  now  owns  seventy-four  acres  in  his  home  farm  and  is  a  well  known  and 
energetic  agriculturist.  He  and  his  wife  hold  membership  in  the  Freewill 
Baptist  church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  clerk  and  trustee  and  has  also  held 
other  offices.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  is  a  member  of  the 
New  Washington  Grange.  Xo.  1485,  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  of  Creglow 
Post.  No.  178,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Attica.  In  manner  he  is  very  genial  and  jovial 
and  his  many  excellent  qualities  have  gained  him  mam-  friends  among  those 
with  whom  he  is  associated. 

P.  F.  LANTZ. 

P.  F.  Lantz  is  prominently  connected  with  the  journalistic  interests  of 
Crawford  county,  and  though  a  young  man.  he  has  manifested  a  marked  abil- 
ity m  the  business  control  as  well  as  in  connection  with  the  literary  work  of 
the  Herald,  which  he  is  now  editing  and  publishing  at  New  Washington 

He  was  born  in  this  town  February  9,  1878.  and  at  the  usual  age  entered 
the  public  schools,  where  he  pursued  his  studies  until  graduation,   in  June 
1895.     He  then  began  earning  his  own  living,  spending  the  f.  lowing  year  as 
a  salesman  in  a  grocery  store.      Not  content,  however,  with  the  educational 
advantages  which  he  had  already  enjoyed,  he  spent  the  spring  of  1896  as  a 
student  of  the  Ohio  Normal  University,  at  Ada,  Ohio.     In  1897  and  1898  he 
was  employed  as  a  drug  clerk  in  Dayton.  Kentucky,  and  on  the  expiration  of 
that  period  he  returned  to  his  home  in  the  fall  of  1898  and  entered  the  office 
of  the  New  Washington  Herald  as  a  typographer.     In  September  of  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  purchased  the  paper,  which  he  has  since  successfully  conducted 
and  under  his  management  the  circulation  has  increased  and  its  influence  has 
been  extended.     He  is  a  wide-awake,    progressive    and    enterprising    young 
man,  and  his  labors  in  behalf  of  the  best  interests  of  the  city  are  effective 
and  beneficial. 

JOHN  KEIL. 

John  Keil  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  Bucyrus.  A  fact  of  which  due 
recognition  is  not  usually  accorded  in  connection  with  the  development  of  the 
west  is  that  to  no  foreign  element  is  progress  due  in  so  large  a  measure  as  to 


434  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

those  who  have  had  their  nativity  in  and  trace  their  lineage  to  the  great  empire 
of  Germany.  Among  those  who  left  the  Fatherland  and  identified  themselves 
with  American  life  and  institutions,  who  have  pushed  their  way  to  the  front 
and  are  a  credit  alike  to  the  land  of  their  birth  and  that  of  their  adoption  is 
John  Keil.     He  came  to  Bucyrus  in  1854  from  the  country  of  his  birth. 

He -first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day  in  Hesse  Darmstadt,  in  1836, 
a  son  of  Henry  and  Margaret  (Yakley)  Keil.  He  was  reared  in  the  place  of 
his  nativity,  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  in  America,  believing  that  he  would  have 
better  opportunities  for  advancement  in  the  new  world.  Accordingly,  he 
crossed  the  briny  deep  to  this  country  and  made  his  way  across  the  country 
to  Bucyrus,  where  he  established  a  blacksmith  shop  for  himself  in  1856.  He 
continued  business  there  for  twelve  years  and  then  began  dealing  extensively 
in  stock.  He  also  purchased  and  operated  a  farm,  and  through  the  successful 
management  of  his  business  he  acquired  a  handsome  competence,  the  sales  of 
his  farm  products  and  his  stock  annually  augmenting  his  income.  He  also 
engaged  in  the  purchase  and  shipment  of  hay  on  quite  an  extensive  scale,  and 
has  owned  much  valuable  real  estate  in  the  business  portion  of  Bucyrus.  Mr. 
Keil  has  lost  much  property  through  going  security  to  oblige  friends  who  have 
proved  unworthy  of  the  trust  reposed  in  them,  but  is  still  in  possession  of  a 
good  capital,  which  enables  him  to  live  in  practical  retirement  from  business 
cares. 

In  public  affairs  Mr.  Keil  has  taken  a  very  active  and  commendable  in- 
terest, supporting  all  measures  for  the  general  good.  In  1882  he  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  county  sheriff  and  served  for  four  years,  retiring  from  the 
position  as  he  had  entered  it, — with  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  the  people. 
That  he  was  a  capable  officer  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  1894  he  was  again 
chosen  to  the  position  and  served  until  1898.  Prompt  and  fearless  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties,  his  course  created  confidence  in  the  law-abiding  citizens 
and  dread  in  those  who  were  law-breakers.  He  has  long  been  known  as  a 
leading  and  influential  member  of  the  Democracy  of  Crawford  county,  and 
has  several  times  served  on  the  county  central  committee,  doing  all  in  his 
power  to  promote  the  political  interests  in  which  he  firmly  believes. 

Mr.  Keil  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Minnie  Hocker,  who  emigrated 
from  Baden,  Germany,  to  the  United  States.  She  was  to  him  a  faithful  com- 
panion and  helpmate  on  life's  journey  for  a  number  of  years,  and  her  death 
occurred  in  1809,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  In  their  family  were  the 
following  named:    John  C.  married  Miss  Bella  Mathews,  and  unto  them  were 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  435 

born  two  children,  Edwin  and  Florence.  He  served  as  deputy  sheriff  under 
his  father  and  died  in  1897,  at  tne  a8"e  °^  thirty-eight  years,  his  loss  being 
greatly  deplored,  for  he  was  an  extremely  popular  man,  his  pleasant  manner, 
genial  disposition  and  many  sterling  characteristics  winning  him  the  highest 
regard  of  all  with  whom  he  was  associated.  Harry  is  now  engaged  in  the 
stock  business  in  the  Stock  Yards  of  Chicago.  Charles  is  married  and  is 
engaged  in  dealing  in  hay  in  Bucyrus.  Kate  is  the  wife  of  Calvin  Holmes,  a 
resident  of  Bucyrus.  Mary  is  the  wife  of  William  Larkin,  of  Toledo,  Ohio. 
Fanny  is  the  wife  of  Clem  Rozer,  a  well-known  photographer  of  Bucyrus. 
Minnie.  Mattie  and  Amelia  are  all  under  the  paternal  roof  and  are  students  in 
the  public  school.  Mr.  Keil  and  family  attend  the  Mehtodist  Episcopal  church. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune  and 
has  builded  wisely  and  well.  Coming  to  America  without  capital,  he  de- 
pended upon  industry  and  energy  to  enable  him  to  gain  a  start  and  upon  per- 
sistent purpose  and  resolute  will  in  order  to  maintain  a  creditable  position  in 
the  business  world.  His  labors  brought  to  him  a  merited  financial  revard, 
and  to-day  he  is  numbered  among  the  substantial  and  highly  esteemed  resi- 
dents of  Bucyrus. 

ADAM  J.  LICHTY. 

Adam  J.  Lichty,  who  occupies  the  position  of  city  marshal,  was  born 
in  Cranberry  township,  Crawford  county,  upon  his  father's  farm,  November 
12,  1848.  He  is  of  French  lineage,  for  his  father,  Peter  Lichty,  was  born  in 
Lorraine,  France,  April  15,  181 1,  and  in  1838  emigrated  to  America,  accom- 
panied by  his  parents.  He  located  in  Delaware,  Ohio,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  of  wagon-making,  which  he  had  learned  in  his  native  country.  Sub- 
sequently he  removed  to  New  Washington,  Crawford  county,  where  he  fol- 
lowed wagon-making  until  he  purchased  a  farm,  about  1847.  Taking  up  his 
abode  upon  his  new  property,  he  there  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  until 
1858,  when  he  removed  to  Bucyrus,  where  he  resided  until  1879,  in  which  year 
he  became  a  resident  of  Sac  county,  Iowa.  He  lived  with  a  son  in  that  county 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  March  3,  1884.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Barbara  Beer,  was  born  in  Lorraine,  France,  September  23, 
1810,  and  died  on  the  12th  of  May,  1883,  in  Sac  county. 

Adam  J.  Lichty,  of  this  review,  remained  upon  the  home  farm  only  until 
January,  1858,  when  he  was  taken  to  Bucyrus,  and  in  the  public  schools  of 
the  city  pursued  his  education.     He  was  but  a  boy  when  he  enlisted  in  his 


436  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

country's  service,  joining  Company  C  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-sixth 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  commanded  by  Captain  Brifogel  and  Colonel  Wilds. 
The  regiment  was  mustered  in  at  Camp  Chase,  Columbus,  on  the  25th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1865,  and  was  sent  to  Nashville,  Tennessee.  From  that  place  they 
marched  to  Murfreesboro'  and  thence  proceeded  by  train  to  Cleveland,  Ten- 
nessee, where  they  were  placed  in  the  rear  of  Fort  Steadman.  Later  they 
were  transferred  to  Dalton,  Georgia,  and  Air.  Lichty  was  detailed  with 
twenty-five  others  from  the  regiment  to'  go  to  New  Orleans  on  special  duty. 
He  afterward  rejoined  his  command  at  Dalton,  Georgia,  and  from  there  was 
sent  to  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  but  afterward  returned  to  Nashville,  where 
he  was  mustered  out.  He  then  proceeded  to-  Camp  Chase,  where,  with  his 
regiment,  he  was  honorably  discharged.  During  all  the  time  which  he  spent 
in  the  south  he  was  engaged  in  fighting  guerrillas. 

After  his  military  experience  was  ended  Air.  Lichty  came  again  to 
Bucyrus  and  was  employed  with  his  father  as  a  carriage  wood-worker,  which 
pursuit  he  followed  until  1868,  when  he  went  to  Toledo,  Iowa,  and  there 
worked  at  his  trade  for  about  eighteen  months.  He  then  removed  to  Lima, 
Ohio,  where  he  was  employed  in  the  railroad  shops  of  the  Dayton  &  Michigan 
Railroad,  and  then  returned  to  Bucyrus.  After  visiting  for  a  time  in  this 
city  he  went  to  Sandusky,  Ohio,  where  he  followed  his  trade  until  his  removal 
to  Yandalia,  Illinois,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  similaY  capacity  until  he 
went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  hi  that  city  he  again  found  work  at  his  trade, 
but  the  carriage  factory  in  which  he  was  employed  was  destroyed  by  fire  and 
in  the  conflagration  he  lost  his  tools.  Subsequently  he  entered  the  employ  of 
a  Chicago  soap  house  as  a  local  collector  in  St.  Louis,  and  from  there  went 
to  Chicago  to  act  as  city  collector  for  the  same  firm.  His  next  change  in 
business  life  took  him  to  a  lumber  camp  at  Big  Rapids,  Michigan,  but  after  a 
short  period  he  returned  to  Bucyrus  and  accepted  a  position  as  traveling  sales- 
man for  the  Bucyrus  Reaper  and  Mower  Works,  remaining  upon  the  road  for 
about  two  years.  He  then  entered  into  partnership  with  his  father,  under  the 
firm  name  of  P.  Lichty  &  Son,  carriage  manufacturers,  a  connection  that  was 
maintained  for  about  three  years,  when  they  sold  out,  our  subject  opening  an 
agricultural  store,  which  he  conducted  successfully  during  the  following  dec- 
ade. He  then  disposed  of  that  property,  and  in  the  year  1889  was  appointed 
city  marshal  of  Bucyrus,  serving  for  two  years,  when  he  resigned.  He  after- 
ward worked  in  the  line  of  his  trade  until  1898,  when  he  was  elected  city 
marshal,  and  has  since  filled  the  office  with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction 
to  his  constituents. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  437 

On  the  7th  of  December,  1876,  Mr.  Lichty  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Anna  Streib,  a  daughter  of  Conrad  Streib,  who  was  born  at  Messinger, 
Wurtemberg,  Germany,  March  8,  182 1,  and  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  new 
world  in  August,  1855.  He  became  a  resident  of  Bucyrus,  and  his  death 
occurred  in  this  city  in  January.  1880.  His  wile  was  born  at  Weisen stein, 
Wurtemberg,  .May  19,  1823,  and  died  December  2^,  1873.  Unto  Air.  and 
Airs.  Lichty  have  been  born  three  children:  George  Raymond,  whose  birth 
occurred  August  24.  1879:  Marcus  Henry,  born  July  7.  1883:  and  Robert 
Curtis,  born  November  12,  1885. 

THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  OE  BUCYRUS. 

This  is  one  of  the  strong  religious  organizations  of  Crawford  county. 
The  Methodists  were  the  first  religious  lx  dy  to  enter  this  county,  and  have 
had  a  potent  influence  in  Christian  work  here.  Only  two  years  after  the  first 
settlers  came  to  what  is  now  Bucyrus  the  Methodist  ministers  began  their  v 
The  first  sermon  was  preached  in  the  city  in  1821  by  Jacob  Hooper  and  he 
was  soon  afterward  followed  by  the  Rev.  Bacon.  In  the  fall  of  1821  the  Rev. 
Hooper  was  appointed  pastor  in  charge,  and  as  his  circuit  was  seven  hundred 
miles  around,  he  preached  in  Bucyrus  but  once  in  eight  weeks.  In  1822  Rev. 
Thomas  McCleary  was  the  preacher  in  charge,  and  in  1823  the  circuit  was 
made  smaller  and  James  Row  was  appointed  junior  preacher,  so  the  pv 
heard  the  gospel  every  two  weeks.  The  same  year  John  O.  and  William 
Blowers,  brothers,  began  active  work  in  the  county.  The  Rev.  Bacon,  who 
was  pastor,  was  a  man  full  of  tact  and  popular  with  the  people.  In  1824 
Jacob  Dixson  was  in  charge,  and  in  1825  James  Gilruth  was  appointed  pa- 
while  James  McMahan  was  presiding  elder  from  1825  until  1828.  In  1826 
Abner  Goff  accepted  the  pastorate  and.  a  new  brick  school-house  having  been 
erected  in  Bucyrus,  the  Methodist  people  worshiped  therein  until  they  built 
a  church  of  their  own  in  1832.  Previous  to  that  time  their  services  were  held 
in  groves,  cabins  and  barns.  In  1828  James  Gilruth  and  William  Runnels 
occupied  the  pulpit,  and  in  1829  David  Lewis  and  Samuel  Shaw.  In  1830  a 
great  revival  was  held  and  the  membership  of  the  church  was  largely  in- 
creased. From  1829  until  183 1  Russell  Biglow  was  presiding  elder,  and  in 
1831  Alfred  M.  Lorain  and  David  Cadwallader.  Between  1832  and  1849, 
in  the  order  mentioned,  the  following  acted  as  pastors:  Erastus  Felton,  Har- 
vey Camp,  John  Kinnear,  James  Wilson.  Adam  Poe,  Thomas  Thompson, 
George  W.   Breckenridge,   Samuel  B.   Garberson,   Liberty  Prentiss,    Samuel 


43«  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

P.  Shaw,  Peter  Sharp,  John  Conway,  Oren  Mitchell,  John  Hazzard,  Hibbard 
B.  Ward,  Henry  Warner,  Hubert  Dubois  and  a  few  others  whose  names  have 
not  been  secured. 

In  185P  a  two-story  brick  church  was  begun  on  the  site  of  the  old  house 
of  worship  and  was  dedicated  the  following-  year  by  Adam  Poe.  Few 
churches  have  had  as  many  changes  made  in  their  district  and  conference  re- 
lations as  the  Bucyrus  church.  In  1850  Bucyrus  circuit  was  in  Tiffin  district 
of  the  North  Ohio  conference.  Various  earnest  and  energetic  men  acted 
as  pastors  of  the  church  from  time  to  time.  The  year  1877  was  a  memorable 
one  in  the  history  of  the  church.  J.  J.  Henry  was  appointed  pastor.  Young, 
earnest,  devout,  zealous  and  winning  all  hearts,  he  labored  for  the  salvation 
of  souls  and  gave  up  his  life  as  a  sacrifice  to  his  Master.  Holding  a  great 
revival  in  the  winter  of  1877-78,  with  over  two  hundred  conversions  and  one 
hundred  and  eighty  accessions  to  the  church,  from  overwork  he  took 
brain  fever,  and  after  three  weeks  of  suffering  passed  to  his  rest  on  March 
if*.  1878.  His  death  was  mourned  by  thousands  of  people,  and  his  name  is 
held  in  precious  memory.  Rev.  J.  H.  Barron  came  to  fill  the  unexpired  time 
of  Brother  Henry.  In  1884  a  large  and  commodious  parsonage  was  built  on 
the  corner  of  East  and  Warren  streets.  The  present  pastor,  M.  J.  Keys,  has 
been  in  charge  since  1896  and  has  been  successful  in  lifting  the  heavy  debt 
that  was  upon  the  church. 

The  work  is  now  thoroughly  organized  in  its  various  departments  and 
is  having  great  influence  in  public  affairs.  In  addition  to  the  regular  work  of 
the  church  there  is  a  growing  Epworth  League,  a  Sunday-school,  a  Ladies' 
Aid  Society  and  Pastors'  Pinion,  together  with  the  missionary  societies.  The 
Epworth  League  supports  a  school  in  India.  The  church  has  sent  two  of  its 
young  ladies  into  the  mission  held,  while  some  of  its  young  men  have  become 
ministers  of  the  gospel.  The  people  of  Bucyrus  are  progressive  and  the 
church  has  in  it  many  public-spirited  men  who  bring  into  the  church  the  same 
energy  and  resolution  which  characterizes  their  work  in  business  life.  As 
a  result  of  this  the  membership  has  nearly  doubled  itself  and  the  work  is 
being  carried  on  in  a  most  commendable  manner. 

JOHN  H.  TRAGO. 

A  substantial  and  representative  farmer  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is 
John  H.  Trago,  of  Auburn  township,  who  was  born  here  on  May  31,  1840. 
He  was  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  (Waters)  Trago,  who  reared  a  family  of 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  439 

ten  children,  the  two  survivors  being  our  subject  and  his  sister,  Mary,  who  is 
the  wife  of  William  N.  Keller,  a  resident  of  Allen  county,  Indiana. 

Daniel  Trago  was  born  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  May  S,  1796, 
of  Quaker  ancestry,  and  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  state,  where  he  learned 
the  trade  of  millwright.  This  trade  he  followed  for  a  number  of  years,  but  in 
1832  he  decided  to  become  a  farmer,  and  with  his  family  he  emigrated  to 
Columbiana  county,  Ohio.  Five  years  later  he  came  to  Crawford  county, 
then  Richland  county,  and  bought  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  in  Auburn  township,  which  lies  on  the  corner  of  our  subject's  present 
farm.  At  different  times  in  later  years  he  purchased  other  property  and  be- 
came the  owner  of  three  farms  beside  the  one  mentioned,  one  of  which  con- 
sisted of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  another  of  eighty,  and  still  another  of 
eighty  acres. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Trago  occurred  on  January  3,  1876.  He  was  formerly 
a  Whig  in  his  political  faith,  but  later  identified  himself  with  the  Republican 
party,  which,  in  fact,  has  conserved  Whig  principles.  He  had  been  reared  in 
the  quiet  and  peaceful  religious  belief  of  the  Quakers,  and  never  departed 
from  it.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, on  January  I,  1806,  and  died  in  May,  1871.  She  had  been  reared  in 
the  Episcopal  church,  but  found  no  congregation  of  that  kind  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  her  home,  therefore  she  associated  herself  with  the  Baptist  church 
and  became  a  willing  and  consistent  worker  therein  as  long  as  she  lived. 

Our  subject  grew  up  in  a  good  home,  under  the  training  of  a  most  es- 
timable father  and  mother.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  common 
schools,  and  his  recollections  are  very  vivid  of  the  old  pioneer  log  school 
house,  with  its  slab  benches,  etc.  He  continued  to  work  on  the  farm  with  his 
father  until  the  date  of  his  marriage,  October  21.  1866,  at  which  time  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Nancy  A.  Mount.  She  was  a  native  of  Cass  township,  Rich- 
land county,  and  she  was  the  daughter  of  James  Mount,  who  was  a  native 
of  Ireland.  To  this  union  four  children  were  born,  viz.:  Fannie,  who  is  a 
teacher  in  the  New  Washington  schools,  filling  her  sixth  term  in  this  school ; 
Justus  J.,  who  is  a  civil  engineer,  in  the  employ  of  the  chief  engineer's  office  of 
jthe  Richland  &  Mahoning  Railroad  at  Akron,  Ohio;  Andrew  E.,  who  has 
passed  away ;  and  John  Henry,  who  met  his  death  in  a  sawmill  by  being  thrown 
against  the  saw. 

Following  his  marriage  Mr.  Trago  rented  the  farm  which  he  occupies 
from  his  father,  and  at  the  latter' s  death  he  purchased  the  property  from  the 
other  heirs  and  since  that  time  this  has  been  the  pleasant  and  comfortable 


44Q  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

family  home.  In  politics  Mr.  Trago  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  sought 
office.  His  mother  brought  him  up  in  the  Baptist  church,  but  he  has  never 
become  a  member  of  any  religious  denomination,  attending  the  Lutheran 
church  with  his  wife,  and  teaching  in  their  Sunday-school,  exerting  thus  an 
influence  in  the  direction  of  morality  that  but  adds  to  the  high  esteem  in  which 
he  is  held  in  the  community.  On  February  9,  1892,  Mrs.  Trago  passed  out 
of  life  and  left  behind  a  deeply  bereaved  family  and  a  wide  circle  of  sorrowing 
friends. 

JOSEPH  GLEDHILL. 

Joseph  Gledhill,  of  Jefferson  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  a  plain, 
unassuming  man  and  a  wealthy  and  progressive  farmer,  whose  neighbors  say 
that  his  farm  is  in  many  respects  the  best  in  that  township,  was  born  near 
Little  Beaver,  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Mitchell) 
Gledhill,  April  2,  1832.  His  father  was  a  native  of  the  north  of  England, 
and  his  good  wife  bore  him  eleven  children,  eight  of  whom  grew  to  man- 
hood and  womanhood.  Elizabeth,  the  first  born,  married  David  Snyder  and 
she  and  her  husband  are  both  dead.  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Perry  Russell,  of 
Middletown,  Ohio.  Esther,  who  was  the  wife  of  John  Shoemaker,  is  dead. 
Martha,  who  married  Colonel  Calvin  Burwell,  is  dead.  Sarah  is  the  wife  of 
Henry  Castle,  of  Jefferson  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio.  Joseph,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  John  is  dead.  Will- 
iam lives  on  his  father's  old  homestead  in  Jefferson  township.  The  father  of 
these  children  came  to  America  in  1826  and  located  in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  put  a  woolen  mill  in  operation.  He  had  brought  quite  a  sum  of 
money  with  him  to  America  from  England,  but  because  of  over-confidence  in 
some  people  with  whom  he  dealt  he  failed  in  business  in  Trumbull  county, 
in  1832.  By  means  of  a  one-horse  wagon  he  removed  to  Crawford  county, 
where  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  some  improvements  had 
been  made,  for  eighty  dollars.  Pie  lived  in  a  small  house  of  round  logs, 
which  stood  on  the  place,  and  not  knowing  anything  about  farming  he  busied 
himself  at  cutting  down  trees  and  chopping  them  up  into  cord  wood,  which 
he  piled  up  on  his  land  and  sold,  when  occasion  offered,  to  such  advantage  as 
was  possible,  and  thus  he  was  employed  mostly  for  several  years.  He  died 
there  in  1868,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years,  and  his  wife  lived  on  the  home- 
stead farm  until  1886,  when  she  died,  aged  eighty-four  years. 

When   his   parents   removed   to   Jefferson   township,    Crawford   county, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  441 

Ohio,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  about  six  mouths  old.  He  grew  up  amid 
the  most  primitive  surroundings,  helping  to  clear  land  and  raise  crops  and 
availing  himself  of  such  scanty  educational  facilities  as  the  locality  afforded. 
In  1858,  when  he  was  twenty-six  years  old,  he  married  Elizabeth  Hershner. 
The  following  items  of  information  concerning  their  children  will  add  to  the 
interest  of  this  sketch :  William  and  Edward  are  both  dead.  The  eldest 
daughter,  Delia,  is  the  wife  of  J.  Stough,  of  Gabon,  Ohio.  Minnie  is  the  wife 
of  J.  G.  Brown,  of  Covington,  Kentucky.  Myrtie  married  R.  C.  Tracht,  a 
lawyer,  and  lives  at  Gabon,  Ohio.  Matie  is  the  wife  of  James  Morton,  ticket 
agent  for  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  Company, 
at  Mt.  Gilead,  Ohio.  Kittie  is  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Schaber,  of  Henry  county, 
Ohio.  Arthur  married  Alma  Farrell  and  lives  in  Jefferson  township,  Craw- 
ford count)',  Ohio.  Mack  married  Verna  Beck  and  is  a  farmer  in  Jefferson 
township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Gledhill  bought  and  moved  upon  the  place  in 
Jefferson  township,  Crawford  county,  which  is  now  his  home  farm.  He  now 
owns  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  most  of  it  well  improved  and  very  pro- 
ductive, well  equipped  with  all  necessary  buildings,  appliances  and  utensils, 
,-i  farm  which  by  common  consent  is  conceded  to  be  for  all  practical  purposes 
the  finest  in  the  township.  Mr.  Gledhill  is  a  Republican  and  has  held  the 
office  of  township  trustee  for  seven  years. 

DAVID  M.   PEPPARD. 

One  of  the  prominent  railroad  engineers  on  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  "Wayne 
&  Chicago  Railroad,  now  living  in  Crestline.  Ohio,  has  been  in  the  service  of 
that  company  through  a  very  long  period  and  is  one  of  its  most  faithful  and 
trustworthy  employes.  He  was  born  near  Mansfield,  Richland  count}',  Ohio, 
December  25,  1834.  His  father,  Francis  Peppard,  was  a  native  of  Beaver 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  when  about  twelve  years  of  age  became  a  resident 
of  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  whither  he  went  with  his  parents.  There  he  was 
reared,  and  from  an  early  age  he  followed  the  plasterer's  trade.  Removing 
to  Mansfield,  he  carried  on  business  along  that  line  through  a  length v  period. 
There  he  married  Miss  Alary  Ann  Morrison,  a  native  of  Crawford  county, 
Pennsylvania.  Her  parents,  however,  were  born  in  Ireland,  and,  crossing  the 
Atlantic  to  the  new  world,  settled  on  French  creek,  Crawford  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, whence  they  afterward  removed  to  Richland  county,  Ohio,  casting 
in  their  lot  with  the  early  settlers  there.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peppard  began  their 


442  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

domestic  life  in  Mansfield,  Ohio,  but  after  a  short  time  the  father  purchased 
land  where  our  subject  now  resides.  The  place  was  then  a  part  of  Richland 
county,  but  this  portion  of  the  state  has  since  been  placed  in  Crawford  county. 
After  carrying  on  agricultural  pursuits  for  a  number  of  years  the  father  sold 
the  farm  and  removed  to  Crestline,  where  he  died  when  more  than  seventy- 
eight  years  of  age.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county  and  cleared  and 
improved  ninety  acres  of  land  where  the  son  now  makes  his  home.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  first  a  Freesoiler,  and  when  James  G.  Birney  became  a  candidate 
of  the  Abolition  party  for  the  office  of  president  he  gave  him  his  support. 
Later,  when  the  Republican  party  was  formed  to  prevent  the  further  extension 
of  slavery,  he  joined  its  ranks.  He  held  membership  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  although  reared  in  the  Presbyterian  faith.  His  wife  also,  be- 
longed to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  She  lived  to  be  only  thirty-six 
years  of  age.  Their  children,  twoi  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  reached  ma- 
ture years  and  all  are  yet  living,  David  M.,  of  this  review,  being  the  eldest. 
The  others  are  Margaret  Ann,  wife  of  J.  J.  Talbott ;  Eliza  Jane,  the  wife  of 
E.  L.  McLaughlin,  engineer  on  the  Great  Northern  railroad;  William,  who  is 
engineer  on  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  road;  and  Lydia  A.,  the 
wife  of  Jerome  Brokar,  a  laundryman  of  Elyria,  Ohio. 

David  M.  Peppard  was  only  about  a  year  old  when  his  parents  removed 
to  Crawford  county,  where  he  pursued  his  education  in  the  district  schools. 
He  worked  on  the  home  farm  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  then  took  up 
railroad  work,  being  first  employed  at  shoveling  dirt  on  the  Sandusky,  Mans- 
field £.  Newark  line.  After  thirteen  and  a  half  days  spent  in  that  way  he  was 
made  brakeman  on  the  same  road.  This  was  in  the  year  1852.  He  afterward 
became  a  fireman,  and  on  the  15th  of  August,  1853,  he  entered  the  service  of 
the  Pennsylvania  &  Ohio  Railroad  Company  as  car  inspector,  and  in  April, 
1854,  was  made  brakeman  on  a  passenger  train  running  between  Crestline  and 
Pittsburg.  The  following  year  he  was  transferred  to  the  position  of  fireman 
on  the  same  road,  and  acted  in  that  capacity  until  November,  1859,  when  he 
was  promoted  to  engineer  on  a  freight  train  running  from  Crestline  to  Alli- 
ance, Ohio.  On  the  15th  of  August,  1873,  he  took  charge  of  a  roundhouse 
as  foreman,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  April  18,  1882,  when  he  became 
master  mechanic  in  the  Crestline  shops,  thus  serving-  until  February,  1890, 
when  he  again  wrent  upon  the  road  as  engineer  on  a  passenger  train  running 
between  Crestline  and  Alliance.  He  worked  in  that  way  until  November, 
1897.  since  which  time  he  has  run  a  shifting  engine  in  the  Crestline  yard. 
He  is  one  of  the  oldest  employes  of  the  Pennsylvania  road,  and  his  long  con- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  443 

nection  therewith  indicates  in  an  unmistakable  manner  the  trust  reposed  in 
him  as  well  as  his  fidelity  and  close  application  to  duty. 

In  February,  1856,  Mr.  Peppard  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Maria. 
A.  Hoffman,  a  native  of  Richland  county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Nathan 
and  Electa  (  Parrott)  Hoffman.  They  have  become  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren: Mary,  now  the  wife  of  G.  P.  Welshons,  a  farmer  of  Crawford  county; 
Kate,  who  married  J.  P.  Brown,  formerly  an  engineer  in  Crestline;  Frank,  de- 
ceased ;  William,  who  is  married  and  lives  in  Crestline ;  Grant,  a  machinist 
in  the  time  works  at  Shelby,  Ohio;  Edwin,  who  follows  the  painter's  trade  in 
Crestline;  and  Harry  and  Samuel,  at  home.  Mr.  Peppard  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to-  lodge  No.  2/2,  of  Crestline.  He  also  holds 
membership  relations  with  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers  and  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  trustee  for  some 
time,  filling  the  office  in  a  commendable  manner  and  doing  everything  in  his 
power  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  church  and  the  cause  it  represents. 
His  father  voted  for  William  Henry  Harrison  in  1840  and  Mr.  Peppard  has 
ever  since  been  a  stanch  Republican.  Pie  began  voting  in  Crestline  when 
only  fifty  Republican  votes  were  cast  in  the  town.  His  first  presidential  bal- 
lot supported  John  C.  Fremont ;  twice  he  voted  for  Lincoln  and  twice  for 
Grant,  and  never  has  he  failed  to  indicate  his  political  preferences  at  a  presi- 
dential election  by  casting  a  ballot  for  the  candidates  of  his  choice.  He  owns 
and  occupies  a  little  farm  of  fourteen  acres  near  Crestline,  and  it  is  cultivated 
under  his  supervision.  He  has  long  resided  in  the  city  and  is  well  kno'vn  as 
a  capable  and  prominent  representative  of  railway  interests. 


CHARLES  A.  BROWN. 

One  of  the  most  substantial,  intelligent  and  highly  respected  citizens  of 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  who  owns  a  large  acreage  of  valuable  land  in  San- 
dusky township,  where  he  is  also  a  leader  in  political  and  social  circles,  is 
Charles  A.  Brown,  who  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  on  November 
13,  1 83 1.  He  was  a  son  of  John  and  Rosanna  ( Gruber)  Brown,  who  be- 
came the  parents  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the 
only  survivor. 

Both  John  and  Rosanna  Brown,  the  parents  of  our  subject,  were  born  in  % 
Wurtemberg,  the  former  in  1790  and  the  latter  in    1795,    and    there    they 
grew  to  maturity  and  were  united  in  marriage.     The  father  was  a  soldier 


444  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

in  the  Russian  war,  under  King'  Frederic,  of  Wittenberg,  and  was,  in  fact, 
one  of  his  body-guard.  In  1832  John  Brown  decided  to  emigrate  to  America, 
in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  secure  lands  for  his  children,  and  preparations 
were  made  for  the  long  journey,  and  landing  was  finally  made  in  Xew  York 
City,  after  a  long  and  stormy  voyage  of  sixty-two  days.  With  his  wife  and 
six  children,  our  subject  then  being  a  child  of  six  months,  Mr.  Brown  started 
westward,  making  the  trip  from  New  York  to  Albany  by  the  river,  thence 
by  canal  to  Buffalo  and  thence  to  Cleveland  via  the  lakes.  Here  they  secured 
teams  and  proceeded  to  Columbiana  county,  where  they  passed  their  first 
winter.  Determining  to  proceed  farther  west,  the  father  bought  three  yoke  of 
cattle  and  a  wagon,  and  thus  the  family  came,  as  did  many  another,  into 
Crawford  county.  When  the  party  reached  the  Wyandot  Indian  reservation 
it  then  turned  back,  locating  in  Sandusky  township,  where  Mr.  Brown  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  in  section  13,  that  being  the  same  farm  now  oc- 
cupied by  the  widow  of  Christian  Brown.  Upon  this  land  Mr.  Brown  settled 
and  made  it  his  home  until  his  death,  in  1856.  After  locating  on  this  land  he 
entered  three  tracts  of  eight)'  acres  each,  in  Chatfield  township,  with  the  idea 
of  thus  providing  for  his  children,  but  shortly  afterward  he  sold  those  tracts 
and  bought  extensive  lands  in  Mercer  county,  which  in  course  of  time  he  di- 
vided among  his  children,  whose  welfare  he  always  had  at  heart.  Mr.  Brown 
was  a  most  worthy  and  consistent  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church 
and  contributed  largely  to  its  spread  and  support.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject died  in  1886,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one  years. 

Charles  A.  Brown,  of  this  biography,  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and 
attended  school  in  the  little  log  school  house  of  pioneer  times.  Although  he 
was  handicapped  at  first  by  his  inability  to  either  speak  or  understand  any- 
thing' but  the  German  tongue,  he  was  very  apt  and  soon  improved  and  later 
became  well  educated,  and  is  now  one  of  the  intelligent  and  leading  men  of 
the  county.  \\  hen  he  was  about  twenty  years  of  age,  by  the  marriage  of  his 
brother,  Christian,  the  charge  of  the  farm  was  given  into  his  hands,  and 
our  subject  began  his  own  career  outside  the  home  limits.  Farm  work  in  the 
neighborhood  was  easy  to  find,  and  other  occupations  presented  themselves, 
so  that  he  was  kept  quite  busy,  until  he  was  given  his  farm  in  Mercer  county. 
This  consisted  of  eighty  acres  of  unimproved  land  and  our  subject  decided 
to  wait  until  a  favorable  oportunity  came  to  make  an  exchange,  and  in  1856 
he  was  able  to  trade  his  Mercer  county  farm  for  eighty  acres  in  Lykens  town- 
ship. This  land  he  retained  until  i860,  and  then  sold  it  advantageously  and 
bought  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Sandusky  township  where  he  now 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  445 

resides.     Unil  1871  he  rented  his  farm,  since  which  time  it  has  been  the  fam- 
ily heme. 

In  1871  Mr.  Brown  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lovina  Easterday, 
a  native  of  Chatfield  township  and  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Easterday,  who  was 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  county,  coming  here  from  Germany.  After 
his  marriage  our  subject  and  wife  settled  on  his  farm,  to'  which  he  has  since 
made  many  additions,  until  now  it  comprises  three  hundred  and  ten  acres  and 
is  finely  improved.  Mr.  Brown  has  engaged  extensively  in  the  breeding  of 
Shorthorn  cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs,  and  is  just  making  a  trial  of  the 
new  breed  of  cattle  known  as  the  Aberdeen,  there  being  but  few  of  these 
yet  in  the  county.  His  operations  both  in  cattle  and  stock-raising,  as  well  as  in 
farming,  have  proved  very  successful,  and  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
substantial  citizens  of  Crawford  county. 

A  family  of  twelve  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown. 
and  nine  of  these  still  survive,  several  of  them  located  in  this  or  neighboring 
townships,  while  the  others  still  remain  under  the  home  roof.  Their  names 
are  as  follows:  Willis  L.,  a  farmer  of  this  township;  Charles  Elburtis.  of 
Broken  Sword,  in  Holmes  township;  Milton  F.,  at  home;  Waldo  F.,  a  teacher 
and  pursuing  a  course  in  Heidelberg  University,  Tiffin,  Ohio;  and  Carl  A., 
Floyd  E.,  Dora  G.,  Edson  J.  and  Samuel  E.  are  all  at  home. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  stanch  Republican  at  present,  having  become  so  within 
the  past  few  years,  and  has  efficiently  served  four  years  as  township  trustee. 
His  fellow  citizens  desired  to  honor  him  with  the  offices  of  justice  of  the  peace 
and  assessor,  but  met  with  his  refusal  to  fill  these,  the  only  other  office  that  he 
accepted  being  that  of  treasurer.  Fie  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  is  one  of  the  most  influential  men  in  this  part  of  Crawford  count}', 
and  well  represents  its  best  interests. 

FREDERICK  LUST. 

Among  the  settlers  who  came  to  Crawford  county  in  pioneer  days  and 
were  long  identified  with  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  this  portion  of 
the  state,  and  none  have  been  more  highly  respected  or  more  worthy  of  high 
regard  than  the  Rev.  Frederick  Lust,  who  not  only  gave  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  but  also  devoted  much  of  his  time  through  forty  years  to 
the  work  of  preaching  the  gospel  as  a  minister  of  the  Pietist  church.  He 
was  born  in  Wurtemberg',  Germany,  in  181 5,  and  with  his  father,  John  David 
Lust,  he  came  to  America  in  1820,  crossing  the  ocean  on  one  of  the  old-time 


446  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

sailing  vessels,  which  required  weeks  to  make  the  passage.  On  reaching  the 
shores  of  the  new  world  the  father  brought  his  family  to  Ohio,  and  first 
located  in  Marion  county,  and  ten  years  later  coming  to  Crawford  county. 
From  that  time  forward  until  his  death  Frederick  Lust  was  a  resident  of  this 
county.  He  lived  in  Lykens  township  and  there  he  purchased  a  tract  of  wild 
land,  which  he  transformed  into  a  productive  farm. 

As  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  the  journey  of  life  Mr.  Lust  chose 
Sophia  Beak  and  unto  them  were  born  nine  children :  Samuel,  now  de- 
ceased; Lydia,  the  wife  of  Frederick  Heiber,  of  Liberty  township;  Sophia, 
the  wife  of  Martin  Durr,  by  whom  she  had  three  children;  Benjamin,  de- 
ceased ;  Louisa,  who  married  Charles  Lindner,  of  Valparaiso,  Indiana ;  Su- 
san, deceased;  Emanuel,  who  is  living  in  Holmes  township;  Isaac,  who  has 
passed  away;  and  Nathaniel,  who  resides  at  Sulphur  Springs,  Ohio.  For  his 
second  wife  Rev.  Mr.  Lust  chose  Dorothy  Gross. 

Throughout  his  active  business  career  he  carried  on  farming,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  was  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  valuable 
land,  for  as  time  passed  he  made  judicious  investments  of  his  earnings  and 
thus  gained  a  valuable  property.  He  was  also1  the  first  minister  of  the  Pietist 
church  in  this  locality  and  for  forty  years  gave  much  time,  energy  and  con- 
secrated thought  to  the  work  of  helping  his  fellow  men  to  walk  in  the  path 
pointed  out  by  the  Savior.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  served  as 
school  director  and  trustee  of  his  township.  He  took  an  active  interest  in 
educational  affairs  and  in  all  movements  tending  to  benefit  the  community. 
By  precept  and  example  he  labored  for  the  cause  of  the  church,  and  his  in- 
fluence was  very  marked.  His  memory  remains  as  a  benediction  to  all  who 
knew  this  worthy  and  upright  pioneer. 


JOHN  LEONHART. 

Enterprise  and  determination  have  formed  the  foundation  upon  which 
the  success  of  Mr.  Leonhart  has  been  builded.  He  is  to-day  numbered 
among  the  leading  agriculturists  of  the  county,  wide-awake,  progressive  and 
enterprising,  and  his  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  with  its  many 
excellent  improvements,  is  a  monument  to  his  labor  and  resolution. 

Mr.  Leonhart  is  a  native  of  Stark  county,  Ohio,  his  birth  having  occurred 
near  Canton,  on  the  4th  of  October,  1834,  his  parents  being  George  and  Mar- 
garet (Capst)  Leonhart.     Both  were  natives  of  Alsace,  Germany.     They  be- 


o 
o 

B  g 

B   Q 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  449 

came  the  parents  of  six  children,  the  eldest  being  the  subject  of  this  review. 
The  others  are  Catherine,  the  widow  of  Conrod  Hammer;  Elizabeth,  the 
wife  of  Adam  Reichard,  of  Chatfield  township ;  George,  who  is  living  in 
Kansas;  Adam,  also  of  Chatfield  township;  and  Adolpb,  who  makes  his 
home  in  Virginia.  In  the  year  1832  George  Leonhart,  the  father  of  this 
family,  came  to  America,  landing  on  the  shores  of  the  new  world  after  a 
voyage  of  forty  days.  He  settled  in  Stark  count}',  Ohio,  where  he  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  made  his  home  until  March, 
1837,  when  he  came  to  Crawford  count}-,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Chatfield 
township.  Here  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  of  which 
only  five  acres  had  been  cleared,  while  a  log  cabin  constituted  the  improve- 
ments that  had  been  made  in  the  shape  of  buildings.  He  cleared  and  im- 
proved that  farm  and  as  the  years  passed  added  to  his  property  until  at  one 
time  he  owned  seven  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land.  He  died  in  1886,  in  the 
seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  served  as  one  of  its 
trustees  and  took  an  active  interest  in  its  work.  His  widow  still  survives 
him  and  is  now  eighty-seven  years  of  age. 

John  Leonhart  was  not  quite  four  years  of  age  when  brought  by  his 
parents  to  Chatfield  township  and  here  he  has  since  resided.  His  boyhood 
and  youth  were  passed  in  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  of  the  period. 
working  in  the  fields  through  the  summer  months,  while  in  the  winter  sea- 
son he  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools.  When  twenty-four  years 
of  age  he  rented  land  from  his  father  and  continued  its  cultivation  for  ten 
years.  He  then  purchased  forty  acres  of  his  present  farm,  to  which  he  has 
added  from  time  to  time  until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres.  He  has  made  many  fine  improvements  upon  the  place,  and  all 
modern  conveniences  and  accessories  are  there  found,  including  the  latest  im- 
proved machinery,  substantial  buildings  and  high  grades  of  stock,  while  his 
fields  return  to>  him  good  crops. 

In  October,  1857,  Air.  Leonhart  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Acker- 
man,  and  unto  them  have  been  born  eight  children  :  Catherine  M.,  Jefferson, 
George  W.,  William  A.,  Matilda.  Gustavus  A.,  Caroline  E.,  and  Emma. 
Tillie  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Foster;  Callie  married  George  Marquart.  and 
Emma  is  the  wife  of  William  Gangluff.  The  family  is  one  widely  and  fa- 
vorably known  in  the  community  and  the  members  of  the  household  have  a 
large  circle  of  friends.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Leonhart  is  a  stalwart- 
Democrat  and  for  ten  years  he  has  served  as  trustee  of  his  township,  dis- 

24 


45o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

charging  his  duties  in  a  most  prompt  and  efficient  manner.  He  belongs  to 
the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  and  his  straightforward  life  is  in 
harmony  with  his  professions. 

THEODORE  F.  POPE. 

The  well-known  farmer  of  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
whose  name  is  the  title  of  this  sketch,  is  a  worthy  example  of  that  class  so 
numerous  in  America,  that  of  the  self-made  men,  and  it  is  the  aim  of  the  writer 
to  include  in  this  work  a  brief  account  of  his  career  not  alone  because  it  is 
due  to  Mr.  Pope  that  he  should  be  properly  represented  in  these  pages  but  also 
in  the  hope  that  others,  reading  of  his  success,  may  be  encouraged  to  surmount 
obstacles  and  press  forward  more  bravely  along  the  hard  but  promising  path- 
way of  life. 

Theodore  F.  Pope  was  born  in  Delaware,  Ohio,  March  30,  1845.  At  the 
age  of  five  years  he  was  taken  to  Williams  county,  Ohio,  where  he  lived  until 
he  was  fifteen  years  old,  when  his  mother  died.  He  then  went  to  Mansfield, 
Ohio1,  and  found  a  home  with  his  uncle,  J.  H.  Barron,  with  whom  he  lived 
two  years.  Then,  in  1862,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  he  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate in  the  Tenth  Ohio  Cavalry  and  entered  upon  a  career  as  a  soldier  under 
the  gallant  General  Kilpatrick.  His  first  experience  of  battle  was  at  Snow 
Hill.  He  afterward  fought  at  Shelbyville,  and  under  Sherman  participated 
in  that  distinguished  officer's  celebrated  march  to  the  sea,  enduring  many 
hardships  and  taking  part  in  many  desperate  sorties  and  hotly-contested  en- 
gagements.    He  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  service  August  9,  1865. 

After  the  war  Air.  Pope  went  to  Lykens,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  where 
for  three  years  he  was  a  clerk  in  a  store.  He  left  that  position  to  assume  the 
management  of  a  sawmill,  which  he  retained  for  one  year.  He  then  engaged 
in  farming,  which  he  has  continued  successfully  to  the  present  time.  In  1884 
he  removed  to  his  present  farm,  which  he  worked  under  lease  owe  year  and 
-which  he  bought  in  1S85.  It  contains  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  well- 
improved  and  well-cultivated  land  and  is  provided  with  a  good  residence, 
ample  barns  and  all  necessary  outbuildings.  He  gives  his  attention  to  general 
farming. 

Air.  Pope  was  married  April  23.  1868,  to  Miss  Amy  B.  Yingling,  who 
has  borne  him  six  children.  Their  daughter  Esther  is  the  wife  of  H.  B. 
Tippin,  of  Lykens,  Ohio.  Their  daughter  Rena  married  Daniel  Augenv, 
also  of  Lykens.     Their  daughter  Ada  is  the  wife  of  Michael  Geiger,  of  Chat- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  451 

field.  Their  daughter  Sanoma  married  H.  E.  Valentine,  of  Logan  county, 
Ohio.  Their  son  Clifford  J.  and  their  son  Judson  K.  are  members  of  their 
household. 

Mr.  Pope  is  a  Republican  in  political  affiliation,  and  he  is  not  without 
influence  in  the  local  councils  of  his  party.  He  has  never  been  an  office- 
seeker,  but  has  been  prevailed  upon  to  serve  his  fellow  townsmen  as  assessor 
of  Lykens  township,  to  which  office  he  has  been  twice  elected.  His  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  his  township  and  county  has  been  manifested  in  many  ways, 
and  lie  never  withholds  his  support  from  any  measure  which  he  believes  tends 
to  the  advancement  of  worthy  local  interests.  He  is  a  member  of  Lykens 
Lodge,  No.  506,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

MATTHIAS   M.    SPRINGER. 

Matthias  M.  Springer  is  an  honored  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  who  has 
made  a  great  sacrifice  for  his  country.  He  stands  to-day  among  those  to 
whom  the  nation  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  which  can  never  be  repaid.  His 
loyalty  and  valor  was  displayed  on  man}'  southern  battlefields  and  throughout 
his  entire  life  he  has  been  a  supporter  of  every  interest  which  he  believed  would 
prove  of  general  good  to  his  county,  state  and  nation.  No  history  of  Craw- 
ford county  would  be  complete  without  the  record  of  his  life,  which  we, 
therefore,  gladly  present  to  our  readers,  according  to  him  the  honor  which  is 
his  just  due. 

Mr.  Springer  was  born  in  Weller  township,  Richland  county,  on  the  15th 
of  January,  1837,  and  i§  a  son  °f  George  W.  and  Elizabeth  (  Marion  )  Springer. 
The  family  is  of  Swedish  origin  and  was  founded  in  America  by  four  brothers, 
Michael,  Peter,  William  and  Daniel,  who  crossed  the  Atlantic  from  Sweden 
in  an  early  day  and  settled  in  New  Jersey.  The  first  named  was  the  great- 
grandfather of  our  subject,  and  from  New  Jersey  he  removed  to>  Pennsylvania. 
His  son,  Matthias  Springer,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born,  accord- 
ing to  tradition,  in  the  red  stone  country  of  New  Jersey,  May  15,  1758,  and 
died  in  June,  1822.  He  was  a  personal  acquaintance  of  George  Washington, 
but  it  is  not  known  with  certainty  whether  or  not  he  served  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  George  W.  Springer,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  22,  181 1,  and  in  his  parents'  home 
spent  the  days  of  his  childhood  and  youth.  He  acquired  a  good  common- 
school  education,  and  soon  after  attaining  his  majority  emigrated  to>  Ohio, 
locating  in  Weller  township,  Richland  county,  becoming  one  of  its  pioneer 


452  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

settlers.  The  Indians  were  very  numerous  in  that  portion  of  the  state  but 
were  always  friendly.  In  Pennsylvania  Mr.  Springer  had  learned  the  trade 
of  a  tanner  and  shoemaker,  and  after  coming  to  Ohio  he  purchased  a  tan-yard, 
which  he  conducted  for  a  number  of  years.  lie  devoted  some  time  to  farming 
soon  after  his  arrival  in  the  Buckeye  state,  but  rheumatism  forced  him  to  aban- 
don this  and  he  then  actively  engaged  in  the  tanning  business,  which  he  fol- 
lowed the  greater  part  of  his  active  life.  About  a  year  after  taking  up  his 
abode  in  Richland  county,  he  was  married  on  the  19th  of  September,  1833, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Mali  on,  who  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  October 
25,  1814,  and  was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Millie  (Hitchcock)  Mahon,  both 
of  whom  were  of  Irish  extraction.  They  emigrated  to  Richland  county  in 
1818.  settling  in  Weller  township,  where  their  remaining  days  were  spent  in 
the  midst  of  pioneer  scenes,  the  red  men  being  almost  their  only  neighbors. 
At  the  time  of  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Springer  his  wife  received  as 
as  her  patrimony  forty  acres  of  forest  land,  which  the  father  of  our  subject 
cleared  and  improved.  Later,  he  purchased  an  adjoining  tract  of  fort}'  acres 
and  the  development  of  this  largely  devolved  upon  his  sons,  owing  to  the 
father's  ill  health.  After  selling  his  Richland  county  farm,  George  \Y. 
Springer  removed  to  Crawford  count}'  on  the  1st  of  April,  1865,  and  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Cranberry  township,  one  mile 
southeast  of  New  Washington,  and  here  he  and  his  wife  resided  up  to  the 
time  of  her  death.  He  passed  away  on  the  Jjd  of  November,  1889,  and  she 
was  called  to  her  final  rest  on  the  5th  of  May,  1888.  They  were  life-long 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  earnest  and  consistent  Christian 
people,  who  reared  their  children  in  that  faith  and  taught  them  habits  of  in- 
dustry and  integrity,  thus  well  fitting  them  for  the  duties  and  obligations  of 
life.  They  had  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  yet  living,  namely:  Matthias 
M.  ;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  John  Tooker,  of  Michigan:  Amelia,  Athaliah  and 
George  W.,  triplets,  the  first  named  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Hilton,  of  Tiffin,  Ohio, 
the  second  of  the  widow  of  Henry  Bender,  of  Marion,  Ohio,  while  George  re- 
sides with  his  brother  Matthias;  Nancy  M.,  who  married  William  Corrathers, 
of  Ohio  City,  Ohio;  and  Mary  M.,  the  wife  of  Sheridan  Spencer,  of  Seneca 
count}',  Ohio. 

Matthias  M.  Springer  began  his  mastery  of  the  branches  of  English  learn- 
ing in  the  common  schools  near  his  home  and  during  the  period  of  his  child- 
hood and  youth  remained  with  his  parents,  assisting  in  the  farm  work  as  he 
grew  old  and  strong  enough  to  manage  the  plow  and  the  other  agricultural 
implements.     On  attaining  his  majority  he  started  out  to  fight  the  battle  of 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  4  53 

life,  and  whatever  success  he  has  achieved  since  that  time  is  due  entirely  to  his 
own  efforts.  For  two  years  he  was  employed  in  a  stone  quarry,  and  as  op- 
portunity offered  he  secured  work  as  a  journeyman  at  the  brick  and  stone 
mason's  trade,  his  time  being  thus  passed  for  a  year.  On  the  expiration  of 
that  period  he  began  doing  contract  work  in  putting  up  post  and  rail  fences 
and  executing  various  jobs  in  carpentering,  in  which  he  was  very  successful, 
receiving  good  salaries.  On  the  nth  of  August,  1861,  however,  he  sacrificed 
all  business  opportunities  in  order  to  aid  his  country  in  her  struggle  to  pre- 
serve the  Union  intact.  He  joined  Company  M,  of  the  Second  Ohio  Cavalry, 
and  after  recruiting  for  five  months  at  Cleveland  the  regiment  was  sent  to 
Camp  Dennison  and  soon  afterward  to  Fort  Leavenworth.  After  a  short  stay 
at  that  place  the  troops  were  sent  to  Kansas  City,  and  in  that  vicinity  had  a 
sharp  skirmish  with  Ouantrell,  the  guerrilla  chief.  Next  the  regiment  was 
sent  to  Fort  Scott,  but  Mr.  Springer  remained  behind  as  an  inmate  of  the  gen- 
eral hospital  with  a  severe  case  of  inflamed  eyes,  caused  by  vaccination,  which 
had  been  administered  while  he  was  at  Camp  Dennison.  It  was  slow  to  take, 
however,  and  on  encountering  the  severe  winters  of  the  western  country  he 
contracted  a  cold  which  inflamed  his  eyes.  Through  a  scare  at  Fort  Scott  on 
the  expected  advance  of  the  Confederate  troops,  he  was  taken  to-  that  place 
with  others  ere  he  had  fully  recovered,  being  at  the  time  under  the  medical  su- 
pervision of  the  regimental  surgeon.  While  at  that  place  the  regiment  of 
twelve  companies,  finding  it  impossible  to  recruit,  formed  into  a  battalion  of 
eight  companies  and  Mr.  Springer  was  transferred  to  Company  G.  The 
troops  then  returned  to  headquarters  at  Fort  Scott  for  some  time,  and  in  the 
interval  went  on  an  Indian  expedition  to  Fort  Gibbs  and  Fort  Smith  for  two 
months,  during  which  time  there  occurred  a  two-days'  fight  at  Cain  Hill.  Mr. 
Springer  was  also1  one  of  a  company  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  chosen  as 
a  detachment  to  go*  on  an  expedition  to  Humboldt  to  suppress  the  Indian  in- 
surrections at  that  place.  There  they  met  in  council  with  seventeen  different 
tribes  of  Indians  and  matters  were  peaceably  settled. 

In  December,  1862,  as  the  regiment  were  almost  entirely  dismounted,  it 
was  called  back  to  Camp  Chase  to  recruit  and  there  was  remounted.  In  the 
follow  ing  spring  it  was  transferred  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  go- 
ing to  Somerset,  Kentucky,  were  encamped  at  that  place  for  several  weeks, 
during  which  time  the  Union  men  had  several  skirmishes  with  the  troops  of 
General  Pegrim.  After  some  weeks  passed  at  Danville  and  at  Camp  Nelson, 
they  moved  to-  Lexington,  but  there  remained  only  a  brief  period,  after  which 
they  spent  a  few  weeks  at  Stanford  and  thence  took  up  the  line  of  march  into 


454  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

eastern  Tennessee,  where  they  were  constantly  on  the  move,  either  advancing, 
driving  the  enemv  before  them,  or  retreating  for  some  weeks  up  to  the  siege 
of  Knoxville,  in  which  Mr.  Springer  took  part.  Following  this  he  went  with 
his  regiment  to  Strawberry  Plains,  where  they  went  into  winter  quarters,  and 
during  the  winter  season  the  engineer  corps  repaired  the  bridge  at  that  place. 
On  the  i st  of  January,  1864,  while  at  Strawberry  Plains,  Mr.  Springer  en- 
listed as  a  veteran  and  shortly  afterward  began  the  journey  home,  arriving 
at  Camp  Chase,  where  the  regiment  was  again  mustered  into  the  service  and 
then  granted  a  thirty-day  furlough.  On  the  expiration  of  his  leave  of  absence 
he  rejoined  his  regiment  at  Cleveland  and  was  transferred  with  Burnside  to 
the  Ninth  Corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  After  rendezvousing  for  two 
weeks  at  Annapolis,  they  took  part  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  and  sub- 
sequently the  Second  Ohio>  Cavalry  was  transferred  to  Sheridan's  Cavalry 
Corps  and  took  part  in  Wilson's  second  raid,  in  which  they  tore  up  seventv- 
two  miles  of  the  Petersburg  and  Lynchburg  Railroad.  This  movement  was 
followed  by  the  mine  explosion  at  Petersburg.  Soon  afterward  Mr.  Springer 
was  sent  to  the  hospital  at  City  Point,  trouble  with  his  eyes  incapacitating  him 
for  service,.  The  same  afternoon  the  regiment  received  orders  to>  move  to 
sWashington  city,  and  he  was  placed  on  a  boat  and  sent  through  with  his  com- 
mand. Immediately  on  his  arrival  he  was  committed  to  Camp  Stoneman  hos- 
pital, and  after  two  days  was  sent  to  the  Emory  general  hospital,  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  where  he  remained  for  over  eleven  months.  After  about  six 
months  there  passed  he  was  appointed  general  superintendent  of  the  cooking 
department,  and  by  the  war  department  was  made  a  member  of  the  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps  so  that  he  might  be  retained  in  this  position.  After  the  hos- 
pital was  broken  up  he  rejoined  his  regiment  at  Camp  Cadwalader,  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  was  made  superintendent  of  the  cooking  department  there,  act- 
ing in  that  capacity  until  September  18,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  service. 

At  the  close  of  four  long  years  spent  at  the  front  Mr.  Springer  gladly 
returned  to  his  home  and  on  the  1st  of  March,  1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Ferena  Easly,  a  native  of  Cranberry  township,  and  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Easly.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Switzerland  and  originally  spelled 
the  name  Iseli.  In  1834  he  came  to  America,  accompanied  by  his  second  wife, 
mother  of  Mrs.  Springer,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Barbara  Strauchen. 
They  were  also  accompanied  by  his  rive  children,  born  of  his  first  marriage. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Springer  has  been  blessed  with  fourteen 
children,  of  whom  twelve  are  vet  living,  namelv :     George  W '.,  who  follows 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  455 

.carpentering  in  Cleveland;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  W.  H.  Smith,  of  Fostoria, 
(Ohio;  Samuel  M.,  a  painter  and  plasterer  in  Cranberry  township;  Charles  A., 
a  carpenter  in  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Anna  A.,  wife  of  A.  S.  Nye,  of  Cranberry 
township;  Lela  F.,  wife  of  Joseph  Wolfert,  of  Cleveland;  Arthur  J.,  and  El- 
mira  M.,  at  home;  Walter  R.,  who  follows  carpentering-  in  Cleveland;  Martha 
L,  Lucy  V.  and  Effie  L.,  all  of  whom  are  still  with  their  parents. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Springer  took  up  his  abode  in  a  log  cabin,  about 
one  and  a  half  miles  west  of  the  present  home,  where  he  resided  for  eighteen 
months,  during  which  period  he  followed  any  respectable  employment  that  he 
could  secure.  He  then  went  to  Ottawa  county ,  Ohio,  where  he  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  timber  land  and  erected  a  log  house  and  a  log  barn,  making 
his  home  upon  that  place  for  six  years.  Again  he  had  trouble  with  his  eyes, 
which  prevented  him  from  working,  and  in  consequence  he  sold  his  farm  and 
returned  to  Crawford  county.  Here  he  purchased  the  south  half  of  the  old 
homestead  and  lived  there  for  six  years.  In  1881,  however,  he  sold  that  prop- 
erty and  purchased  his  present  home  farm  of  eight}-  acres,  upon  which  he  has 
resided  through  two  decades.  About  t88o  his  eyesight  began  failing  so  that 
at  times  of  a  period  of  several  weeks  he  would  be  totally  blind,  and  soon  after 
his  removal  to  his  present  home  he  lost  the  entire  use  of  his  eyes.  It  was  cer- 
tainly a  great  sacrifice  he  made  to  his  country,  for  it  was  during  his  service 
as  a  defender  of  the  Union  that  the  trouble  was  incurred  which  ultimately  re- 
sulted in  blindness. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Springer  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  for  some 
years  after  his  return  from  the  war  he  served  as  supervisor  and  as  school  di- 
rector, but  his  blindness  compelled  him  to  give  up  active  participation  in  such 
work.  He  and  his  wife  were  consistent  and  prominent  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  and  the  family  is  one  of  prominence  in  the  community. 
Mr.  Springer  is  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  this  part  of  the 
state. 

JACOB  C.  MIELIMITER. 

Although  Switzerland  is  one  of  the  smallest  of  the  countries  of  Europe, 
it  has  furnished  some  valuable  citizens  to  the  new  world.  Of  that  country 
Mr.  Millimiter  is  a  native,  his  birth  having  there  occurred  on  the  7th  of  May, 
1849.,  His  education  was  obtained  in  its  public  schools,  and  the  first  nineteen 
years  of  his  life  were  passed  in  his  native  land,  after  which  he  bade  adieu 
to  friends  and  home  and  sailed  for  the  United  States.  Having  arrived  on  the 
Atlantic  seaboard  he  started  westward  and  first  took  up  his  abode  in  Van  Wert 


456  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

county,  Ohio,  where  he  began  working  with  his  father,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained until  he  had  attained  his  majority,  when  he  started  out  in  life  for 
himself-.  He  was  employed  as  a  farm  hand  by  the  month  and  thus  obtained  a 
start  in  the  business  world.  The  year  1876  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Craw- 
ford count)',  and  for  three  years  thereafter  he  worked  on  a  farm. 

Mr.  Millimiter  was  then  married,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Mary 
Smith,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  William,  who  is  yet  at  home  with  his  par- 
ents. At  the  time  of  their  marriage  Mr.  Millimiter  began  operating  land  on 
the  shares.  He  went  to  Cranberry  township,  where  he  remained  for  eight 
years,  and  then  came  to  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides  and  which  has 
been  his  home  continuously  since  1896.  He  now  owns  one  hundred  and  six 
acres  of  land.  This  is  an  arable  tract  and  the  well  tilled  fields  bring  forth 
good  harvests,  for  he  raises  the  grains  best  adapted  to  this  climate  and  care- 
fully cultivates  his  land.  He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Reformed  church, 
and  his  life  is  consistent  with  his  religious  faith.  Whatever  success  he  has 
achieved  is  due  entirely  to  his  own  efforts  and  his  enterprise  and  energy  will 
enable  him  to  gain  still  greater  prosperity  in  the  future. 

FREDERICK  W.  MAY. 

One  of  the  leading  and  representative  citizens  of  Tiro,  Ohio,  is  Frederick 
W.  May,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  biography.  He  was  born  in  Liberty 
township,  Crawford  county,  on  June  1  I,  1862,  and  is  one  of  a  family  of  seven 
children  born  to  Louis  and  Sophia  (Krebs)  May. 

Louis  May,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  on 
May  8,  1828,  a  son  of  Louis  and  Fredericka  (Schaeffer)  May,  and  was  one 
of  a  family  of  ten  children,  four  of  whom  still  survive,  these  being:  Louis,  the 
father  of  our  subject;  William,  who  operates  the  home  farm  in  Bavaria; 
George  and  Rinehart.  both  of  whom  are  residents  of  Boston,  Massachusetts. 
The  grandparents  of  our  subject  were  born  and  spent  their  whole  lives  in  Ba- 
varia, where  the  grandfather  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  and  the  grand- 
mother at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  Louis  May  grew  to  manhood  on 
his  father's  farm  and  obtained  an  excellent  education  in  the  German  schools, 
and  still  retains  the  language  of  the  Fatherland. 

In  1853  Mr.  Louis  May  started  for  America,  in  company  with  many  oth- 
ers from  his  own  land,  among  these  being  the  lady  who  later  became  his  wife. 
After  a  voyage  of  thirty-five  days  the  party  landed  in  New  York,  about  the 
middle  of  October.      Mr.   May  went  immediately  to  Boston,   Massachusetts, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  457 

where  his  brother-in-law  resided.  He  was  the  well-known  Daniel  Shales,  who 
carried  on  a  large  cabinet-making  business,  employing  seventy-five  men,  and 
under  his  instruction  Mr.  May  in  time  became  a  finished  workman  in  that 
trade,  serving  a  full  apprenticeship  and  later  working  with  him  as  a  journev- 

^In  i8So  Mr.  May  married  Miss  Sophia  Krebs,  who  was  born  in  Bavaria 
also  and  who  was  a  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Christiana  (Weibel  Krebs, 
who  followed  her  to  America  in  the  following  year,  locating  with  their  son 
in  Osceola,  in  Crawford  county,  where  their  last  years  were  spent.  A  family 
of  seven  children  was  born  to  Louis  May  and  wife,  the  six  survivors  being: 
Anna  who  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Ulmer.  of  Sandusky  township,  in  this  county ; 
Louis,  who  conducts  the  home  farm;  George,  who  is  also  at  home;  Frederick 
W.,  who  resides  in  Tiro;  Elizabeth,  who  is  the  wife  of  Philip  Bender,  of  San- 
dnskv  township ;  and  Emma,  who  is  at  home. 

In  the  spring  of  1861  Mr.  May,  with  his  wife  and  thre  children,  came  to 
Crawford  county  and  settled  on  a  farm  of  forty  acres  which  he  had  purchased 
in  Liberty  township,  near  Sulphur  Springs,  prior  to  his  removal  to  the  county. 
More  land  was  added  to  the  farm,  making  it  contain  fifty-five  acres,  and  here 
Mr  May  and  his  family  resided  until  1877,  when  he  sold  that  place  and  bought 
his  present  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  six  acres  in  Vernon  township,  which 
has  been  his  home  ever  since. 

In  political  matters  Air.  May  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  and  both  he 
and  his  wife  have  been  active  members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  are  among 
the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  the  county. 

Frederick  W.  May  was  sent  to  school  and  grew  up  on  the  farm,  acquiring 
an  education  both  mentally  and  physically,  and  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  his  marriage,  on  December  2S,  1894.  to  Miss  Sidney  Carmichael. 
She  was  a  native  of  Richland  county,  Ohio,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Franklin 
Carmichael.  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Richland  county. 

\fter  marriage  our  subject  located  in  Tiro,  where  for  many  years  his 
capable  wife  had  conducted  a  successful  millinery  business,  and  in  the  following 
year  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  line.  On  account  of  his  business  qualifications 
as  well  as  his  pleasant  and  courteous  manner,  Mr.  May  soon  built  up  a  large 
trade  and  is  now  one  of  the  leading  men  in  his  line  in  the  city.  In  politics  he  has 
alwavs  been  a  Democrat  and  at  present  is  faithfully  filling  the  office  of  town 
treasurer  Socially  he  is  connected  with  the  order  K.  of  P.,  Lodge  No,  592. 
of  Tiro,  m  which  he  takes  an  active  interest.  Mrs.  May  has  long  been  one  of 
the  consistent  members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  which  he  also    attends    and 


458  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

most  cheerfully  assists  in  supporting.  They  occupy  one  of  the  most  comfortable 
and  attractive  residences  of  the  place  and  there  dispense  a  liberal  hospitality  to 
their  many  friends.  Mr.  May  is  known  as  one  of  the  broad-minded,  progres- 
sive men  of  the  community  and  as  one  ever  ready  to  do  his  part  in  advancing, 
the  interests  of  the  town. 

FRANK  WECHTER. 

Men  of  strong  purpose,  marked  individuality,  enterprise  and  diligence 
have  no  need  to  complain  of  life,  for  to  such  success  always  vouchsafes  a  re- 
ward, and  from  humble  position  to  a  place  of  affluence  they  rise  through  their 
own  efforts.  Of  this  class  is  Frank  Wechter  a  representative,  and  among  the 
more  prominent  citizens  of  Crawford  county  he  well  deserves  mention. 

A  native  of  Rochester,  New  York,  he  was  born  May  17,  1838.  His  father 
George  Wechter,  was  born  in  France  in  1806.  and  there  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade.  Ere  leaving  his  native  country  he  wedded  Frances  Heartrick, 
and  after  the  birth  of  their  eldest  child  they  came  to  the  United  States,  locat- 
ing in  Rochester,  where  the  father  worked  at  various  occupations  until  he  had 
accumulated  a  few  hundred  dollars,  when  he  purchased  a  small  place  near 
Rochester — a  tract  of  seven  acres,  upon  which  he  made  his  home  until  1853,. 
when  he  came  to  Ohio  and  bought  eight}'  acres  of  land  in  Chatfield  township. 
Here  he  lived  for  some  years,  when  he  sold  that  property  and  became  the 
owner  of  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Cranberry  township,  that  is  now  occu- 
pied by  his  son  Frank.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church,  a  Demo- 
crat in  political  faith.,  and  died  in  1884,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  Unto 
him  and  his  wife  were  born  seven  children,  the  surviving  members  of  the  fam- 
ily being:  George;  Alary  A.,  the  wife  of  Peter  Miller,  of  Grand  Rapids, 
Michigan;  Jacob,  of  Allen  county,  Indiana;  Joseph,  a  florist  o<f  Rochester, 
Xew  York;  and  Frank,  of  this  review.     Frances  and  Henry  are  now  deceased. 

When  fifteen  years  of  age  Frank  Wechter  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  removal  to  Crawford  county.  Prior  to  this  time  he  had  attended  the 
German  school  o<f  Rochester,  with  the  exception  of  one  winter,  and  after  com- 
ing to  this  locality  he  resumed  his  studies  in  the  English  schools.  When  he 
had  arrived  at  man's  estate  he  began  cultivating  the  home  farm  on  the  shares 
and  throughout  the  period  of  his  active  business  career  has  carried  on  agricul- 
tural pursuits. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1862,  Mr.  Wechter  led  to  the  marriage  altar  Miss 
Mary  Heydinger,  a  native  of  Loraine,  France,  and  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  459 

John  Adam  Heydinger,  who  came  to  Crawford  county  in  1850,  settling  in 
Cranberry  township,  where  he  remained  until  his  death.  In  1867,  with  his 
family  and  parents,  Mr.  Wechter  came  to  Cranberry  township,  buying  in  part- 
nership one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which  he  managed  and  conducted 
until  1875,  when  he  purchased  his  father's  interest  in  the  farm,  his  parents, 
however,  continuing  to>  reside  with  him  until  they  departed  this  life. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wechter  was  blessed  with  nine  children:  Au- 
gust and  John,  who  are  living  in  Cranberry  township;  Mary,  Barnett  and  Ju- 
lia, at  home;  Francis,  deceased;  Joseph,  who  is  attending  St.  Mary's  Semi- 
nary, in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  preparing  for  the  priesthood;  Marcus,  who  has  also 
passed  away :  and  Henry,  who  is  a  student  in  St.  Francis  College,  at  Milwau- 
kee, Wisconsin.  Mrs.  Wechter,  the  mother  of  these  children,  passed  to  the 
other  world  March  9,  1883,  since  which  time  Mr.  Wechter  has  remained  a 
widower.  At  the  time  of  her  death  their  youngest  son,  Henry,  was  but  two 
and  a  half  years  old. 

About  ten  years  ago  Mr.  Wechter  sold  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
valuable  land  at  Big  Rapids,  Michigan,  and  divided  the  money  among  his  two 
oldest  sons,  thus  giving  them  a  start  in  life.  He  became  the  sole  owner  of 
his  present  property  in  1875,  and  the  place  is  now  being  cultivated  by  his  son 
Barney.  Mr.  Wechter  manifests  his  political  views  by  the  unfaltering  sup- 
port he  gives  the  Democracy,  but  has  never  sought  office,  his  attention  being 
occupied  with  his  business  affairs,  which  in  the  course  of  years  have  brought 
to>  him  a  good  financial  return,  so  that  he  is  now  numbered  among  the  sub- 
stantial and  well-to-do  agriculturists  of  his  adopted  county. 

NELSON  CLOSE. 

Nelson  Close,  who  in  his  time  was  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Texas 
township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York  in 
1818,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Texas  township  April  25,  1874.  He  emigrated- 
to  Ohio  in  1844  and  located  on  the  farm  on  which  he  passed  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  was  married  in  1845  to  Elizabeth  Bender,  who  was  born  in  Cum- 
berland county,  Pennsylvania,  February  15,  1820,  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Mary  (  Fohler)  Bender.  Mrs.  Close  came  with  her  father  and  other  mem- 
bers of  his  family  to  Ohio  in  1824.  They  made  the  journey  from  Pennsyl- 
vania by  horse  team  and  stopped  for  about  a  year  at  Bucyrus,  the  site  of  which 
was  at  that  time  marked  by  only  a  few  primitive  log  cabins.  In  1825  they 
went  on  to  Benton,  in  Crawford  county,  where  Mr.  Bender  entered  a  claim 


460  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

to  government  land,  on  which  he  erected  a  small  log  house.  The  forests  round 
about  abounded  with  wild  game  and  Indians  often  came  to  his  cabin,  but 
never  showed  aught  but  a  friendly  disposition.  He  hunted  some  and  burned 
a  good  deal  of  lime,  which  he  hauled  to  Bucyrus.  He  was  a  very  progressive 
and  enterprising  man,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  took 
an  active  interest  in  evangelical  and  Sunday-school  work.  He  was  the  first 
incumbent  of  the  office  of  trustee  of  Texas  township  and  platted  the  village 
of  Benton,  and  was  the  first  postmaster  at  that  point.  He  died  February  10, 
185 1,  aged  fifty- four  years.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Close,  taught  a  subscription 
school  in  a  log  building  at  Benton  when  she  was  about  twenty  years  old.  She 
was  the  oldest  of  eight  children  of  her  parents  and  she  was  early  orphaned 
by  the  death  of  her  mother  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-two  years. 

Mr.  Bender's  house  was  noted  for  its  hospitality,  and  its  roof 
sheltered  not  only  white  men,  but  from  time  to  time  Indians  remained  there 
over  night.  The  Indians  trusted  him  and  he  wielded  considerable  influence 
over  them,  and  it  was  their  custom  to  come  to  him  for  advice  concerning  their 
troubles  with  each  other  and  with  whites.  Mr.  Bender's  advent  in  Texas 
township  was  followed  by  some  discouraging  incidents.  Nearly  all  of  his 
money  was  stolen  and  one  of  his  horses  died,  but  he  did  not  permit  these 
troubles  to>  daunt  his  courage,  though  he  and  his  family  endured  many  hard- 
ships and  often  were  put  to  great  inconvenience  to  secure  the  necessaries  of 
life.  He  was  obliged  to  carry  his  wheat  on  horseback  to  Upper  Sandusky  to 
mill,  and  after  waiting  for  it  to  lie  ground  brought  his  share  of  the  flour 
home,  the  miller  retaining  the  customarv  toll  for  grinding  it.  The  only  win- 
dows in  their  first  house  were  holes  in  the  wall  covered  with  greased  paper, 
and  while  they  admitted  a  certain  amount  of  light  nothing  was  visible  through 
them.  They  had  no  stove  in  their  cabin,  and  they  ate  from  old-fashioned 
pewter  dishes  which  they  had  brought  with  them  from  the  east.  Mr.  Bender 
was  an  industrious  man,  the  sounds  of  whose  ax  strokes  could  be  heard  early 
and  late,  and  he  cleared  most  of  his  land  of  the  dense  forest,  and  eventually 
even  of  the  stumps,  fenced  it  and  put  it  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 

Nelson  and  Elizabeth  (Bender)  Close  had  children  as  follows:  Then- 
daughter  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Michael  Davis,  of  Nebraska.  Their  son  George 
owns  a  part  of  his  father's  homestead  on  which  his  father  made  his  original 
settlement,  which  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  Their  daugh- 
ter Hannah  is  dead.  Their  daughter  Ella  lives  at  the  homestead  in  Texas 
township.  A  biographical  sketch  of  their  son  Harvey  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  work.     Their  son  Adelbert  is  dead.     Their  daughter  Alta  lives  in  Holmes 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  461 

county,  Ohio.  Mr.  Close  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  his 
widow,  who  since  his  death  has  lived  on  the  farm  home,  is  also  devotedly  at- 
tached to  the  belief  of  that  religious  organization 

George  Close,  son  of  Nelson  and  Elizabeth  (  Bender)  Close,  who  since 
his  father's  death  has  farmed  the  old  homestead,  has  won  a  good  business  suc- 
cess and  is  regarded  as  an  enterprising,  progressive  citizen  of  much  public 
spirit. 

S.  WILLIAM  GEISSMAXX. 

S.  William  Geissmann,  who  is  successfully  engaged  in  farming  in  Chat- 
field  township,  where  he  has  resided  for  almost  half  a  century,  was  born  in 
Saxony,  Germany,  March  8,  1835,  his  parents  being  Christian  and  Dorothy 
(Hetzer)  Geissmann,  in  whose  family  were  three  children:  Charley,  a  resi- 
dent of  Iowa  county,  Iowa;  S.  William,  of  this  review;  and  Mary,  who  died 
in  infancy.  The  father  was  a  nailmaker  by  trade  and  followed  that  pursuit  in 
Germany  until  1872,  when  he  came  with  his  family  to  the  new  world,  making 
the  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  in  a  sailing  vessel,  which  was  seventy-seven  days 
in  reaching  the  American  port.  There  were  three  hundred  emigrants  on 
board,  the  food  supply  ran  short  and  the  passengers  experienced  considerable 
discomfort.  At  length  they  reached  the  harbor  of  Quebec,  and  from  that 
point  Mr.  Geissmann  and  his  family  proceeded  to  Chatheld  township,  Craw- 
ford county,  Ohio,  where  the  parents  spent  their  remaining  days,  the  father 
passing  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven,  the  mother  when  seventy-five  years 
of  age 

In  his  native  land  S.  Wiliam  Geissmann  acquired  a  good  German  educa- 
tion and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  began  working  at  the  nailmaker' s  trade 
under  the  direction  of  his  father.  He  was  seventeen  years  of  age  when  he  ar- 
rived in  this  country,  and  soon  afterward  he  secured  employment  in  a  foundry 
in  Bucyrus,  receiving  ten  dollars  per  month  for  his  services  and  paying  a  dol- 
lar per  week  for  his  board,  which  left  him  a  surplus  of  six  dollars  per  month. 
He  was  there  employed  for  three  months,  after  which  he  learned  the  cooper's 
trade,  receiving  seventy-five  dollars  and  his  board  for  his  services  during  the 
two  years  of  his  apprenticeship.  After  completing  the  term  he  worked  on  the 
section  for  two  months  and  then  began  coopering  in  Bucyrus,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period,  in  connection  with 
his  brother,  he  purchased  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Chatfield  township,  of  which 
twenty-five  acres  had  been  cleared,  and  on  this  built  a  cooper  shop,  our  subject 


462  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

working  at  his  trade  during  the  day,  while  at  night  he  continued  the  task  of 
clearing  the  land.  He  followed  the  dual  occupation  of  farming  and  coopering 
until  1896,  when  he  removed  to  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides.  He  had 
previously  rented  the  place,  beginning  in  i860,  and  for  eleven  years  thereafter 
he  had  been  the  occupant.  He  now  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  acres 
of  valuable  land,  of  which  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  have  been  cleared,  and 
of  this  he  cleared  sixty-five  acres.  He  has  brought  his  farm  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation  and  has  made  valuable  improvements  on  the  place,  transforming 
,it  into  a  very  desirable  property.  The  fields  return  to  him  good  harvests,  and 
everything  is  neat  and  thrifty  in  appearance,  showing  the  owner  to  be  a  pro- 
gressive agriculturist. 

In  i860  Air.  Geissmann  was  married  to  Miss  Caroline  Balthaser,  and 
unto  them  have  been  born  thirteen  children,  of  whom  ten  are  living:  Henry, 
Charley,  Augustus,  Edward,  Albert,  Emma,  Anna,  Clara,  Minnie  and  Callie. 
Three  of  the  children  died  in  infancy.  The  family  is  well  known  in  Chatfield 
township  and  Crawford  county,  and  the  sterling  qualities  of  its  members  have 
gained  them  uniform  respect.  Mr.  Geissmann  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in 
support  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Democracy,  and  his  fellow  townsmen, 
recognizing  his  worth  and  ability,  have  called  him  to  office.  He  served  for  six 
years  as  trustee  of  Chatfield  township,  and  for  twelve  years  was  school  director, 
laboring  earnestly  for  the  benefit  of  the  school  system  in  his  neighborhood. 
His  life  has  been  one  of  honest  toil,  and  his  enterprise  and  indefatigable  labor 
have  enabled  him  to  win  a  desirable  prosperity. 

JOHN  MORROW. 

From  his  boyhood  until  the  present  time  the  subject  of  this  review  has 
been  connected  with  agricultural  interests,  and  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
that  line  of  work  in  every  detail.  Since  his  birth  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
Crawford  county,  and  during  the  intervening  years  he  has  become  known  as 
one  of  the  enterprising  business  men  of  the  locality,  devoting  his  time  and 
energies  to  the  conduct  of  his  farm.  So  ably  has  he  managed  his  interests 
that  he  has  met  with  most  gratifying  success,  and  at  the  same  time  has  gained 
the  public  confidence  and  good  will  by  his  honorable  business  methods. 

The  Morrow  family  is  an  old  and  honored  one  in  the  history  of  Crawford 
county.  A  native  of  Auburn  township,  this  county,  our  subject  first  opened  his 
eyes  to  the  light  or  day  on  the  13th  of  July,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Margaret  (Ake)   Morrow,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  in  this  volume. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  463 

He  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  after  his  marriage.  In  the  spring 
following  that  event  his  father  died,  and  after  the  estate  was  divided  our  sub- 
ject received  as  his  share  the  original  homestead  entered  by  his  grandfather 
Morrow,  and  there  he  located  with  his  bride  and  began  his  career  as  a  farmer. 
In  the  spring  of  1891  he  purchased  eighty-five  acres  of  land  adjoining  the 
homestead,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  took  up  his  abode  thereon,  but  he  still 
continues  the  cultivation  of  both  farms. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Morrow  was  celebrated  on  the  10th  of  December, 
1874,  when  Miss  Susan  N.  Cory  became  his  wife.  She  is  a  native  of  Craw- 
ford county,  Ohio.  Two  children  have  blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Airs. 
Morrow,  namely:  Harry  Burton,  who  is  at  home  with  his  parents;  and 
Charlie  James,  who  holds  the  responsible  position  under  the  government  as 
meat  inspector  in  St.  Joe,  Missouri.  Mr.  Morrow  is  liberal  in  his  political 
views,  but  his  preference  is  given  to  the  Democracy.  He  has  always  taken  a 
deep  interest  in  the  development  and  growth  of  his  locality,  and  has  been  fore- 
most in  all  local  improvements  and  enterprises  calculated  to  permanently  benefit 
his  county. 

REV.  JOHN  BEAL. 

The  Rev.  John  Beal,  whose  life  has  been  devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits 
and  to  spiritual  work  among  his  fellow  men,  is  a  gentleman  of  wide  influence, 
teaching  by  example  as  well  as  precept  of  the  development  of  one's  higher 
nature  through  the  influences  of  Christianity.  He  was  born  in  Holmes  town- 
ship, this  county,  on  the  9th  of  June,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Conrad  Beal,  a  native 
of  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  who,  after  arriving  at  years  of  maturity, 
married  Elizabeth  Wagner,  and  unto  them  were  born  the  following  children  . 
Daniel,  of  Bucyrus  township;  Magdeline,  wife  of  J.  D.  Durr;  Solomon,  of 
Chatfield  township ;  Lydia,  wife  of  Samuel  Shawl,  of  Liberty  township ;  Sophia, 
who  married  Jacob  Berger,  of  Holmes  township ;  and  John,  of  this  review.  It 
was  in  the  year  1848  that  Conrad  Beal  left  his  home  in  the  Keystone  state  and 
came  to  Crawford  county,  taking  up  his  abode  upon  a  farm  in  Whetstone 
township,  where  he  remained  until  1854,  when  he  settled  in  Holmes  township 
upon  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  now  owned  by  Jacob  Meek.  There  he  lived  until 
1869,  when  he  went  to  Chatfield  township,  purchasing  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  land,  constituting  the  farm  which  is  now  owned  by  Emanuel  Kalb. 
There  Mr.  Beal  continued  to  carry  on  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  life's 
labors  were  ended  in  death  and  he  was  called  to  the  home  beyond.  He  passed 
away  in  October,  1895,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years,  his  birth  having  oc- 


464  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

curred  in  1824,  and  his  wife  died  in  1900,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four.  They 
were  consistent  Christian  people,  holding  membership  with  the  Pietist  church. 

Rev.  Beal,  of  this  review,  was  a  lad  of  twelve  summers  when  the  family 
removed  to  Chatfield  township.  At  the  age  of  eleven  years  he  began  working 
as  a  farm  hand,  and  was  thus  employed  for  two  years,  while  throughout  the 
remainder  of  his  minority  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  work  of  the  home  farm. 
His  educational  privileges  were  those  afforded  by  the  common  schools,  but  sub- 
sequent reading,  study,  experience  and  investigation  have  broadened  his  mind, 
added  to  his  store  of  knowledge  and  made  him  a  well-informed  man. 

On  the  8th  of  August,  1880,  Mr.  Beal  was  united  in  the  holy  bonds  of 
matrimony  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Lust,  a  daughter  of  Conrad  Lust,  and  their  mar- 
riage has  been  blessed  with  the  following  children:  Mattie,  Laura  E.,  John 
\Y.,  Frederick  N.,  Reuben  E.,  Jessie  D.  and  Edna  N. 

Soon  after  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Airs.  Beal  began  their  domestic  life 
upon  her  father's  farm,  where  they  remained  for  five  years,  and  in  1885  they 
came  to  their  present  home  in  Chatfield  township,  where  Mr.  Beal  has  made 
splendid  improvements.  He  is  carrying  on  general  farming  and  stock-raising 
with  good  success,  his  labors  bringing  to  him  a  desired  financial  reward.  His 
progressive  methods  are  indicated  in  the  attractive  appearance  of  the  place. 
During  the  past  eleven  years  he  has  also  served  as  the  minister  of  the  Pietist 
church,  and  his  labors  have  been  productive  of  great  good,  as  he  has  put  forth 
strong  efforts  for  the  spiritual  advancement  of  the  neighborhood.  He  votes 
with  the  Democracy,  and  is  known  as  a  public-spirited  citizen,  deeply  inter- 
ested in  everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his  native  county  and  contrib- 
uting to  its  advancement  along  material,  social,  intellectual  or  moral  lines. 


MICHAEL  LUTZ. 

The  German  element  in  our  national  commonwealth  is  one  of  much  im- 
portance. No  country  has  furnished  so  many  valuable  citizens  to  the  United 
States  as  the  fatherland.  They  are  men  of  diligence,  determined  and  self-re- 
liant, and  of  this  class  Mr,  Lutz  is  a  representative.  He  was  born  in  Wurt- 
emberg,  Germany,  February  7,  1821,  and  spent  his  early  youth  upon  a  farm. 
In  1833  he  came  with  his  stepfather,  George  Schemly,  and  the  family  to 
.America,  the  voyag"e  being  made  in  a  sailing  vessel  which  reached  the  Amer- 
ican harbor  in  ninety-five  days  after  leaving  the  German  port. 

In  the  spring  of  1834  Mr.  Lutz  came  to  Crawford  county,  taking  up  his- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  467 

abode  in  Chatfield  township.  The  next  year  he  went  to  Pennsylvania  and  be- 
gan carrying  water  for  the  men  working  on  the  canal.  In  the  fall  he  returned 
to  this  county  and  the  next  summer  worked  on  the  Miami  canal.  Subse- 
quently he  began  working  by  the  day,  and  when  nineteen  years  of  age  he 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed  until  1 861, being  actively  iden- 
tified with  the  building  interests  of  the  count}'  throughout  that  period.  He 
was  a  skillful  mechanic  and  was  thus  enabled  to  secure  employment  easily. 
In  the  meantime,  however,  in  1849,  *ie  nac^  invested  his  earnings  in  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  land,  which  he  cleared  and  improved,  transforming 
the  wild  tract  which  came  into  his  possession  into  a  valuable  farm.  As  the 
years  have  passed  he  extended  the  boundaries  of  his  property  and  now  has 
two  hundred  and  ninety-two  acres  of  valuable  land,  constituting  a  very  fine 
and  attractive  farm,  supplied  with  all  modern  accessories  and  improvements. 

In  1848  Mr.  Lutz  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sabina  Kalb,  and 
unto  them  have  been  born  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living.  Mr. 
Lutz  is  a  member  of  the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  in  which  he 
has  held  the  offices  of  trustee  and  deacon,  having  been  identified  with  the 
society  of  that  denomination  in  Chatfield  since  its  organization.  He  has  ever 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  growth  and  progress  of  the  society  and  the  ex- 
tension of  its  influence.  In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Democrat  and 
has  filled  the  position  of  trustee  and  school  director,  discharging  his  duties 
with  promptness  and  fidelity.  Llis  life  has  been  crowned  with  success,  and 
though  he  started  out  for  himself  empty-handed,  he  is  now  the  owner  of  a 
valuable  farm.  For  two-thirds  of  a  century  he  has  resided  in  the  county 
and  has  therefore  winessed  the  greater  part  of  its  development  and  Upbuild- 
ing and  has  borne  his  part  in  its  progress.  His  life,  honorable  and  upright,. 
has  commended  him  to  the  respect  of  his  fellow  men  and  no  one  is  more: 
worthy  of  representation  in  this  volume  than  Michael  Lutz. 


DAVID  E.  LUTZ. 

Among  the  successful  business  men  of  Chatfield  is  the  subject  of 
this  review,  a  well-known  representative  of  the  industrial  interests  of  his 
community.  He  is  a  man  of  keen  discrimination  and  sound  judgment,  and 
his  excellent  management  and  executive  ability  have  brought  to  the  concern 
with  which  he  is  connected  a  high  degree  of  success.  Brooking  no  obstacles, 
which  honest  effort  can  overcome,  he  has  steadily  advanced  on  the  high  road 

25 


468  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

to  prosperity  and  today  he  occupies  an  enviable  position  among  the  men  of 
worth  in  his  native  count}". 

Mr.  Lutz  was  born  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Chatfield  township,  Jan- 
nary  18,  1866,  and  the  common  schools  afforded  him  the  educational  privi- 
leges which  he  enjoyed  in  his  early  youth,  while  later  he  attended  the  high 
school  in  New  Washington  and  the  Ohio  Normal  University  at  Ada.  His 
time,  not  given  to  the  duties  of  the  school-room,  was  devoted  to  work  upon 
the  home  farm,  where  he  remained  until  1885,  when  he  began  teaching  school 
through  the  winter  months.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  became  connected 
with  the  operation  of  a  sawmill,  but  continued  his  labors  as  an  instructor  in 
the  public  schools  until  twenty-five  years  of  age.  Since  that  time  he  has  en- 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  but  his  efforts  have  been  by 
no  means  confined  to  this  line,  for  throughout  the  entire  period  he  has  also 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  operating  a  sawmill  and  conducting  a  lumber 
vard.  In  1897  he  erected  the  plant  of  the  Chatfield  Bending  Company,  in 
which  enterprise  he  is  associated  with  James  McCormick.  They  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  bent-wood  material  for  carriages,  wagons  and  sleds,  and 
theirs  is  one  of  the  leading  industrial  interests  in  this  part  of  the  county.  Em- 
ployment is  furnished  to  twenty  men  in  the  shops,  and  the  pay  roll  and  ex- 
penses for  timber  amount  to  from  thirty-five  to  forty  hundred  dollars  per 
month.  Their  patronage  is  large  and  is  constantly  growing,  and  the  firm 
has  an  unassailable  reputation  in  business  circles.  On  account  of  the  excellence 
and  durability  of  the  workmanship,  as  well  as  the  straightforward  business 
methods  of  the  partners,  the  Chatfield  Bending  Company  has  a  large  trade, 
and  the  income  of  the  partners  is  thus  annually  augmented. 

In  May,  1889,  Mr.  Lutz  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Kibler, 
and  unto  them  have  been  born  four  children:  Lester  E.,  O.  Ward,  S.  Vida 
and  P.  Verna.  The  wife  and  mother  died  in  February,  1898,  and  her  loss  was 
widely  felt  throughout  the  community,  for  her  many  estimable  qualities  had 
endeared  her  to  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Mr,  Lutz  is  regarded  as  a  leading 
and  influential  citizen  and  one  whose  force  of  character  is  felt  in  the  control 
of  public  affairs.  He  was  elected  the  first  mayor  of  Chatfield  after  its  incor- 
poration and  still  holds  the  position,  and  has  splendidly  performed  the  dif- 
ficult task  of  placing  the  new  machinery  of  government  in  good  working 
order.  In  politics  he  is  a  stalwart  Democrat  and  for  several  years  has  served 
on  the  Democratic  central  committee,  while  for  three  years  he  was  township 
treasurer.  He  belongs  to  the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  and  is 
in  hearty  sympathy  with  every  movement  for  the  general  good  and  progress. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  469 

Every  public  duty  and  private  obligation  are  discharged  by  him  willingly  and 
faithfully.  He  is  yet  a  young  man,  full  of  determination  and  laudable  am- 
bition, combined  with  business  ability,  and  while  he  has  already  won  pros- 
perity still  further  success  undoubtedly  awaits  him. 

JAMES  M.   DICKSOX. 

One  of  the  prominent  and  representative  citizens  of  Crawford  county, 
Ohio,  is  James  Madison  Dickson,  whose  name  carries  with  it  an  assurance  of 
great  financial  stability  as  well  as  business  prominence,  as  he  is  the  president  of 
the  Bank  of  Tiro.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Dickson  was  in  Vernon  township,  in 
this  county,  on  February  4,  1851.  and  he  was  a  son  of  James  and  Nancy  (Mor- 
row) Dickson,  and  a  member  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  four  of  whom 
still  survive,  these  being:  Charles  M..  who  was  born  on  June  16,  1833,  and 
is  a  farmer  and  large  landowner  in  Johnson  county,  Kansas:  Mary,  who  was 
born  on  April  6,  1836,  a  maiden  lady  who  resides  on  her  farm  east  of  Tiro; 
Nancy,  who  was  born  on  November  19.  J 838,  and  is  the  widow  of  John  Dallas 
and  resides  with  her  children;  James  Madison,  who  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  and  those  who  have  passed  away  but  are  not  forgotten  were :  Sarah, 
who  was  born  on  January  27,  1831,  married  William  Wilson  and  died  on 
August  27,  1893,  at  Edgerton,  Kansas;  Rebecca,  who  was  born  on  November 
15,  1844,  and  died  on  November  24,  1888;  and  Harriet  S..  win.  was  born  on 
August  8,  1847,  first  married  William  Xagle.  and  later  J.  V.  Johnston,  and 
died  on  March  21,  1890. 

George  Dickson,  who  was  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  emigrated 
from  Ireland  to  America,  in  1778.  bringing  his  family  with  him.  He  settled 
in  Franklin  count}'.  Pennsylvania,  but  later  removed  to  Indiana  count}-.  His 
son,  Andrew  Dickson,  who  was  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Ireland  on  May  2~,  ijj6,  and  was  two  years  old  when  the  family  came  to  the 
United  States.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
had,  with  the  rest  of  his  family,  many  thrilling  adventures.  At  one  time,  while 
still  a  lad,  he  was  taken  by  his  intrepid  mother  and  carried  on  horseback  over 
the  mountains  in  flight  from  pursuing  Indians.  Grandfather  had  three 
brothers  and  three  sisters,  their  names  being  Samuel,  George.  William,  Rachel, 
Leah  and  Hannah.  About  the  time  he  reached  his  maturity  the  trouble  known 
in  the  history  of  Pennsylvania  as  the  ''whisky  insurrection"  broke  out.  Our 
subject's  great-grandfather  was  a  member  of  the  regular  army,  and,  of  course. 
it  was  his  duty  to  suppress  the  riots,  but  the  family  owned  much  property  which 


470  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

had  been  won  by  hard  labor ;  therefore,  it  was  decided  that  the  family,  for  the 
sake  of  discretion,  should  divide,  one  part  of  it  seeming  to  aid  the  insurrection- 
ists. However,  the  unlawful  element  was  soon  conquered  and  the  rioters  dis- 
banded. The  grandmother's  name  had  been  Sarah  Frazee,  and  they  reared  these 
children:  Andrew.  George,  Jonathan,  Mollie,  James,  Rachel,  Leah,  Sarah, 
William,  Hannah,  John,  Elizabeth  and  Margaret,  all  growing  to  maturity  and 
founding  homes  of  their  own,  and  all  now  deceased.  In  later  life  they  could 
recall  that  their  father  was  called  to  dinner  by  the  blowing  of  the  horn.  The 
death  of  the  grandfather  was  on  January  28,  1859,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years,  eight  months  and  one  day,  the  death  of  the  grandmother  being  on  Oc- 
tober 8,  1850,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years. 

George  Dickson,  who  was  a  brother  of  the  father  of  our  subject,  came  to 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  in  1823,  and  settled  in  Vernon  township,  and  in  1825 
he  planted  the  first  orchard  of  the  township.  His  son  Andrew  was  the  second 
white  child  born  in  the  township.  In  1829  James  Dickson,  who  was  the  father 
of  our  subject,  followed  his  brother  to  Ohio.  He  purchased  two  hundred  and 
seventy-six  acres  of  land  which  had  been  entered  by  his  father  some  years 
prior,  and  here  James  Dickson  built  a  cabin  and  immediately  began  the  clearing 
of  the  land.  He  was  a  leader  in  Democratic  politics,  and  efficiently  served 
several  terms  as  township  trustee  and  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church.  His  death  occurred  on  March  7,  1889.  For  fifty-one 
years  he  and  his  devoted  wife  lived  in  close  affection  before  the  angel  of  death 
visited  the  family.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Auburn  township, 
and  she  was  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  (Cummings)  Morrow,  who 
were  among  the  early  settlers  who  came  to  Crawford  county  from  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Her  marriage  to  Mr.  Dickson  was  on  October  29, 
1829,  and  her  death  took  place  on  December  14,  1879. 

fames  Madison  Dickson,  of  this  biography,  passed  his  boyhood  days  on 
his  father's  farm  anal  attended  the  common  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  assumed  the  management  of  the  home  farm.  He  first  cultivated  it 
on  shares,  but  after  his  father's  death  he  was  made  administrator.  When  the 
estate  was  finally  settled  our  subject  purchased  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres, 
winch  included  the  residence  and  the  farm  buildings,  but  in  1892  he  removed 
to  Tiro  and  rented  his  farm,  although  he  still  retains  its  management.  During 
this  same  year  the  Tiro  Building  «^r  Loan  Association  was  formed  and  Air. 
Dickson  became  the  treasurer  for  two  years,  later  the  president,  serving  in  that 
capacity  ever  since.      In  the  spring  of  [899  A.  C.  Robinson,  who  was  the  presi- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  471 

dent  of  the  Bank  of  Tiro,  died,  and  Mr.  Dickson  purchased  his  interest  and 
later  was  made  the  president  of  this  reliable  and  substantial  institution. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Dickson  has  been  a  prominent  politician,  a  leader  in 
the  Democratic  party,  and  in  1893  lie  was  made  a  member  of  the  central 
committee  of  the  township,  and  in  the  spring  of  1901  he  was  elected  township 
treasurer,  entering  upon  his  duties  in  September  of  the  current  year.  He  was 
a  charter  member  of  Tiro  Lodge,  No.  592,  K.  of  P.,  and  was  the  representative 
to  the  grand  lodge  both  in  1899  and  1900,  has  passed  all  of  the  chairs  in  the 
order  and  at  present  is  keeper  of  record  and  seals,  serving  for  three  years.  Mr. 
Dickson  is  well  known  not  only  in  this  community  but  also-  through  the  county, 
and  his  social,  political  and  business  prominence  makes  him  a  thoroughly  rep- 
resentative citizen  of  Crawford  count}-. 

SAMUEL  GEE. 

Samuel  Gee  was  formerly  express  agent  at  Crestline,  but  is  now  living  a 
retired  life.  A  brilliant  example  of  the  self-made  American  citizen  and  an 
excellent  exemplification  of  the  progress  that  an  ambitious  foreigner  can  make 
in  this  country  of  unbounded  opportunity  is  shown  in  the  case  of  Samuel  Gee, 
one  of  the  leading  English-American  residents  of  Ohio'.  His  increasing  suc- 
cess is  due  to  his  own  energy  and  the  high  ideals  which  his  lofty  and  laudable 
amnition  places  before  him.  Success  in  any  walk  of  life  is  an  indication  of 
earnest  endeavor  and  persevering  effort, — characteristics  that  Mr.  Gee  pos- 
sesses in  an  eminent  degree. 

He  was  born  in  Nottinghamshire,  England,  Julv  21,  1816,  and  his  ances- 
tors for  many  generations  had  been  farming  people  of  that  country.  His  father, 
Samuel  Gee,  was  a  native  of  the  same  locality  and  was  an  agriculturist  by 
occupation.  In  1843  ne  came  to  America,  taking-  up  his  abode  in  Townsend, 
Ohio,  where  he  followed  farming  for  a  short  time.  He  was  not  long  permitted 
to  enjoy  his  new  home,  however,  for  death  soon  came  to  him  and  he  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Hannah 
Willoughby,  and  was  born  in  a  parish  adjoining  her  husband's  birthplace. 
After  his  death  she  was  again  married,  and  removed  to  Michigan,  where  she 
died  about  1855.  By  her  first  marriage  she  had  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, but  the  latter  died  in  early  childhood.  The  sons  are :  Samuel  and  Peter, 
the  latter  being  a  resident  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  a  moulder  by  trade.  He  is 
eight  years  his  brother's  junior. 

Samuel  Gee,  who  was  the  eldest  of  the  children,  was  reared  and  educated 


472  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

in  the  place  of  his  nativity,  pursuing  his  studies  mostly  in  a  private  school. 
He  gave  his  attention  to  mastering  the  principles  of  English  learning  through 
the  winter  months  and  in  the  summer  season  assisted  his  father  in  the  work 
of  the  farm.  He  and  Queen  Victoria  were  about  the  same  age,  and  Air.  Gee 
saw  the  lovely  English  monarch  man}-  times,  both  prior  to  her  coronation  and 
after  her  marriage  to  Prince  Albert.  He  witnessed  the  celebration  there  in 
honor  of  George  IV,  William  IV  and  Queen  Victoria  in  1837.  He  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  when  she  was  crowned.  He  has  lived  during  the  reign  of 
three  English  kings  and  one  queen,  as  has  his  wife. 

Mr.  Gee  was  married  in  England.  June  22,  1842,  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Rad- 
mall,  who  was  born  in  Nottinghamshire,  England,  August  21,  1816,  and  there 
spent  the  days  of  her  girlhood,  acquiring  her  education  in  that  locality.  She 
was  the  eldest  daughter  in  her  father's  family.  After  their  marriage  Air.  and 
Mrs.  Gee  located  in  Sheffield,  England.  He  had  been  educated  for  the  ministry 
and  there  engaged  in  preaching  as  a  representative  of  the  Methodist  church, 
devoting  his  life  to  that  work  until  1845,  when  he  came  to  America.  His  first 
appointment  in  this  country  was  to  the  church  in  Youngstown,  Ohio,  where  he 
remained  for  two  years.  He  afterward  spent  one  year  as  pastor  of  the  church 
in  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  then  going  to  Brownsville,  Licking  county,  Ohio,  where 
he  remained  six  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  went  to  Tiffin, 
Ohio,  where  he  continued  for  four  years,  serving  also  as  pastor  of  the  church 
at  Fostoria  during  a  part  of  the  time.  He  then  came  to  Crestline  and  secured 
a  situation  with  the  American  Express  Company,  in  which  he  continued  from 
i860  until  1893,  covering  a  period  of  thirty-three  years  in  the  service  of  that 
corporation,  at  which  time  the  company  retired  him  upon  a  pension. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gee  became  the  parents  of  six  children:  William  H.,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  five  years ;  Samuel  W.,  who  is  assistant  manager  of  the  Lake 
Huron  steamboat  lines;  William  A.,  who  for  many  years  has  been  a  traveling 
salesman  and  is  now  living  in  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Lauretta,  wife  of  Isaac  B. 
Carlisle,  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  where  he  is  engaged  in  manufacturing;  Cyn- 
thia E.,  deceased;  Frank  B.,  who  for  twelve  years  was  train  dispatcher  for  the 
Big  Four  Railroad  Company,  on  the  Cleveland  and  Columbus  division,  and  is 
now  with  the  C.  L.  &  W.  Railroad. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gee  are  living  in  quiet  retirement  in  their  home  in  Crestline, 
Ohio,  having  traveled  life's  journey  together  for  fifty-nine  years,  during  which 
;time  their  mutual  love  and  confidence  have  increased  as  they  have  shared  to- 
gether the  joys  and  sorrows,  the  adversity  and  prosperity  which  checker  the 
lives  of  all.     It  is  supposed  that  he  was  with  the  American  Express  Company 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  473 

longer  than  any  other  employe,  for  he  entered  its  service  only  ten  years  after 
the  organization  of  the  company.  He  has  taken  considerable  interest  in  local 
affairs,  and  for  some  time  was  a  member  of  the  school  board.  Mr.  Gee  has 
now  reached  the  very  venerable  age  of  eighty-five  years.  He  can  look  back 
over  the  past  without  regret  and  forward  to  the  future  without  fear,  for  his 
has  been  a  useful,  honorable  and  upright  life,  true  to  his  duties  to  his  fellow 
men. 

LUDWIG  DURR. 

Luclwig  Durr  was  born  in  Chatfield  township,  June  7,  1845,  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Cathirine  (  Green  )  Durr.  In  his  early  youth  he  attended  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began  working  for  Adam  Klink. 
receiving"  eight  dollars  per  month  in  compensation  for  his  services.  He  was 
thus  employed  for  two  years,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he  began  operating 
his  father's  threshing  machine  and  also  ran  a  wood-saw  until  his  marriage, 
since  which  time  he  has  given  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  re- 
moved to  Sandusky  township,  where  he  rented  land  for  two  years  and  then 
went  to  Chatfield  township,  where  he  also  operated  a  rented  farm  for  two 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  bought  ninety  acres  of  land  in 
Chatfield  township  and  afterward  purchased  two  additional  tracts  of  fifty  and 
eighty  acres  respectively.  In  1883  he  removed  to  the  farm  upon  which  he  now 
resides — a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixtv  acres  in  Lykens  township.  He  also 
owns  another  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eight  acres,  his  landed  possession- 
amounting  altogether  to  two  hundred  and  sixty-six  acres.  He  carried  on  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising"  until  1900,  but  is  now  practically  living  a  re- 
tired life,  the  active  work  of  the  farm  being  performed  by  others,  while  lie  is 
enjoying  a  well-merited  rest. 

In  the  year  1869  Mr.  Durr  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Brown, 
a  daughter  of  Caleb  Brown,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  four  children : 
Eliza,  the  wife  of  William  Fick,  of  Lykens  township;  Katie,  who  married 
Jacob  Kellar,  of  the  same  township;  and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  The  eldest 
daughter  was  a  music  teacher  and  Katie  engaged  in  teaching  school.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Durr  took  into  their  home  in  1874  John  Baumgardner,  of  Columbus, 
who  remained  at  their  home  until  the  age  of  twenty-one,  when  he  began  the 
manufacturing  of  tiles.  Thev  also  reared  Alpha  Bardner,  who  resided  with 
them  between  the  ages  of  six  and  seventeen  years. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Durr  is  a  Democrat,  and  keeps  well  informed  on 


474  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  issues  of  the  day,  thus  being  able  to  support  his  position  by  intelligent 
argument.  For  two  years  he  served  as  assessor.  Starting  out  in  life  empty- 
handed  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  he  has  been  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes 
and  has  budded  wisely  and  well,  acquiring  through  determined  and  honorable 
effort  a  comfortable  competence. 

JOHN   P.   SHECKLER. 

John  P.  Sheckler,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  has  been  a  life-long 
resident  of  a  state  which  has  become  one  of  the  most  prominent  in  the  great 
union  of  states,  born  in  Richland  count)',  on  March  3,  1829.  His  parents  were 
John  and  Rachel  (Pettit)  Sheckler.  pioneers  of  the  county  and  for  a  number 
of  years  among  the  most  highly  esteemed  residents. 

John  Sheckler  was  born  in  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1790,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Catherine  (Monroe)  Sheckler. 
He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  place  and  in  1812  made  a  trip  to  Ohio, 
where  settlement  was  being  made.  However,  after  looking  over  the  unsettled 
country,  he  returned  to  his  home  until  the  spring  of  1819,  when  he  returned 
to  Ohio  and  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Auburn  township, 
and  this  same  farm  is  now  the  property  of  our  subject.  Two  years  later  he 
returned  to  establish  a  home  on  this  land,  building  a  log  cabin  in  the  great 
woods,  and  soon  after  he  brought  his  wife  thither.  At  this  time  game  was 
abundant  in  this  locality,  and.  as  Mr.  Sheckler  was  a  fine  hunter,  the  larder 
was  well  supplied  with  venison  and  other  game.  In  this  pioneer  home  eight 
children  were  born,  the  four  survivors  being:  Thomas,  a  farmer  of  Whitley 
county.  Indiana;  John  P.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  George,  of  Whitley 
county;  and  Christina,  the  wife  of  William  Willett,  of  Richland  county,  Ohio. 
When  his  eldest  daughter  was  about  thirteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Sheckler  was 
bereaved  of  his  faithful  wife,  a  blow  from  which  he  never  recovered.  This 
capable  young  daughter  took  charge  of  the  housekeeping  and  cared  for  her 
father  until  his  death,  on  August  15,  1859.  In  early  life  he  voted  with  the 
Democratic  party,  but  later  he  became  a  Republican,  and  he  was  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Baptist  church,  having  lived  a  worthy  and  upright  life. 

John  P.  Sheckler  is  a  worthy  representative  of  this  honorable  and  honest 
man.  His  early  life  was  passed  among  pioneer  surroundings  and  his  educa- 
tion was  acquired  in  the  log  school  house  of  those  days,  with  its  puncheon 
floor  and  slab  benches.  When  he  was  twenty-three  years  old,  with  his  brother 
George,  he  began  farming,  on  shares,  and  for  two  years  the  brothers  managed 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  47 5 

the  farm;  then  our  subject  decided  to  see  something"  of  the  outside  world,  and 
made  a  trip  to  Indiana.  For  one  year  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  Whitley 
county,  but  decided  to  return  to  his  heritage  in  Ohio,  and  there,  with  his 
brother  George,  again  carried  on  farming  operations.  After  the  death  of  his 
father  our  subject  purchased  fifty  acres  of  the  home  farm,  and  also  a  tract  of 
sixty-two  acres,  which  was  desirable,  as  it  lay  immediately  across  the  highway 
from  his  land.  The  owner,  a  Mr.  Carlisle,  was  willing  to  dispose  of  it,  and 
thus  our  subject  soon  had  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres.  In  1899 
our  subject's  brother  James  and  his  two  sisters  died,  and  our  subject  then 
bought  the  remainder  of  the  farm,  making  his  holdings  two>  hundred  and 
twenty-two  acres. 

In  1862  Mr.  Sheckler  was  married  to  Miss  Lenora  Ashley,  who  was  born 
in  Crawford  county,  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Ashley,  who  was  a  native  of  the 
state  of  New  York  and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Crawford  county. 
Three  children  were  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  viz. :  Mary,  single,  at 
home ;  Blanche,  the  wife  of  D.  F.  Grove,  of  this  township ;  and  one  who  died 
young. 

In  politics  Mr.  Sheckler  is  an  active  Republican  and  takes  a  deep  interest 
in  the  success  of  his  party.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a  leading  member 
of  the  Baptist  church,  in  which  he  is  a  deacon,  and  he  is  fraternally  connected 
with  the  Auburn  Grange,  No.  956,  and  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry.  Probably 
no  man  in  the  township  is  more  highly  esteemed.  He  is  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  and  a  thoroughly  good  citizen,  interested  in  every  movement  for  the 
advancement  of  the  various  enterprises  which  promise  to  be  of  benefit  to  his 
neighborhood. 

JAMES  MORROW,   Sr. 

James  Morrow,  a  leading  and  representative  citizen  of  Crawford  county, 
owns  and  operates  a  fine  farm  in  Auburn  township.  He  is  a  native 'son  of  this 
township,  his  birth  having  occurred  on  the  30th  of  April,  1844,  a  son  of  James 
and  Margaret  (xA.ke)  Morrow.  At  the  early  age  of  sixteen  years  our  subject 
began  operating  on  shares  the  old  home  farm,  which  was  entered  from  the 
government  by  his  grandfather,  there  continuing  to  make  his  home  until  the 
time  of  his  marriage,  which  occurred  on  the  17th  of  December.  1868,  Miss 
Mary  E.  Cory  becoming  his  wTife.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Esther 
G.  (Brown)  Cory.  In  the  following  spring  Mr.  Morrow  located  on  seventy- 
four  acres  of  his  father's  farm,  which  he  operated  for  one  year,  when  his  pres- 


476  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

ent  home  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  was  deeded  to  him  by  his  father 
and  he  took  up  his  abode  upon  his  new  possession.  For  the  past  fifteen  or 
twenty  years,  however,  he  has  rented  most  of  his  land,  and,  being'  a  natural 
mechanic,  has  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  the  work  in  his  shop,  where  he  does 
all  kinds  of  wood  and  iron  work.  When  he  located  upon  his  present  farm  it 
was  covered  with  the  native  timber,  with  the  exception  of  twenty  acres  which 
had  been  partially  cleared  and  improved,  and  their  first  residence  was  a  primi- 
tive log  cabin  which  had  been  built  by  a  former  owner.  Mr.  Morrow,  however, 
immediately  began  the  arduous  labor  of  clearing  and  developing  his  land,  and 
although  the  task  was  a  stern  and  hard  one,  he  succeeded  in  placing  his  fields 
under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation  and  made  all  other  necessary  improvements. 
His  present  commodious  and  comfortable  residence  was  erected  in  1871,  and 
in  the  following  year  his  large  barn  was  built. 

Air.  and  Mrs.  Morrow  have  had  no  children  of  their  own,  but  they  have 
an  adopted  daughter,  Bernice  C,  whom  they  have  reared  from  the  age  of  two 
years.  J.  B.  Finney,  now  a  young  man  of  nineteen  years,  has  also  found  a 
pleasant  home  with  this  worthy  couple  for  the  past  eight  years.  He  is  a  bright 
and  promising  student  in  telegraphv  in  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  office  in 
Tiro,  Ohio,  and  expects  soon  to  enter  the  employ  of  that  company.  In  his 
political  affiliations  Mr.  Morrow  is  a  Democrat,  and  on  that  ticket  he  was 
elected  for  one  term  as  land  appraiser,  and  has  also  held  many  other  minor 
offices,  including  those  of  supervisor  and  school  director.  He  is  uniformly 
honored  and  esteemed,  and  his  record  is  one  which  reflects  credit  upon  himself 
and  does  honor  to  the  commonwealth  in  whose  progress  and  welfare  he  is  &'& 
deeply  concerned. 

GEORGE  O.  BLAIR,  M.  D. 

Although  Tiro,  Ohio,  is  fond  of  boasting  of  its  desirable  location  and  its 
healthful  breezes,  it  welcomes  among  its  citizens  a  physician  who  comes  with 
good  credentials,  who  displays  the  requisites  which  go  toward  making  not  only 
an  addition  to  the  professional  circles  but  also  to  those  of  society  and  business. 
Among  those  who  have  found  a  congenial  home  and  an  encouraging  and  in- 
creasing practice  in  this  prosperous  town  is  Dr.  George  O.  Blair,  who  has  been 
a  resident  since  1896. 

The  birth  of  Dr.  Blair  was  in  Cardington,  Morrow  county.  Ohio,  on 
February  12,  1865,  and  he  was  a  son  of  James  and  Amy  (Carr)  Blair,  who 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  the  seven  survivors  being:    Eva,  who  is  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  477/ 

widow  of  Zenas  Worthington,  of  Cardington,  Ohio ;  Mary  and  Robert,  who  are 
at  home;  George  O.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Addie,  the  wife  of  George 
Crane,  of  Columbus ;  Amy,  the  wife  of  Roy  Quay,  of  Iberia ;  and  Kate,  with 
her  sister  in  Columbus. 

James  Blair  was  burn  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  in  1816,  and  grew  to 
maturity  there,  acquiring  but  a  limited  education.  In  his  young  manhood  he 
read  medicine  for  a  short  time,  but  circumstances  caused  him  to  give  up  the 
study  and  he  devoted  his  time  thereafter  to  farming.  After  leaving  heme  he 
remained  a  short  time  in  Knox  county,  Ohio,  and  then  went  to  Morrow  county, 
where  he  married  Miss  Ensign  and  had  a  family  of  six  children,  the  three  sur- 
vivors being:  Alex,  of  Cardington,  Ohio;  Daniel,  of  Mansfield.  Ohio;. 
and  Anna,  the  wife  of  James  Duncan,  of  Chicago,  Illinois.  After  the  death 
of  the  mother  of  these  children  Mr.  Blair  married  our  subject's  mother,  who 
still  survives.  When  he  left  his  parents'  roof  it  was  as  a  poor  boy,  bul  his  life 
was  one  of  energy  and  industry,  and  he  left  to  his  family,  at  his  death,  a  tine, 
well-improved  farm  of  one  hundred  and  three  acres,  securing  to  his  wife  a  com- 
fortable competency.  In  political  life  he  advocated  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  was  prominently  identified  with  the  Masonic  order.  Mr. 
Blair  was  very  successful  in  both  his  farming  and  stock-raising,  and  possessed 
excellent  judgment  in  regard  to  real  estate. 

Idle  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  1837,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of 
Daniel  Carr,  both  parents  belonging  to  old  Xew  England  stock.  During  her 
childhood  she  was  bereft  of  her  mother,  and  she  was  reared  by  a  family  of  the 
name  of  Robinson,  of  Knox  county,  and  grew  into  a  most  estimable  woman, 
respected  and  valued  in  the  Presbyterian  church  and  beloved  by  her  old  neigh- 
bors, among  whom  she  still  resides,  on  the  old  farm  at  Iberia. 

Dr.  Blair  was  reared  in  a  pleasant  home  and  acquired  the  foundations  of 
his  education  in  the  common  schools.  Later  he  became  a  student  at  the  Ohio 
Central  College  and  at  Muskingum  College,  at  New  Concord,  Ohio,  and  after 
passing  a  most  satisfactory  examination,  prepared  to  teach  school.  Perhaps, 
however,  he  inherited  from  his  honored  father  the  inclination  toward  the  medi- 
cal profession,  which  had  been  subdued  in  the  latter,  and  instead  of  becoming 
a  pedagogue  he  entered  upon  a  course  of  medical  reading  in  the  office  of  Dr. 
\Y.  C.  Bennett,  at  Iberia.  After  one  year  of  study,  on  September  15,  1889, 
he  entered  the  Starling  Medical  College,  of  Columbus,  where  he  attended  lec- 
tures during  that  and  the  following  winter,  again  entering  Dr.  Bennett's  office,, 
returning  to  the  college  during  the  winter  of  1891-2,  in  March,  1892,  entering 


478  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  Kentucky  Medical  College,  at  Louisville,  at  which  he  graduated  with 
honor,  on  June  20,  1892. 

Upon  his  return  to  Iberia,  Dr.  Blair  entered  into  practice  in  association 
with  his  former  preceptor,  and  remained  with  him  until  the  following  January, 
when  he  located  in  Louisville,  Ohio,  where  he  opened  an  office  and  for  three 
years  enjoyed  a  lucrative  practice.  In  April,  1896,  Dr.  Blair  decided  to  make 
Tiro  his  home,  and  since  that  time  he  has  built  up  a  growing  practice  and  has 
won  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  whole  community. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Blair  was  on  March  28,  1894,  to  Miss  Pearl  Macin- 
tosh, a  native  of  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania,  and  who  is  a  daughter  of  George 
Macintosh,,  who  was  a  prominent  lumber  dealer  of  Williamsport,  Pennsyl- 
vania. To  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  one  child  has  been  born, — Mary 
Gladys,  on  February  9,  1895. 

Dr.  Blair  is  a  member  of  Tiro  Lodge,  No.  592,  K.  of  P.,  and  also  of  the 
American  Medical  Society.  He  is  still  a  student,  for,  like  the  leading  members 
of  his  noble  profession,  he  is  not  willing  to  allow  any  modern  specific  for  dis- 
ease or  new  method  of  treatment  to-  escape  his  notice.  Outside  of  his  pro- 
fessii  >nal  duties  the  Doctor  has  proven  himself  a  useful  and  desirable  member 
of  both  social  and  business  circles. 

GEORGE  W.  HOOD. 

George  W.  Hood,  who  through  many  years  has  been  an  engineer  in  the 
service  of  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago;  Railroad  Company,  and  makes 
hrs  home  at  Crestline,  was  born  in  Carroll  county,  Maryland,  June  7,  1837. 
His  father,  Thomas  Hood,  was  a  native  of  the  same  locality,  born  in  1809, 
and  there  he  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  throughout  his  active  business 
career,  making  his  home  in  his  native  county  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1S95,  when  he  had  attained  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-six  years.  In  his 
early  political  affiliations  he  was  a  Whig-  and  voted  for  Henry  Clay,  and  later 
he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party.  He  married  Catherine  Grimes, 
who  was  born  in  1807  and  spent  her  early  life  in  Carroll  county,  Maryland. 

George  W.  Hood  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  nine 
children  born  unto  this  worthy  couple,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased  with  the 
exception  of  George  W.  Hood  and  his  youngest  brother.  He  acquired  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  county,  and  in  early  boyhood 
began  work  on  his  father's  farm,  assisting  in  the  cultivation  of  the  fields  until 
-eighteen  years  of  age.  when,  not  wishing  to  follow  the  plow  throughout  his 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  479- 

entire  life,  he  determined  to  enter  the  railway  service,  and  therefore  he  secured 
a  position  as  brakeman  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad,  and  was  afterward 
promoted  to  engineer  on  that  line  in  1859,  acting  in  that  capacity  until  1862, 
when  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Northern  Central  Railroad  Company,  which 
is  now  part  of  the  Pennsylvania  system.  He  has  continued  with  the  road  from 
that  time  to  the  present,  and  is,  therefore,  one  of  its  oldest  representatives. 
His  first  run  was  from  Baltimore  to  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania.  He  then  went 
to  Pittsburg,  and  has  been  running  between  Pittsburg  and  Crestline  from  1862 
until  the  present  time.  For  thirty  years  he  has  been  a  passenger  engineer,  and 
during  that  time  has  been  in  only  two  small  wrecks,  one  being  a  head-end 
collision,  which  occurred  June  2,  1864,  between  Salem  and  Lattona.  At  that 
time  he  was  carrying  a  train  load  of  mules  for  the  government  and  the  train 
was  checked  in  time  to  avoid  any  serious  damage,  not  one  being  injured.  The 
other  collision  was  with  a  freight  train  that  was  trying  to  clear  the  track  for 
him  but  failed  to  get  the  engine  off  the  main  track,  when  Mr.  Hood's  engine 
struck  the  freight  and  he  sustained  a  broken  arm.  With  these  two  exceptions,, 
however,  he  has  never  had  any  accidents,  and  is  known  for  his  watchful  care 
and  close  attention  to  duty. 

Air.  Hood  has  been  twice  married.  In  1870  he  wedded  Lucy  Ann  Gray, 
and  after  her  death  he  was  again  married,  in  1893,  his  second  union  being  with 
Effie  E.  Grim,  who  was  born  in  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1863.  They 
now  have  one  daughter,  Georgia  Ah.  who  was  born  in  Crestline,  February  n, 
1897.  Air.  Hood  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  affiliations,  and  has  never 
failed  to  cast  his  vote  at  the  presidential  elections  since  i860,  when  with  his 
first  ballot  he  supported  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  holds  membership  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  is  a  very  courteous  gentleman,  of  even  tem- 
perament, agreeable  manners  and  kindly  nature. 

SAMUEL  LUDWIG. 

Samuel  Ludwig  was  a  son  of  Michael  and  Sarah  (Hanks)  Ludwig,  and 
the  latter  was  descended  from  a  family  of  English  Quakers,  or  Friends.  The 
first  representative  of  the  name  in  America  crossed  the  Atlantic  just  after  the 
edict  of  Nantes  was  revoked  and  took  up  their  abode  in  Pennsylvania. 
Michael  Ludwig  died  in  early  manhood,  leaving  a  family  of  six  children.  His 
widow  afterward  became  the  wife  of  Nicholas  Yocom,  a  wealthy  farmer  of 
Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  whose  sons,  Nicholas  and  Moses,  became  the  larg- 
est iron  masters  in  east  Pennsvlvania.     Samuel  Ludwig  and  his  half-brothers 


48o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

performed  almost  all  of  the  work  upon  his  stepfather's  farm  of  four  hundred 
acres,  yet  through  industry  and  close  application  he  acquired  a  good  education, 
his  intellectual  training  being  largely  directed  by  his  mother,  a  lady  of  superior 
education  and  intelligence.  After  his  marriage  Samuel  Ludwig  removed  to 
Reading,  Pennsylvania,  and  became  an  active  factor  in  the  manufacturing  in- 
terests of  that  city.  He  conducted  a  wagon  and  plow  factory  for  twenty-three 
years,  carrying  on  business  on  an  extensive  scale  and  amassing  a  fortune.  He 
had  the  ability  to  formulate  his  plans  readily  and  was  determined  in  their  exe- 
cution. His  business  judgment  was  rarely  at  fault  and  he  seldom  made  a  mis- 
take in  even  the  slightest  detail.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  individuality,  and 
one  of  his  most  marked  characteristics  was  his  great  thirst  for  knowledge. 
His  leisure  hours  were  almost  entirely  given  to  reading,  and  he  thus  mastered 
to  a  marked  degree  subjects  on  chemistry,  geology,  natural  philosophy  and 
history,  and  his  information  on  those  subjects  was  only  surpassed  by  professors 
in  such  lines.  He  was  often  offered  positions  of  public  trust,  and  his  fellow 
townsmen  greatly  desired  that  he  should  represent  them  in  the  state  legislature. 
but  he  preferred  the  quiet  of  his  home  and  of  his  study  to  the  turmoil  of  public 
life,  and  passed  his  most  pleasant  hours  in  the  companionship  of  his  books. 
In  1831  he  visited  Bucyrus  and  purchased  one  hundred  acres  of  land  adjoining 
the  town  on  the  east.  He  then  returned  home,  and  the  same  year  brought  his 
family  to  Crawford  count}".  In  1832  he  purchased  an  additional  tract  of 
eighty  acres,  bordering  the  east  corporation  limits  of  the  city,  and  thereon  he 
made  his  home  for  thirty-eight  years.  In  1840  the  father  was  the  owner  of 
three  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Crawford,  Seneca  and  Sandusky  counties,  Ohio, 
and  was  one  of  the  richest  men  in  this  portion  of  the  state.  In  j  841;,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-two  years,  he  successfully  piloted  a  party  of  young  men  to  California, 
then  the  scene  of  great  mining  excitement,  and  after  seeing  them  landed  on  the 
Pacific  coast  in  the  Golden  state  he  returned  by  steamer  to  Xew  Orleans  and 
then  home  to  Ohio. 

Samuel  Ludwig  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Redca,  a  daughter 
of  Hon.  John  Redca,  a  member  of  the  Democratic  legislature  from  Berks 
county.  They  became  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  namely:  Isaac,  Jere- 
miah, Samuel,  Mary,  Hanna,  Alary,  William,  Michael.  Henry,  Solomon  and 
Jane  L.  The  last  named  is  the  only  survivor  of  the  family.  Mr.  Ludwig 
spent  the  closing  years  of  his  life  in  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  H.  D.  E. 
Johnston,  now  Mrs.  Abraham  Monnett,  his  wife  having  previously  passed 
away.  He  closed  his  eyes  in  death  December  20.  1876,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
eight  years  and  eleven  months.     His  career  was  ever  such  as  to  warrant  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  4«i 

trust  and  confidence  of  the  business  world,  for  he  ever  conducted  all  trans- 
actions on  the  strictest  principles  of  honor  and  integrity.  His  devotion  to  the 
public  good  was  unquestioned  and  arose  from  a  sincere  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  his  fellow  men. 

SEBASTIAN   BROWN. 

The  prominent  and  influential  citizen  of  Jefferson  township,  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  whose  name  is  the  title  of  this  article,  was  born  in  Sandusky 
township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  December  16,  1832,  a  son  of  Joseph  Brown, 
who  was  an  early  settler  in  Ohio. 

Joseph  Brown  was  born  near  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  and  early  in 
life  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  In  company  with  his  brother-in-law,  Nicho- 
las Tustison,  he  came  to  Ohio  with  an  ox  team  and  located  within  the  present 
borders  of  Jefferson  township,  Crawford  county,  where  he  took  up  eighty 
acres  of  government  land  on  the  usual  contract  of  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  an 
acre.  He  married  Elizabeth  Swarty,  daughter  of  Sebastian  Swart}-,  a  Revo- 
lutionary soldier  who  was  with  Washington  when  he  made  his  perilous  crossing 
of  the  Delaware.  After  his  marriage  he  built  a  log  cabin  on  his  land  and 
pushed  forward  the  work  of  clearing  and  improving  the  farm  as  rapidly  as 
possible. 

After  a  brief  absence  from  his  native  township,  Sebastian  Brown  returned 
to  Jefferson,  where  from  the  age  of  nine  years  he  attended  the  common  sch<  w  ils, 
and  afterward  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  married  and  began  life  for 
himself.  Margaret  Fox  became  his  wife  March  15,  1859,  and  bore  him  six 
children,  the  following  facts  concerning  whom  will  be  found  interesting  in 
this  connection.  Their  daughter  Emma  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months. 
Their  son  Joseph  M.  lives  at  Crestline,  Ohio.  Their  son  James  A.  lives  on  the 
family  homestead  with  his  father.  Their  son  Willard  is  a  farmer  in  Clinton 
county,  Michigan.  Their  son  Homer  K.  lives  at  Crestline,  Ohio.  Their 
daughter  Laura  B.  is  a  member,  of  their  household.  For  a  year  after  his  mar- 
riage Air.  Brown  lived  in  Richland  county,  Ohio.  From  there  he  removed  to 
Defiance  county,  Ohio,  on  eighty  acres  of  wild  land  which  he  bought  of  his 
father  and  on  which  he  lived  two  years. 

In  1864  Mr.  Brown  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  I,  Forty-seventh 
Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  in  battle  at  Stone  River,  Cum- 
berland, Kenesaw  Mountain,  Mission  Ridge  and  Marietta,  Georgia,  and  started 
with  Sherman  on  his  march  to  the  sea.     At  Burford,  Georgia,  he  was  taken 


482  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

sick  and  was  sent  to  Chattanooga  and  afterward  to  a  hospital  at  Nashville. 
He  soon  recovered  and  rejoined  his  regiment,  but  was  again  taken  ill  and  was 
eventually  sent  back  to  his  home  in  Jefferson  township.  In  1865  he  returned 
to  Defiance  county,  Ohio,  where  he  lived  until  1870.  In  the  year  last  men- 
tioned he  moved  on  his  eighty-acre  farm  in  Jefferson  township,  which  he  has 
improved  into  a  valuable  property.  While  he  is  not  a  politician  in  the  ordinary 
sense  of  the  term,  he  is  active  in  township  affairs,  and  for  six  years  he  has  held 
the  office  of  township  trustee  and  has  come  to  be  known  for  a  liberal  public 
spirit  which  impels  him  to  give  his  support  to  every  measure  which  promises  to 
promote  the  general  good.  He  has  kept  alive  memories  of  the  Civil  war 
through  his  membership  of  .Snyder  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of 
Crestline,  Ohio. 

AARON  RADER. 

Through  industry  and  enterprising  efforts  Aaron  Rader  advanced  to 
a  leading  position  among  the  substantial  farmers  of  Crawford  county,  and 
was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  reliable  citizens — a  man  who  in  all  life's 
relations  commanded  the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  fellow  men.  His  birth 
occurred  in  Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  29,  181 7,  his  parents 
being  Peter  and  Catherine  (Fried)  Rader.  His  youth  was  spent  in  the  state 
of  his  nativity  and  as  he  grew  to  manhood  he  learned  the  miller's  trade, 
which  he  followed  as  a  source  of  livelihood  for  a  number  of  years.  Later  he 
turned  his  attention  to  farming"  and  throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  resi- 
dence in  Crawford  county  he  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits. 

Believing  that  he  might  better  his  financial  condition  further  west,  Mr. 
Rader  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  in  1856,  and 
took  up  his  abode  in  Sandusky  township,  where  he  secured  a  tract  of  land. 
With  characteristic  energy  he  began  its  further  development  and  improve- 
ment and  in  course  of  time  made  it  a  very  valuable  property,  adding  thereto 
all  modern  accessories  and  conveniences.  His.buildings  were  substantial  and 
modern,  his  machinery  of  the  latest  improved  kinds  and  he  was  widely  known 
as  a  progressive  farmer.  His  business  affairs  were  so  well  managed  that  he 
yearly  added  to  his  income,  and  in  the  later  years  of  his  life  he  was  enabled  to 
live  in  quiet  retirement  in  the  village  of  Sulphur  Springs. 

On  the  8th  of  September,  1840,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Aaron 
Rader  and  Miss  Sabina  Bauer,  and  unto  them  were  born  nine  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  yet  living,  namely:     Owen  Henry,  Enos  George,  Maria  Cath- 


AAROH    RADER. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  485 

erine,  Jacob,  Thomas,  John  David.  William  Benjamin  and  Francis  Aaron. 
Two  have  passed  away,  James  Peter  and  Franklin.  The  latter  died  in  Elsinore 
Springs,  California,  March  28,  1897.  In  earl}-  life  he  engaged  in  teaching; 
school  in  this  state  and  afterward  was  connected  with  journalistic  work  for  a 
time.  He  next  established  a  hardware  store  in  Clyde,  Ohio,  and  in  1883  he- 
went  to  Los  Angeles,  California.  He  soon  rose  to  prominence  there  and 
taking  an  active  interest  in  politics  became  a  recognized  leader  of  his  party  in 
that  city.  His  fellow  townsmen,  recognizing  his  worth  and  ability,  elected  him 
to  the  high  office  of  mayor  in  1894  and  his  administration  was  so  just,  so 
practical  and  progressive  that  it  won  the  commendation  of  all  parties.  He 
was  one  of  the  most  popular  and  honored  residents  of  Los  Angeles,  and  when 
he  passed  away  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor  came  to  pay  their  last  tribute  of 
respect  him  whom  they  had  so  highly  esteemed.  He  was  prominent  in  Ma- 
sonic circles  and  was  laid  to  rest  with  the  beautiful  Masonic  service  for  the 
dead. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rader  reared  a  family  of  children  of  whom  they  had  every 
reason  to  be  proud.  Three  of  their  sons  were  gallant  soldiers  in  the  Civil 
war, — Owen  H.,  James  P.  and  Enos  G. — all  being  members  of  the  Forty- 
ninth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Rader  was  a  stal- 
wart Republican,  unswerving  in  his  advocacy  of  the  principles  of  the  party 
in  which  he  so  firmly  believed,  yet  he  never  sought  or  desired  office  as  a  re- 
ward for  party  fealty,  preferring  to  give  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  his 
business  affairs,  in  which  he  met  with  signal  success.  After  a  residence 
of  thirty-six  years  in  Crawford  county  he  passed  away  at  his  home  in  Sulphur 
Springs,  on  the  30th  of  April,  1892.  His  life  was  ever  honorable  and  he  left 
to  his  family  the  priceless  heritage  of  an  untarnished  name.  His  widow,  now 
in  her  seventy-eighth  year,  is  still  a  resident  of  Sulphur  Springs  and  has  many 
friends  there,  as  well  as  in  her  old  home  neighborhood  in  Liberty  township. 

JAMES  PETER  RADER. 

A  loyal  soldier  during  the  Civil  war  and  for  many  years  a  faithful  public 
official,  the  life  history  of  James  Peter  Rader  well  deserves  a  place  in  the  an- 
nals of  Crawford  county,  whither  he  came  in  his  boyhood  with  his  parents, 
Aaron  and  Sabina  (Bauer)  Rader.  He  was  born  in  Northampton  count}-, 
Pennsylvania,  April  1,  1843,  an^  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm,  earl}-  be- 
coming familiar  with  all  the  duties  and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agri- 
culturist, as  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  work  of  the  fields.    He  acquired  a  fair 

26 


436  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

education  and  greatly  broadened  his  knowledge  through  reading,  experience 
and  observation  in  later  life. 

When  the  troubles  over  the  slavery  question  had  precipitated  the  country 
into  civil  war  his  patriotic  spirit  was  aroused  and  he  resolved  to  strike  a  blow 
in  defense  of  the  Union.  Accordingly  he  offered  his  services  to  the  govern- 
ment and  became  a  member  of  Company  B,  Forty-ninth  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  took  part  in  many  of  the  important  engagements  of  his  regiment 
and  finally  received  an  honorable  discharge,  after  which  he  returned  to  his 
home  in  Crawford  county. 

Air.  Rader  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  Musgrave,  a  daughter  of  Robert 
Wallace  Musgrave,  one  of  the  pioneers  and  distinguished  citizens  of  Craw- 
ford county.  Since  her  husband's  death  Airs.  Rader  makes  her  home  in 
Sulphur  Springs.  She  has  a  very  wide  acquaintance  throughout  the  county 
and  is  most  highly  esteemed  for  her  many  excellencies  of  character  Air. 
Rader  rose  to  prominence  in  political  circles  and  was  a  stanch  Republican, 
giving  an  unfaltering  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party,  in  whose  principles 
he  SO'  firmly  believed.  He  was  appointed  and  served  as  posmtaster  of  Bu- 
cyrus  and  was  afterward  a  government  clerk  in  the  treasury  department  at 
Washington,  a  position  which  he  held  continuously  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  Bucyrus,  January  7,  1880,  when  he  was  in  the  Aery 
prime  of  manhood,  being  then  thirty-seven  years  of  age.  Methodical  and 
exact  he  performed  his  work  in  a  most  capable  manner  and  was  a  most  trust- 
worthy representative  of  the  department.  He  was  a  man  of  many  sterling 
traits  of  character,  genial  and  popular  and  wherever  he  went  made  friends. 


WILLIS  A.  BROWN. 

One  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Crawford  count}',  Ohio,  who  is 
financially  interested  in  many  of  its  prominent  industries  and  who  is  cashier 
of  the  Farmers'  &  Citizens'  Bank  of  Tiro,  is  Willis  A.  Brown,  who  also  owns 
and  manages  the  leading  mercantile  business  of  this  prosperous  town.  Willis 
.\.  Brown  was  born  in  Liberty  Corners,  in  Vernon  township,  Crawford 
county,  on  July  22,  1859,  anc^  ne  was  a  son  °f*  Joseph  D.  and  Sarah  J. 
1  Dickson)  Brown,  and  a  grandson  of  William  Brown,  who  was  a  pioneer 
in  Richland  county  in  1830.  Seven  children  were  born  to  the  parents  of 
Willis  A.  Brown,  and  our  subject  is  one  of  the  four  survivors,  the  others  be- 
ing:    Mary  A.,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  Brown,  Jr.,  of  Vernon  township; 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  487 

Josie  S.,  who  is  the  wife  of  J.  M.  Van  Tilburg,  the  postmaster  of  Tiro;  and 
John  E.,  who  is  a  resident  of  Pasadena,  California. 

Willis  A.  Brown  grew  to  manhood  under  the  parental  roof,  and  finished 
the  common-school  course  before  entering-  upon  a  business  career,  for  which 
he  has  seemed  peculiarly  well  fitted.  In  March.  1879,  he  entered  the  store 
of  Brown  &  Davis,  the  former  representing  his  father,  in  the  capacity  of  a 
salesman.  One  year  later  the  senior  Mr.  Brown  purchased  the  interest  of  Mr. 
Davis  and  during  the  two  succeeding  years  Willis  proved  to  his  father's  sat- 
isfaction that  he  possessed  the  attributes  which  would  enable  him  to  become 
a  successful  man  of  business.  In  1881  our  subject  and  his  brother-in-law.  I. 
M.  Van  Tilburg,  succeeded  Mr.  Joseph  D.  Brown  in  the  business,  the  firm  name 
being  Brown  and  Van  Tilburg,  but  two  years  later  Mr.  M.  L.  Callin  purchased 
the  interest  of  Mr.  Van  Tilburg  and  the  firm  name  changed  to  Brown  & 
Callin.  This  connection  continued  for  two  years  at  the  end  of  which  period 
our  subject  became  the  sole  proprietor  and  successfully  managed  the  growing 
interests  by  himself  until  in  1893,  when  his  father-in-law.  J.  H.  Stevens,  was 
admitted  into  partnership,  the  latter  purchasing  a  one-half  interest,  and  the 
firm  name  was  changed  to  Brown  &  Stevens.  Three  years  later  our  subject 
again  became  the  sole  owner  and  since  that  time  has  most  judiciously  man- 
aged the  affairs  of  the  old  and  established  house,  with  which  his  family  name 
has  been  so  long  connected. 

Mr.  Brown  is  one  of  the  progressive  and  energetic  young  men  of  the 
count}-,  and  his  mind  has  long  been  exercised  concerning  other  business  en- 
terprises. One  result  was  his  organization,  in  April.  [896,  of  the  Farmer's  & 
Citizens'  Bank  of  Tiro,  with  Mr.  A.  C.  Robinson  as  president,  Joseph  1). 
Brown  as  vice-president  and  our  subject  as  cashier,  with  Mr.  C.  L.  Morton  as 
assistant  cashier.  In  April,  1899,  Mr.  Robinson  died  and  Mr.  J.  M.  Dickson 
purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Robinson  and  was  made  president  of  the  bank, 
since  which  time  the  officers  of  the  institution  have  remained  the  same,  with 
the  exception  of  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Morton.  This  bank  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  sound  financial  institutions  of  the  county  and  its  organizers 
and  officers  are  men  of  the  highest  financial  responsibility  and  (if  unimpeach- 
able integrity. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Brown  was  on  September  5.  1883.  when  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Nora  Stevens,  who  was  the  daughter  of  J.  H. 
Stevens,  the  latter  now  making  his  home  with  our  subject.  Four  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union,  these  being:  Stevens  W. ;  Sherman  J.,  deceased; 
Sadie  E. ;  and  Edna  A.    Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Tiro  Lodge,  Xo.  592, 


4&8  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

K.  of  P.,  of  which  he  was  a  charter  member.  In  political  life  he  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  was  made  a  member 
of  the  first  board  of  election  in  the  county,  but  he  resigned  that  office  to  be- 
come postmaster,  under  the  administration  of  President  Cleveland,  serving  in 
that  official  capacity  during-  both  presidential  terms.  For  some  ten  years  Mr. 
Brown  was  the  very  satisfactory  township  treasurer  and  for  two  years  he 
served  with  efficiency  on  the  school  board.  All  of  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Lutheran  church  and  to  this  religious  body  he  is  liberal  in  his  support  of 
all  Christian  work. 

Few  men  in  the  county  have  displayed  more  business  ability  in  the  same 
length  of  time  than  Mr.  Crown.  His  mind  is  fertile  in  resource  and  quick 
to  seize  opportunity,  while  his  judgment  is  calm  and  trustworthy.  It  was 
through  his  efforts  that  the  Auburn  Milling  Company  was  organized,  with. 
John  VV.  Hahn  as  president,  who  is  also  president  of  the  Ohio  Millers'  In- 
surance Company,  and  our  subject  is  one  of  the  stockholders  and  is  its  secre- 
tary and  treasurer.  In  1896,  when  the  Bell  Spice  Cabinet  Company  was  or- 
ganized, our  subject  became  a  member  and  for  two  years  was  president  of  this 
company,  since  that  time  filling  the  position  of  vice-president,  and  he  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Tiro  Building  &  Loan  Association,  a  very  important  busi- 
ness enterprise  of  this  city,  and  acts  as  treasurer  of  this  company  also.  The 
confidence  he  has  inspired  by  his  honorable  business  methods  and  his  ex- 
emplary life  place  him  in  the  front  rank  of  the  worthy  representative  men 
of  Craw  ford  county.  He  is  practical  and  self-reliant  and  is  of  that  mental  fiber 
that  enables  him  to  seize  business  opportunity  and  to  convince  others  of  the 
wisdom  of  his  decisions. 

JAMES  E.  HARROP. 

James  E.  Harrop  and  William  A.  Stine  are  the  proprietors  of  the  Keil  & 
Harrop  livery  and  sales  stables  of  Bucyrus. 

Mr.  Harrop  was  born  in  Crestline,  Crawford  county,  Ohio.  October  n, 
[862,  his  parents  being  Hugh  and  Catherine  (Cover)  Harrop.  His  grand- 
parents, James  and  Ann  Harrop,  came  from  England  to  America  in  the  year 
1866  and  located  in  Crestline.  The  grandfather  was  a  weaver  by  trade  and 
while  in  England  followed  that  pursuit,  but  after  arriving  in  America  worked 
in  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  shops  with  his  son,  Hugh,  throughout  the  re- 
maining years  of  his  active,  busy  career.  He  died  in  1878,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven  years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1872,  when  aged  sixty-three  rears. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  489 

Hugh  Harrop  was  born  in  Ashton,  Lancashire  county,  England,  March 
27,  1832,  and  died  September  9,  1889.  He  was  reared  under  the  parental 
roof  and  in  his  youth  he  learned  the  machinist's  trade.  In  1857  he  emi- 
grated to  America,  landing  in  New  York  City,  whence  he  made  his  way  to 
Philadelphia.  For  a  short  time  he  worked  at  his  trade  there,  but  soon  went 
to  Niagara  Falls,  New  York,  where  he  remained  until  the  1st  of  January, 
i860.  He  then  came  to  Crestline  and  here  found  employment  in  the  shops 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  and  soon  was  promoted  as  foreman, 
which  position  he  held  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  or  until  the 
time  of  his  death.  Fie  was  an  active  worker  in  the  Methodist  Episcipal 
church  and  was  a  prominent  Mason,  having  taken  the  Knight  Templar  degree 
-of  the  York  rite  and  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  rite.  He  was  one 
of  the  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Crestline  and  was  a  stanch 
Republican  in  politics,  but  never  sought  or  desired  office. 

In  earlv  manhood  Hugh  Harrop  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Cover, 
.and  unto  them  were  born  five  children,  of  whom  four  are  yet  living,  namely: 
James  E. ;  George,  who  is  the  manager  for  the  Central  Union  Telegraph 
Company,  at  South  Bend,  Indiana;  Frank,  who  is  one  of  the  owners  of  the 
Crestline  Machine  Shop,  at  Crestline,  this  county;  and  Bertha,  the  wife  of  R. 
U.  Miller,  an  attorney  of  Crestline. 

James  E.  Harrop  spent  his  boyhood  days  under  the  parental  roof  and 
obtained  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Crestline.  In  1887  he  and 
William  A.  Stine  formed  a  partnership  and  embarked  in  the  livery  business 
at  Crestline.  In  1890  Mr.  Harrop  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Stine  and  came 
to  Bucyrus,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  livery  business.  Mr. 
.Stine  continued  in  that  business  at  Crestline  continuously  from  1887  to  tne 
spring  of  1901,  and  then  came  to  Bucyrus.  becoming  again  the  partner  of 
Mr.  Harrop.  They  are  proprietors  of  what  is  known  as  "the  old  John  Keil 
liverv  stables,"  and  do  the  largest  livery  business  in  Bucyrus,  having  a  fine 
Tine  of  carriages  and  a  goodly  number  of  excellent  livery  horses.  They  are 
large  buyers  and  sellers  of  horses,  doing  a  greater  business  along  this  line  than 
am*  other  dealer  in  the  county.  They  handle  a  high  grade  of  horses 
and  do  a  straightforward,  legitimate  business.  Carloads  after  carloads  of 
horses  are  annually  sold  at  their  stables  by  auction,  and  thus  many  a  pleased 
customer  has  purchased  of  them  driving  and  draft  horses  of  the  best  quality. 

In  1886  Mr.  Harrop  married  Miss  Emma  Zink,  daughter  of  David  L. 
Zink.  who  has  been  ticket  and  freight  agent  for  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
-at  Crestline  for  over  forty  years,  being  for  many  years  joint  agent  for  this 


49©  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

railroad  and  the  Big  Four  Railroad.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harrop  have  two  interest- 
ing sons,  namely  :  Hugh  J.  and  Spencer.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  also  of  the  Masonic  order,  being  a  Master 
Mason.  In  business  he  has  been  successful  and  among  men  he  is  regarded  as 
enterprising  and  public  spirited. 

GEORGE  A.  BRAUSE. 

One  of  the  few  middle-aged  residents  of  Lykens  township,  Crawford 
county j  Ohio,  who  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives,  is  George 
Brause,  who  first  saw  the  light  of  day  May  29,  1855.  Mr.  Brause  is  a  son  of 
Rudolph  Brause,  who  was  born  at  Kenesa,  Germany,  in  1826,  and  was  brought 
to  America  in  1832  by  his  parents,  John  and  Hannah  Brause.  The  family 
from  the  fatherland  and  settled  on  the  Bower  farm,  or,  at  least,  on  forty  acres  <  >f 
it,  which  the  elder  Brause  took  up  as  government  land  and  on  which  he  erected 
a  log  cabin.  The  old  German  emigrant  died  in  Iowa,  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
three  years.  Rudolph  Brause  married  Catharine  Klink,  a  daughter  of  John 
Klink,  originally  from  German}-,  who  came  to  Crawford  county  from  Colum- 
biana count)'  and  located  in  Liberty  township. 

Rudolph  and  Catharine  (  Klink)  Brause  had  eight  children.  Their  daugh- 
ter Elizabeth  married  Jacob  Fike,  of  Lykens  township.  Catharine,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  Joshua  Miller,  is  dead.  Caroline  died  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  John  lives 
in  Chatfield  township,  Crawford  count}-.  Fidelia  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Seigler. 
of  Seneca  county.  Willis  lives  in  Lykens  township.  Emma  died  young.  Ru- 
dolph Brause  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  in  his  youth  and  was  employed  as 
a  carpenter  until  he  was  married,  when  he  engaged  in  fanning,  and  for  some 
years  ran  a  threshing  machine  in  season.  He  moved  upon  the  farm  where  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  and  where  he  now  lives,  about  1847,  shortly 
after  he  was  married.  His  first  purchase  of  land  there  was  of  forty  acres,  on 
which  was  a  log  house  in  the  midst  of  a  small  clearing.  At  the  time  of  his 
death,  in  1892,  he  owned  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Lykens  town- 
ship.     His  good  wife  died  in  November,  1896,  aged  seventy-two  years. 

George  A.  Brause  was  born  and  reared  on  the  old  family  homestead  in 
Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  lived  there  until  he  was  twenty- 
five  years  old.  He  gained  his  education  in  the  public  schools  near  his  home, 
and  under  his  father's  special  direction  was  inducted  into  all  the  mysteries  of 
successful  farming.     When  he  branched  out  for  himself  he  bought  eightv  acres- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  49* 

of  land,  which  he  partly  cleared  and  on  which  he  lived  eight  years.  He  then 
sold  that  property  and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  still  owns, 
and  on  which  he  lived  until  1897,  when,  after  the  death  of  his  mother,  he  re- 
turned to  the  old  homestead.  He  was  married  February  12,  1889,  to  Miss 
Marv  A.  Green,  daughter  of  Jacob  Green,  of  Chatfield  township,  who  has 
borne  him  five  children:  Edward  Rudolph,  George  Walter,  Clarence  Albert, 
Rosa  Mary  and  flattie  Magdaline  Catherine. 

Mr.  Brause's  heme  farm  consists  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-nine  acres.. 
Adding  to  this  his  other  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  it  will  be  seen 
that  he  is  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  ninety-nine  acres  of  good  and  well- 
improved  land.  He  devotes  himself  to  general  farming  and  stock-raising. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  and  attendants 
upon  the  services  of  the  German  Lutheran  church.  Neither  an  office  seeker 
nor  a  practical  politician.  Mr.  Brause  yet  exerts  a  well-defined  influence  in 
shaping  the  destinies  of  the  township  and  county,  and  his  excellent  judgment 
in  all  the  affairs  of  every-day  life  encourages  his  fellow  citizens  to  seek  his 
advice  in  matters  of  public  moment.  A  man  of  intense  patriotism  and  much 
public  spirit,  he  has  the  weal  of  the  people  of  his  township  and  county  very 
close  to  his  heart  and  is  generous  in  his  aid  of  all  movements  for  the  general 
good. 

SAMUEL  ESTERLINE. 

A  noted  writer  has  said.  "The  present  is  the  child  of  all  the  past, the  mother 
of  all  the  future."  If  this  be  true,  where  will  the  generations  of  the  future 
find  a  more  impressive  lesson  or  faithful  guide  than  in  the  study  of  the  lives 
of  those  men  who  have  achieved  a  successful  prominence  in  the  busy  walks 
of  life?  There  is  in  the  intensified  energy  of  the  business  man,  fighting  the 
every-day  battle  of  life,  but  little  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  careful  ob- 
server; but  to  the  mind  fully  awake  to  the  stern  realities  of  life  there  are 
noble  and  important  lessons  in  the  life  of  the  man,  who,  withoult  other  aid 
than  a  clear  head,  a  strong  arm  and  a  true  heart,  conquers  adversity  and  wins 
for  himself  honor  and  distinction  among  his  fellow  men.  Among  such  men 
we  may  mention  Samuel  Esterline,  one  of  the  representative  farmers  and 
stock-raisers  of  Crawford  county. 

Mr.  Esterline  is  a  native  son  of  the  Buckeye  state,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Sandusky  township,  Crawford  county,  on  the  13th  of  March,  1844.  He  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Kaler)  Esterline,  who  were  the  parents  of  four 


492  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

children,  three  now  living,  namely:  Henry,  a  resident  of  Crestline,  Ohio; 
Franklin,  of  this  township;  and  Samuel,  the  subject  of  this  review.  The 
latter  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  acquiring  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  neighborhood.  After  his  marriage  he  purchased  a  threshing 
machine  and  began  its  operation,  having  been  identified  with  that  work  at 
intervals  since  his  fifteenth  year,  but  after  one  season  he  sold  his  machine  and 
located  on  his  father-in-law's  farm,  where  he  remained  for  one  year.  On 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  removed  to  the  farm  now  owned  by  Jacob 
Glower,  which  he  also  operated  for  one  year  and  then  returned  to  his  father's 
farm,  remaining  there  for  two  years.  His  father-in-law  having  died,  Mr. 
Esterline  then  purchased  his  farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  where  he  has  ever 
since  made  his  home.  He  is  very  progressive  in  his  farming  methods,  his 
fields  having  been  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  the  place  is 
now  one  of  the  model  country  seats  in  Crawford  county.  In  addition  to  the 
raising  of  the  cereals  best  adapted  to  this  soil  and  climate  he  is  also  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  the  stock  business,  and  his  farm  now  contains  the  best 
grades  of  stock  to  be  found  in  the  county.  He  has  met  with  excellent  success 
in  this  line  of  his  business,  and  has  been  largely  instrumental  in  improving 
the  grade  oi  stock  raised  in  this  section.  For  seventeen  seasons  Mr.  Esterline 
has  also  been  engaged  in  threshing. 

The  year  1865  witnessed  his  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  E.  Humphrey, 
a  native  of  Vernon  township,  Crawford  county,  having  been  born  on  the 
farm  on  which  she  now  resides.  Five  children  have  graced  their  union, 
namely:  Charles  B.,  deceased;  Nora  D.,  the  wife  of  James  Brubaker,  of 
Shell))',  Ohio;  Jefferson,  a  resident  of  Shelby,  Ohio;  Ada  G.,  at  home;  and 
Amy,  who  is  also  at  home  and  is  a  popular  and  successful  teacher.  In  political 
matters  'Mr.  Esterline  casts  his  ballot  in  favor  of  Democratic  principles,  and 
for  six  years  he  has  served  as  trustee  of  his  township.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Church  of  God,  in  which  he  is  an  active  and  zealous  worker,  and  in  all 
the  relations  of  life  he  is  true  and  loyal  to  the  duties  of  citizenship.  He  takes 
a  prominent  part  in  all  public  affairs  calculated  to  benefit  his  community,  and 
is  one  of  the  wide-awake  and  progressive  citizens  of  the  county. 

WILLIAM  A.   STINE. 

William  A.  Stine  was  born  in  Crestline,  Ohio,  January  2r,  1858,  his 
parents  being  Adam  W.  and  Hannah  (Wentz)  Stine,  and  is  the  fourth  in 
order  of  birth  of  seven  children.     The  father  was  a  native  of  Berks  county, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  493 

Pennsylvania,  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Perry  county,  that  state.  Coming 
to  Crawford  county  they  settled  in  Crestline,  where  the  father  became  a  pros- 
perous contractor  and  builder,  and  proprietor  of  a  saw  and  planing  mill.  In  the 
public  schools  of  Crestline  our  subject  obtained  a  limited  education.  His  busi- 
ness career  has  been  mentioned  in  the  biography  of  James  E.  Harrop.  which  ap- 
pears above.  He  has  met  with  fair  success  in  business  and  is  a  gentleman  of 
honor  and  integrity.  In  1895  Mr.  Stine  married  Lizzie  Hoover,  and  their  home 
is  brightened  by  two  children,  namely :  Martha  and  Harriet.  They  have  re- 
sided in  Bucyrus  since  the  spring  of  1901. 

JOHN  B.  CAMPBELL. 

A  landmark  in  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is  the  fine  farm  of  John  B.  Camp- 
bell, on  the  Galion  and  Bucyrus  pike,  four  and  a  half  miles  from  Bucyrus,  in 
Whetstone  township.  There  Mr.  Campbell  was  born  April  4.  1849.  a  son  of 
Edward  Campbell,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Wayne  count}-,  Ohio,  and  a 
grandson  of  John  Campbell,  who  was  an  early  settler  in  that  count}'.  In 
1823  John  Campbell  brought  his  family  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  set- 
tled in  Whetstone  township,  where  his  son,  Edward,  is  still  living,  and  where 
he  took  up  government  land.  He  built  a  log  cabin  and  applied  himself  to 
the  task  of  clearing  and  improving  a  farm.  He  was  a  man  of  ability  and 
influence  and  lived  a  useful  life  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  Edward 
Campbell  was  brought  up  amid  the  vicissitudes  of  backwoods  farming  and 
acquired  such  an  education  as  was  available  to  him.  He  married  Amanda 
Tupps,  who  bore  him  four  children.  Their  daughter,  Catharine,  married 
Frank  Keiffer  and  is  dead.  Their  son,  Samuel  K..  is  managing  his  father's 
homestead  farm.  Their  son,  John  B.,  who  is  the  immediate  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  their  third  child  in  order  of  birth.  Their  daughter,  Lettie  J.,  mar- 
ried Andrew  H.  Gibson  and  lives  on  Grandfather  Campbell's  old  homestead, 
in  Whetstone  township,  which  in  the  days  of  its  founder  was  the  center,  not 
only  of  a  generous  hospitality,  but  of  an  influence  which  extended  in  many  di- 
rections, for  that  honored  pioneer  served  for  many  years  in  the  office  of  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  at  one  time  represented  his  district  in  the  legislature,  and 
he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Disciple  church.  His  son  Edward  has  been 
devotedly  attached  to  the  same  church  and  during  all  his  active  life  was 
prominently  identified  with  township  and  county  affairs.  He  is  the  owner 
of  eight  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land,  all  of  which  lies  within  the  borders 
of  Whetstone  township,  and  he  has  been  one  of  the  leading  sheep  raisers  in  his 


494  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

part  of  the  state.  His  wife  died  in  1889,  aged  sixty-nine  years.  He  attained 
to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years,  becoming  quite  feeble,  having  been 
the  victim  of  a  paralytic  stroke  in  March.  1901.  He  died  November  5.  follow- 
ing. 

John  B.  Campbell  was  horn  and  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now 
lives,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  near  his  home  and  at  Lebanon,  Ohio, 
and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  began  teaching  winter  terms  of  school,  giving  his 
attention  to  home  interests  during  the  remainder  of  the  year.  In  1872  he 
married  Miss  Jennie  Shanks,  a  daughter  of  David  Shanks,  and  they  have  two 
children — Mabel  Campbell,  who  was  educated  at  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Ada.  Ohio,  and  is  a  teacher,  and  Urias  Edward.  After  their  marriage  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Campbell  settled  on  Grandfather  Campbell's  old  home  farm,  where 
they  lived  ten  years,  then  located  on  their  present  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  all  the  tine  improvements  on  which  have  been  planned  and  carried 
out  by  Mr.  Campbell.  He  has  given  his  attention  to  general  farming  and 
has  come  to  be  known  as  a  successful  breeder  of  Shorthorn  cattle  and  is  a 
very  prominent  sheep  raiser,  and  in  1892  he  was  in  fair  competition  awarded 
a  premium  for  large  yield  of  scoured  wool  per  fleece  grown  in  the  United 
States,  dnring  the  vear  1892,  which  was  conferred  upon  him  at  Boston,  Mas- 
sachusetts. He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  like  his  father  and  grandfather 
has  made  his  influence  felt  in  local  affairs,  though  he  is  not  an  active  politician 
and  has  never  sought  public  office,  but  his  public  spirit  has  impelled  him  to 
ally  himself  with  many  movements  having  for  their  object  the  enhancement 
of  the  g-eneral  weal. 

JOSEPH  D.  BROWN. 

Among  the  men  of  hardy  enterprise  and  undaunted  courage,  who  made 
for  his  family  a  home  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  in  the  days  while  still  the 
wild  beasts  of  the  forest  roamed  at  will  and  howled  at  night  around  his  pio- 
neer cabin,  was  William  Brown,  who  was  the  father  of  Joseph  D.  Brown, 
the  subject  of  this  biography.  In  1830  William  Brown  came  to  Richland 
county  from  his  native  state,  bringing  with  him  his  bride  and  settling  upon 
lands  which  his  far-seeing  father  had  previously  purchased  in  this  then  almost 
unsettled  portion  of  the  state.  William  Brown  was  born  in  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1808,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Elizabeth  (Cum- 
mings)  Brown,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ireland.  Jeremiah  Brown  was 
a  successful  farmer  and  distiller  and  exerted  influence  in  his  locality,  and  when 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  495 

the  desirable  farming  land  in  Richland  county,  in  the  neighboring  state, 
came  upon  the  market  he  hastened  to  buy  farms  there  for  his  growing  sons, 
although  William  was  the  only  one  to  settle  there. 

\\  nen  he  came  to  Richland  county,  as  it  was  then  called,  William  Brown 
located  with  his  young  wife  on  a  vast  tract  of  timbered  land,  consisting  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  in  Vernon  township.  The  site  of  the  home 
farm  is  now  owned  by  David  Weaver.  Here  the  new  settler  built  his  log 
cabin  and  for  some  thirty  years  engaged  in  clearing  and  cultivating  his  land. 
In  1869  he  sold  this  property  and  then  purchased  a  farm  of  three  hundred 
acres  in  Auburn  township  and  resided  there  some  ten  years,  and  then  dis- 
posed of  that  property  to  purchase  another  tract  of  three  hundred  and  four 
acres,  in  Springfield  township,  near  Crestline,  and  here  he  lived  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  on  August  9,  1890.  Mr.  Brown  was  a  man  of  intellect  and 
was  conspicuous  for  his  strong  sense  of  justice.  If  his  employes  worked 
even  but  one  hour  over  the  stipulated  time  they  received  a  compensation  for 
it.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  and  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  his  party, 
efficiently  serving  in  almost  all  of  the  local  offices.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist  church,  where  they  were  held  in 
the  highest  esteem. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  near  Steubenville,  Ohio,  in  1808, 
and  passed  out  of  life  on  June  30,  1889.  Her  parents  died  while  she  was  a 
child  and  she  was  reared  in  a  neighbor's  family.  The  family  born  to  Will- 
iam Brown  and  wife  consisted  of  ten  children,  six  of  these  still  surviving,  as 
follows:  Joseph  D.,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Elizabeth,  who  is  the 
widow  of  Norman  Martin,  of  Richland  county;  George  C,  of  Crestline; 
Martha  J.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  H.  B.  Miller,  of  Wooster,  Ohio;  Mary, 
who  is  the  widow  of  A.  D.  Seibert,  of  La  Grange  county,  Indiana:  and 
Amanda,  who  is  the  widow  of  Joseph  Lewis,  of  Monroeville,  Indiana. 

Joseph  D.  Brown,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Rich- 
land county,  Ohio,  on  May  27,  1832,  and  he  was  a  son  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Ellis)  Brown.  His  rearing  was  in  the  pioneer  Imme  and  his  education  was 
acquired  in  the  common  schools  of  his  neighborhood.  On  March  1.  1855, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Dickson,  who  was  a  native  of  Au- 
burn township,  in  Crawford  county,  and  who  was  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Dick- 
son. In  1852  Mr.  Brown  made  preparations  to  make  a  trip  to  California,  but  his 
mother  opposed  the  project  and  he  delayed  starting  until  the  following  spring. 
Then  he  prepared  to  go  to  the  far  west  and  open  up  a  hotel,  in  association 
with  another  man,  but  the  latter  failed  him  at  the  last  moment,  and  our  sub- 


496  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

ject  decided  to  abandon  the  idea.  Hence  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  near 
Liberty  Corners,  in  Vernon  township,  and  settled  upon  it  after  his  marriage, 
engaging  extensively  in  the  raising  of  cattle  and  sheep,  being  especially  suc- 
cessful in  the  management  of  the  latter.  As  time  went  on  Mr.  Brown  was 
able  to  purchase  more  land  and  improve  it.  increasing  his  farm  to  two  hun- 
-dred  and  fifty  acres,  and  finally,  in  1883,  sold  two  hundred  acres  for  seventeen 
thousand  dollars. 

In  1878  our  subject  rented  his  farm  to  his  son-in-law  and  moved  into 
Tiro  and  built  the  residence  now  occupied  and  owned  by  Mr.  George  Owens, 
and  established  the  general  store,  after  erecting  the  building,  which  is  now 
Conducted  by  \Y.  A.  Brown,  his  son.  In  1883  he  sold  his  farm  and  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  George  Carrothers.  which  was  lo- 
cated immediatelv  south  of  the  town,  and  resided  there  until  1896,  when,  on 
.account  of  an  accident  to  Mrs.  Brown,  by  which  she  broke  a  limb,  he  decided 
to  remove  to  Tiro,  where  both  he  and  wife  have  resided  in  comfortable  re- 
tirement ever  since. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  have  had  seven  children,  their  names  being  as 
follows:  David  C,  Georgiana  and  Martha  E.,  all  deceased;  Mary  A.,  the 
wife  of  John  Brown,  Jr.;  Willis  A.,  of  whom  a  biography  appears  in  this 
volume;  Josephine,  the  wife  of  J.  M.  Van  Tilburg;  and  John  E.,  of  Pasadena, 
California.  These  children  were  all  given  the  best  possible  educational  ad- 
vantages and  reflect  credit  upon  their  careful  rearing,  and  have  become  rep- 
resentative citizens  in  the  various  localities  where  they  have  made  their 
homes. 

In  politics  Mr.  Brown  is  liberal,  with  a  tendency  toward  Democratic 
doctrine,  while  in  voting  he  selects  from  the  various  tickets.  He  has  ef- 
ficiently served  several  terms  as  township  treasurer,  and  is  one  of  the  reliable 
and  esteemed  residents  of  the  county.  Both  he  and  wife  are  among  the  lead- 
ing members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Tiro,  and  Mr.  Brown  is  a  liberal 
supporter  of  every  charitable  and  benevolent  enterprise  connected  with  the 
church  or  that  promises  to  benefit  the  community. 

SHERMAN  H.  STEVENS. 

Sherman  H.  Stevens,  who  is  one  of  the  substantial,  reliable  and  highly 
esteemed  citizens  of  Cranberry  township,  Crawford  county.  Ohio,  was  born 
in  the  house  which  he  now  occupies,  on  May  24.  1858.  He  is  a  worthy  son  of 
one  <  if  the  well  known  and  respected  pioneers  of  this  county,  Jacob  H.  Stevens, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  497 

who  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  living-  resident  of  Auburn  township. 
The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  formerly  Miss  Sarah  J.  Wallace, 
who  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  was  a  daughter  of  Jefferson  Wallace, 
who  located  in  Richland  county  at  an  earl}-  day,  later  removing  to  Cranberry 
township,  in  Crawford  county. 

Until  his  twenty-first  year  Sherman  H.  Stevens  remained  at  home,  as- 
sisting on  the  farm  and  acquiring  an  education  in  the  common  schools  At 
that  period  he  took  charge  of  the  home  farm,  consisting  oftwo  hundred  and 
thirty  acres,  and  worked  on  the  share  plan,  remaining  thus  engaged  for  two 
years,  and  then  went  to  Sandusky  township  and  took  charge  of  what  was 
known  as  the  Kuntz  farm,  which  had  passed  into  the  posesssion  of  the  father 
of  our  subject.  One  year  was  spent  by  Mr.  Stevens  on  this  farm,  as  a  bach- 
elor, but  on  April  27,  1882,  he  was  united  in  marriage  +o  Miss  Clara  R. 
Siefert,  and  he  was  thus  provided  with  a  most  admirable  companion,  an  es- 
timable lady  and  an  excellent  housekeeper,  trained  in  all  domestic  wavs.  She 
was  a  native  of  this  county,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Siefert  ( a  sketch 
of  the  Siefert  family  can  be  found  in  the  biography  of  John  E.  Siefert,  who 
is  a  brother  to  Mrs.  Stevens).  Upon  this  farm  our  subject  and  wife  resided 
until  the  fall  of  1894.  During  the  ensuing  years  our  subject  was  extensively 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  shipping  of  maple  syrup,  his  trade  extending 
to  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  his  shipments  aggregating  thousands  of 
gallons  of  this  delicacy.  His  opinion  was  that  he  could  realize  more  financial 
returns  from  two  months'  work  in  the  sugar  camp  in  the  spring  than  from  an 
entire  summer's  work  in  general  farming. 

In  the  fall  of  1894  Mr.  Stevens  removed  to  the  home  farm  and  in  the 
following  winter  he  acquired  the  homestead,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  land,  which  he  yet  owns.  He  also  efficiently  manages  his  father's  farm 
of  eighty  acres.  Although  he  has  the  management  of  a  large  extent  of  land 
he  has  practically  given  up  active  work  on  the  farm  and  has  his  farm  under 
rental  at  present,  his  time  and  attention  being  required  to  enable  him  to  look 
after  his  large  interests  in  the  buying  and  selling  of  stock.  Mr.  Stevens  owns 
a  large  herd  of  valuable  cattle,  known  as  Aberdeen,  and  is  the  only  citizen 
of  the  county,  with  one  exception,  who  owns  any  of  these  high-priced  ani- 
mals. 

Two  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevens,  the  survivor  being- 
Freeman  W.  S.,  who  was  born  on  June  12,  1892.  a  bright,  intelligent  lad, 
who  bears  promise  of  worthily  upholding  a  name  which  his  father  and  grand- 
father   have    made    respected    through    Crawford    county.     Politically    Mr. 


498  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Stevens  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs, 
and  is  fraternally  connected  with  Hyperion  Lodge,  No.  651,  K.  of  P.,  of  New 
Washington,  and  was  a  charter  member  of  this  lodge.  The  social  and  busi- 
ness standing  of  Mr.  Stevens  is  very  high  in  this  locality  and  his  name  is  a 
leading  one  among"  the  representative  men. 


JOHN  OUTHWAITE. 

Among  the  public-spirited  and  leading  farmers  of  Crawford  county  is 
John  Outhwaite.  He  was  born  in  Bedford,  now  Fulton  count)-,  Pennsyl- 
vania, on  the  10th  of  November,  1820,  a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Thompson)  Outhwaite.  The  father  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  in 
1794,  a  son  of  Francis  and  Elizabeth  (Robinson)  Outhwaite.  Francis  Outh- 
waite was  a  well-to-do  farmer  and  miner,  and  also  conducted  what  was  known 
as  a  raft  yard,  where  lumber  was  sawed  by  hand,  one  man  standing  above 
and  the  other  below  the  log.  The  father  of  our  subject  grew  to  manhood 
under  the  parental  roof,  receiving  the  advantages  of  a  thorough  education. 
When  about  seventeen  years  of  age  he  entered  a  wholesale  and  retail  grocery 
store  in  the  town  of  Richmond,  where  he  served  an  apprenticeship  of  four 
years.  He  then  went  to  the  city  of  London  and  secured  a  clerkship  with 
Pettv  &  Wood,  wholesale  grocery,  tea  and  liquor  merchants,  where  he  re- 
mained for  about  two  years,  and  then  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account. 
He  was  there  married  to  Elizabeth  Thompson,  of  East  Witten,  Yorkshire, 
England.  Her  father  was  a  well-to-do  farmer  under  Lord  Essix.  He  had 
four  sons,  namely:  John,  Richard,  Thomas  and  William,  and  two  daughters, 
Elizabeth  and  Hannah,  of  whom  the  eldest  was  the  mother  of  our  subject. 
Thomas,  the  third  son,  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  became  a  minister  of  the  same  In  the  year  182]  he  was 
married,  and  in  1823  he  emigrated  to  Bedford  county.  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  remained  until  1828,  when  he  removed  to  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio,  where 
he  took  charge  of  the  Wyandot  mission. — the  first  mission  in  the  world, — 
where  he  was  minister  and  teacher  among  the  Wyandot  Indians  for  seven 
vears,  under  whose  supervision  the  Stone  mission  church  of  Upper  Sandusky 
was  erected  and  stands  as  a  memorial  for  the  beginning  of  mission  work.  In 
1835,  for  fear  of  his  children  marrying  among  the  Indians,  he  moved  to  his 
farm  near  Republic,  Seneca  county,  Ohio.  He  was  then  appointed  by  con- 
ference as  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Mexico  circuit,  where  he  had  twenty- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  499 

eight  appointments.  He  was  afterward  appointed  presiding  elder  of  the  dis- 
trict embracing  Berea,  where  he  received  a  donation  of  forty  thousand  dol- 
lars for  the  beginning  of  the  Baldwin  University 

In  1818  William  Outhwaite,  the  father  of  our  subject,  bade  farewell  to 
the  home  and  friends  of  his  native  land  and  sailed  for  the  United  States, 
much  against  his  parents'  wishes,  and  for  this  he  was  disinherited.  The  first 
half  of  the  journey  was  made  in  twelve  days,  but  they  then  encountered  ad- 
verse winds  and  fifty-four  days  had  passed  ere  they  reached  the  shores  of  the 
new  world.  On  his  arrival  Mr.  Outhwaite  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  for  which  he  paid  seven  hundred  dollars  in  gold,  and  after 
residing  there  for  seventeen  years,  during  which  time  he  cleared  eighty- 
acres  and  also  made  other  improvements,  he  sold  the  tract  for  seven  hundred 
dollars,  the  purchase  price,  with  payments  of  one  hundred  dollars,  to  be  made 
yearly.  In  the  spring  of  1836  he  removed  to  Seneca  county.  Ohio,  purchas- 
ing eighty  acres  of  land  at  Rockaway,  to  which  he  afterward  added  fifty  acres, 
and  there  he  resided  until  a  short  time  before  his  death,  when  he  moved  into 
the  town  of  Republic,  where  he  passed  away  in  1858.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Outh- 
waite became  the  parents  of  five  children,  three  of  whom  still  survive,  namely  : 
John,  of  this  review;  William,  who  resides  at  Red  Cloud,  Nebraska :  and 
Francis,  of  Rockaway,  Seneca  county,  Ohio.  After  the  death  of  the  mother 
of  these  children  the  father  was  again  married,  choosing  for  his  second  wife 
Miss  Mary  Bell.  Mr.  Outhwaite  was  a  stanch  old-line  Whig,  and  was  a 
worthy  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

John  Outhwaite,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  acquired  his  early 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  On  reaching  his 
twenty-fourth  year  he  began  working  on  his  own  account,  and  for  one  year 
operated  a  thrsher,  after  which  he  worked  at  farm  labor  and  at  carpentering, 
becoming  an  expert  joiner,  although  he  never  served  an  apprenticeship  to 
that  trade.  He  did  considerable  building  for  the  following  seven  years,  and  in 
i8_!7  purchased  his  present  home  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  The 
land  was  then  in  its  primitive  condition,  but  he  erected)  a  log  cabin  in  the  midst 
of  the  forest,  although  he  did  not  make  this  his  permanent  home  until  after 
his  marriage,  which  occurred  in  1855,  Miss  Drucilla  Brown  becoming  his 
wife.  She  is  a  native  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  William 
Brown,  who  removed  to  that  county  from  Canada,  his  native  place.  This 
union  has  been  blessed  with  five  children,  two  now  living, — Susan  B-,  the 
wife  of  W.  A.  Tucker,  of  Todd  township,  Crawford  county,  and  John,  of 
Wyandot  county,  Ohio.     After  a  happy  married  life  of  fourteen  years  Mrs. 


5oo  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Outhwaite  was  called  to  her  final  rest,  and  in  1872  our  subject  married  Miss 
Susanna  Brown,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife. 

After  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Outhwaite  located  on  his  farm  in  Todd 
township,  Crawford  county,  and  in  1S70  he  erected  one  of  the  finest  resi- 
dences in  the  locality.  His  place  is  under  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation, 
and  a  glance  at  its  neat  and  attractive  appearance  would  indicate  to  the 
passer-by  the  supervision  of  a  thrifty  and  progressive  owner.  In  political 
matters  Mr.  Outhwaite  casts  his  ballot  in  favor  of  the  men  and  measures  of 
the  Republican  party.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  in  which  he  has  held  the  office  of  trustee  for  many  years,  and  all 
movements  intended  for  the  public  good  of  the  community  receive  his  hearty 
support  and  co-operation. 

ANTHONY  HERMAN. 

Mr.  Anthony  Herman  is  a  self-made  man,  who,  without  an  extraordinarv 
family  or  pecuniary  advantages  at  the  commencement  of  life,  has  battled 
earnestly  and  energetically,  and  by  indomitable  courage  and  integrity  has 
achieved  both  character  and  fortune.  By  sheer  force  of  will  and  untiring 
effort  he  has  worked  his  way  upward.  The  vast  forests  of  Ohio  afford  excel- 
lent business  opportunities  to  the  manufacturer  of  lumber  and  Mr.  Herman 
is  among  those  now  extensively  and  successfully  engaged  in  this  line  of  busi- 
ness, being  a  member  of  the  well-known  firm  of  Herman  &  Mahon.  He  was 
born  in  the  province  of  Alsace,  which  was  then  under  French  rule,  on  the  13th 
of  May,  1848,  his  parents  being  Joseph  and  Catherine  (Swartz)  Herman. 
The  father  was  born  about  1796,  the  mother  about  1802.  and  both  are  natives 
of  Alsace,  where  they  were  reared  and  married.  The  father  followed  farming 
as  a  life  occupation,  carrying  on  that  work  at  the  place  of  nativity  until  185 1, 
when,  with  his  family,  he  emigrated  to  America,  spending  three  months  in 
Canton,  Ohio,  after  which  he  located  in  Seneca  county.  He  purchased  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  and  thereon  made  his  home  until  1870,  when 
he  sold  the  property  and  removed  to  New  Washington.  Crawford  county. 
There  his  remaining  days  were  spent  in  quiet  retirement  from  toil,  as  he  had 
acquired  a  competence  sufficient  to  meet  all  his  wants  without  recourse  to 
further  work.  He  passed  away  in  1874.  and  his  wife  died  in  1872.  In  political 
views  he  was  a  stalwart  Democrat  and  in  religious  faith  was  a  Catholic. 
Anthony  Herman,  whose  name  begins  this  sketch,  was  only  about  three 
years  of  age  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  the  new  world.     He  acquired 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  501 

his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Ohio,  and  after  coming  to  New- 
Washington  entered  upon  an  independent  business  career,  being  employed 
during  the  "first  year  as  a  farm  hand.  In  1871  he  apprenticed  himself  to  the 
carpenter's  trade  and  after  the  completion  of  his  term  of  service  he  followed 
that  pursuit  until  1876.  He  was  then  married  and  after  his  marriage  he  pur- 
chased fifty  acres  of  land  in  Seneca  county,  four  miles  north  of  New  Wash- 
ington, and  with  his  bride  he  removed  to  his  new  home,  where  he  began  farm- 
ing, continuing  to  cultivate  the  fields  for  three  years,  after  which  he  sold  the 
place  and  returned  to  the  town.  He  then  purchased  his  present  sawmill  busi- 
ness and  began  operations  on  a  small  scale  and  by  his  indefatigable  industry 
and  business  ability  soon  was  enabled  to  build  up  an  industry  of  considerable 
magnitude.  After  three  years  he  admitted  his  brother  John  to  a  partner- 
ship in  the  business.  They  put  a  new  engine  into  the  sawmill  and  it  was  in 
that  department  that  the  brother  was  interested,  Mr.  Herman  owning  the 
planing  mill  alone.  After  a  time,  however,  our  subject  purchased  his  brother's 
interest  and  carried  on  operations  alone  until  [888,  when  he  formed  the  pres- 
ent partnership  with  Charles  Mahon.  This  relationship  has  since  been  main- 
tained and  the  firm  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  business  concerns  in 
this  line  in  this  part  of  the  county  They  have  their  mills  well  equipped  with 
the  latest  improved  machinery  and  the  best  facilities  for  carrying  forward 
their  work,  their  patronage  constantly  increasing  and  bringing  to  them  a  very 
satisfactory  financial  return.  In  connection  with  his  other  interests  Mr.  Her- 
man is  proprietor  of  a  millinery  establishment  in  New  Washington,  which  is 
conducted  by  his  daughters. 

In  January,  [876,  Mr.  Herman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary 
Steiert,  a  native  of  Erie  county  and  a  daughter  of  Ferdinand  Steiert,  who: 
was  born  in  Germany.  Their  union  lias  been  blessed  with  nine  children,  eigiiT. 
of  whom  are  yet  living,  namely:  Josephine,  now  the  wife  of  Jacob  Prom- 
enshenkel,  of  Crestline;  Ida  and  Emma,  who  are  engaged  in  the  millinery 
business;  Nellie,  Catherine,  Marie,  Pauline  and  Margaret,  who  are  still  under 
the  parental  r<  m  if. 

Mr.  Herman  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  Democratic  party  and  has  served  for  seven  and  a  half  years 
as  township  treasurer.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  New 
Washington  and  has  acted  in  that  capacity  for  eight  years,  discharging  In- 
official duties  with  promptness  and  fidelity.  He  holds  membership  in  the 
Catholic  church  and  for  six  years  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  church 
council.     He  withholds  his  support  from  no  movement  or  measure  that  is 

27 


502  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

calculated  to  prove  of  general  good  and  has  steadily  advanced  along  the 
highroad  to  success.  He  is  a  man  of  steadfast  purpose,  unflinching'  integrity 
and  upright  principles, — virtues  to  which  the  splendid  civilization  of  America 
is  indebted  for  its  wonderful  development  and  its  glorious  progress. 

JOHN  E.  SIEFERT: 

John  E.  Siefert  is  a  telegraph  operator  and  station  agent  at  Xew  Wash- 
ington and  is  a  popular  and  obliging  representative  of  the  railroad  and  tele- 
graph corporations,  lie  has  made  many  friends  through  his  unfailing  cour- 
tesy, as  well  as  through  his  prompt  and  faithful  execution  of  his  business 
duties. 

Air.  Siefert  was  born  in  Whetstone  township,  Crawford  count}-,  De- 
cember 26,  1862.  his  parents  being  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Whitcum)  Siefert. 
idie  father  was  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  about  1835,  an^  ^vas  a  son  "t 
John  and  Solemena  (Lantz)  Siefert.  He  remained  at  home  until  about  eight- 
een vears  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Ashland,  Ohio,  to  learn  the  blacksmith's 
trade.  After  completing  his  apprenticeship  he  worked  for  several  years  as  a 
journeyman,  and  during  his  residence  in  Ashland  he  was  married.  Soon  after- 
ward he  located  in  Whetstone  township,  Crawford  county,  settling  on  the 
original  site  of  the  old  town  of  Olentangy,  where  he  conducted  a  blacksmith 
shop.  In  1862  he  removed  to  Xew  Washington,  where  he  opened  and  op- 
erated the  blacksmith  shop  now  owned  and  carried  on  by  Fred  Carle.  He  also 
built  and  conducted  a  carriage  factory,  employing  five  workmen  in  the  black- 
smithing  department  and  four  in  the  other  departments  of  the  business.  He 
became  one  of  the  leading  merchants  and  representatives  of  the  industrial  in- 
terests in  the  town.  Many  of  the  buggies  and  spring  wagons  built  by  him 
are  still  in  use  in  and  around  Xew  Washington.  He  was  an  expert  work- 
man, energetic  and  reliable,  and  his  business  integrity  was  above  question. 
He  died  in  1871,  at  the  comparatively  early  age  of  thirty-six  years.  An  active 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  he  had  held  church  offices  for  a  number  of 
years  and  was  ever  faithful  to  the  teachings  of  that  denomination.  In  pol- 
itics he  voted  with  the  Democracy,  but  his  business  interests  claimed  too 
much  of  his  attention  to  allow  him  to  become  an  active  factor  in  political 
affairs.  He  was  a  lover  of  hue  horses  and  could  handle  any  horse,  always 
owning  some  fine  specimens  of  the  noble  steed.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  a  native  of  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1835,  aiu^  was  a' 
daughter  of  John  and  Alary  Whitcum.  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  that 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  503 

state.  They  went  to  Ashland  county,  Ohio,  at  an  early  date  and  in  later 
years  removed  to  Crawford  county,  settling  in  Cranberry  township,  where 
they  remained  until  called  to  the  home  beyond.  Mrs.  Siefert  survived  her 
husband  until  March,  1899.  She  was  the  mother  of  six  children,  but  only 
two  are  now  living-,  the  sister,  who  is  older  than  our  subject,  being  Mrs. 
Clara  R.  Stevens,  the  wife  of  S.  H.  Stevens,  of  Cranberry  township. 

From  an  early  age  John  E.  Siefert  has  depended  upon  his  own  resources, 
and  whatever  success  he  has  achieved  in  life  is  due  to  his  earnest  efforts. 
At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  began  earning  his  own  livelihood  as  a  farm  hand. 
He  spent  the  summer  of  1881  as  an  employe  in  a  brick  yard  in  New  Wash- 
ington and  the  following  year  he  entered  the  telegraph  office  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Company  at  this  place,  taking  up  the  study  of  telegraphy.  In  the  spring 
of  1883,  having  mastered  the  business,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  office 
at  Vernon  Junction,  where  he  continued  for  eight  years,  and  in  1891  he  was 
promoted  to  the  office  at  Xew  Washington,  where  he  has  since  remained 
as  telegraph  operator  and  railroad  and  express  agent.  His  genial  disposition 
and  obliging  manner  have  made  him  very  popular  with  the  patrons  of  the 
road,  and  he  is  highly  esteemed  in  the  town  and  throughout  the  surrounding 
country. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  1888,  Mr.  Siefert  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Sarah  J.  Bair,  a  native  of  Whetstone  township  and  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Rebecca  (Shearer)  Bair.  who  came  to  Crawford  county  from  Stark 
county  among  its  early  settlers,  taking  up  their  abode  in  Whetstone  township. 
Three  children  graced  the  union  of  our  subject  and  his  wife:  Florene 
M.,  Hazel  R.  and  Chauncey  J.  The  mother  died  October  31,  1893,  mourned 
by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Mr.  Siefert  was  married,  on  October  23,  1901, 
to  Miss  Amanda  L.  High,  of  Xew  Washington,  Ohio.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Adam  and  Matilda  L.  (  Hesse)  High,  who  were  of  German  birth.  Both  were 
born  in  Germany  and  emigrated  to  this  country  with  their  parents  in  early 
childhood,  settling  in  New  Washington,  and  always  resided  in  and  around 
this  village.  Mrs.  Siefert  was  born  in  New  Washington,  Ohio.  February  2. 
1866.  Her  early  girlhood  days  were  spent  in  attending  school,  and  she  is  a 
graduate  of  the  New  Washington  high  school,  being  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1886.  In  September,  the  same  year,  she  entered  the  New  Washington  public 
schools  as  a  primary  teacher,  which  position  she  successfully  rilled  for  four 
years,  when  the  board  of  education  promoted  her  to  the  intermediate  depart- 
ment for  one  year,  thence  to  the  grammar  department,  which  position  she  ably 
filled  for  two  years.   During  these  years  at  vacation  time  she  attended  school  at 


504  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Ada,  Ohio,  two  terms  and  at  Valparaiso,  Indiana,  one  term.  Her  health  failing, 
she  abandoned  the  work  for  some  time.  After  again  taking  up  the  work  she 
taught  twelve  successful  terms  in  the  district  schools  of  Cranberry  and  Chatheld 
townships.  She  is  a  member  of  the  New  Washington  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  has  always  been  an  active  member  in  all  church  work. 

Mr.  Siefert  belongs  to  Hyperion  Lodge,  No.  651,  K.  P..  and  to  the 
Uniform  Rank,  and  in  the  former  he  has  filled  all  of  the  offices.  In  politics 
he  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  Although  his  life  has  been  quietly  passed  it  is 
worthy  of  emulation  in  many  respects,  showing  the  power  of  a  strong  force 
of  character,  energy  and  determination  in  the  practical  affairs  of  life. 

JACOB  H.  STEVENS. 

A  deep  interest  in  the  pioneer  days  through  which  many  of  the  older  resi- 
dents of  our  enlightened  country  have  passed,  with  honor  to  themselves  and 
benefit  to  the  younger  generation,  is  but  a  natural  feeling;  and  those  wdio  still 
remain  to  show  the  honest,  sturdy  and  manly  stock  of  which  pioneers  were 
made,  receive  but  their  just  tribute  of  gratitude.  Among  the  old  settlers  of 
Auburn  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  no  one  is  more  highly  esteemed 
than  Jacob  H.  Stevens,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  biography. 

Jacob  H.  Stevens  was  born  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  on  October 
31,  1817,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Amos  and  Hannah  (Cunning  Stevens,  who 
reared  a  family  of  eleven  children,  five  daughters  and  six  sons,  but  of  these 
only  two  survive,  these  being  Jacob  II.,  of  this  sketch,  and  his  brother  Amos, 
of  Arkansas. 

Amos  H.  Stevens  was  born  near  Allicott's  Mills,  Maryland,  on  October 
16,  1778,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Augustus  and  Sophia  (Young)  Stevens,  these 
parents  being  of  English  and  Welsh  extraction.  Later  Grandfather  Au- 
gustus Stevens  moved  to  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  made 
his  home  on  a  farm,  lmt  finally  came  to  Columbiana  county,  Ohio, 
and  spent  his  last  days  with  his  son  Amos.  Amos  Stevens  was  given 
as  good  school  opportunities  as  were  then  possible,  but  books  were  scarce 
and  even  the  rich  could  secure  for  their  children  what  we  would  now  regard 
as  only  the  outlines  of  an  education.  Some  brothers  of  the  father  of  our 
subject  resided  in  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  it  is  probable  that  Amos 
Stevens  also  resided  there  a  time,  but  after  his  marriage  he  and  his  voting 
wife  came  to  Geauga  county.  Ohio,  prior  to  1802,  when  it  was  admitted  as 
a  state.    At  that  time  the  country  was  a  vast  wilderness,  with  no  hierhwavs  and 


'  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  505 

no  means  of  communication  with  civilization  except  by  long  and  toilsome 
journeys  through  the  forest,  and  with  the  wild  beasts  of  the  woods  still  in  their 
accustomed  haunts  and  the  equally  savage  Indian  a  frequent  visitor.  Within 
three  miles  of  another  intrepid  pioneer,  Amos  Stevens  erected  his  log  cabin 
and  became  a  resident  of  the  "Buckeye  state,"  although  at  that  time  the 
name  had  not  yet  been  bestowed  upon  it. 

The  causes  which  induced  Mr.  Stevens  to  leave  this  section  are  not 
known  to  the  family,  but  he  later  removed  to  Columbiana  county  and  there 
entered  a  one-quarter  section  of  land,  and  again  built  a  pioneer  cabin  of  logs, 
and  once  more  began  the  clearing  and  then  cultivating  a  farm.  Here  he  s<  ><  m 
made  many  improvements,  erected  a  more  modern  residence,  added  sixty 
more  acres  of  land  and  made  this  a  pleasant  home,  where  the  family  lived  until 
1834,  when  he  sold  this  property  and  came  to  Crawford  county.  Here  Mr. 
Stevens  located  in  Cranberry  township,  where  he  purchased  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land  from  Isaac  Mathews,  this  property  having  been  entered 
some  ten  years  previously.  But  a  small  tract  of  this  land  had  been  cleared 
and  upon  it  stood  a  small  log  cabin,  which  served  through  one  winter  as  a 
shelter  to  the  family  of  Mr.  Stevens,  in  the  following  spring  a  more  com- 
modious one  being  erected.  Here  Amos  Stevens  lived  and  labored  and  here  he 
died.  In  his  later  years  he  accumulated  much  more  property,  buying  and 
entering  different  tracts,  until  he  owned  at  one  time  fully  six  hundred  acres  of 
Ohio  soil.  Physically  he  was  a  typical  pioneer,  strong,  energetic  and  coura- 
geous, a  man  who  dared  every  danger  and  feared  no  hardship.  In  his  re- 
ligious life  he  was  a  strict  Methodist  and  was.  in  fact,  a  local  preacher  of 
that  faith,  going  many  miles  to  perform  the  sacred  duties  of  that  calling.  In 
his  political  belief  he  was  a  Whig  and  from  principle  became  a  great  aboli- 
tionist. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania, 
on  July  2,  1784,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Nancy  (Young)  Cun- 
ning, the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Ireland.  The  latter  was  a  native  of 
England,  and  the  maiden  name  of  her  mother  was  the  same  as  that  of  G.  M. 
Stevens,  also  born  in  England,  but  of  no  kindred.  G.  F.  Cunning  came  to 
America  prior  to  or  about  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  patriot  army.  Mrs.  Stevens  lived  until  in  her  ninety-second 
A-ear,  dying  on  June  8,  1876. 

Jacob  H.  Stevens,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  remained  at  home 
until  his  twenty-sixth  year,  attending  school  in  his  early  youth  in  the  old 
school  house,  in  the  clearing,  where  he  well  recalls  the  puncheon  floor,  the 


5o6  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

slab  benches  and  the  greased  paper  for  windows.  He  was  the  strongest  of 
his  father's  sons,  and  probably  was  the  most  willing,  and  he  assumed  much 
of  the  most  laborious  part  of  the  clearing  and  cultivation;  as  must  be  re- 
membered, this  was  done  with  no  machinery  and  very  little  apparatus.  About 
his  twenty-sixth  year  he  and  his  father  caine  to  an  agreement  as  to  his  future. 
Three  of  his  brothers  and  several  of  his  sisters  had  been  given  assistance  by 
the  father,  when  thev  left  home,  and  our  subject  felt  that  some  like  provision 
should  be  made  for  as  faithful  a  sun  as  he  had  been.  The  father  intended, 
doubtless  to  be  just,  but  he  imposed  hard  conditions.  A  tract  of  heavily 
timbered  forest  land,  covered  with  underbrush,  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  the  home  farm,  should  be  his  for  the  sum  of  eight  hundred  dollars,  which 
was  to  be  paid  to  his  father,  in  installments.  He  had  no  money  to  start  a 
career  in  any  other  place,  and  he  accepted  his  father's  proposition  and  began 
with  energy  to  clear  his  land. 

In  1849  our  subject  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Wallace,  who  was  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania  and  was  the  daughter  of  Jefferson  Wallace,  who  came 
to  Richland  county,  Ohio,  at  an  earl)-  day,  later  removing  to  Cranberry  town- 
ship, in  Crawford  county.  Ten  children  were  horn  to  our  subject  and  wife,  the 
five  survivors  being  among  the  best  and  most  reliable  citizens  of  this  county, 
and  thev  are  as  follows:  Amos  W.,  of  Auburn  township;  Almira,  the  wife 
of  Frank  Albright,  of  Whetstone  township;  Sherman  H.,  of  Cranberry  town- 
ship; Julia  jVL,  the  wife  of  Freeman  Brown,  of  Shelby,  Ohio;  and  Nora,  the 
wife  of  AVillis  A.  Brown,  of  Tiro,  Ohio. 

After  subject  had  succeeded  in  paying  for  his  farm  and  in  placing  it  in 
a  prosperous  condition,  he  began  the  purchase  of  other  land,  the  first  tract 
being  one  of  eighty  acres  adjoining  his  own  land,  which  belonged  to  his 
brother.  Late  in  the  '50s  he  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  San- 
dusky township,  another  of  one  hundred  acres  in  the  same  township,  this  be- 
ing followed  by  a  purchase  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Liberty  town- 
ship, and  his  last  purchase  being  in  1882,  when  he  became  the  owner  of  one 
hundred  and  forty-seven  acres  in  Auburn  township.  This  land  Mr.  Stevens 
acquired  for  his  children,  and  after  he  had  become  satisfied  that  he  could  do 
well  for  all  of  them  he  bought  a  small  tract  of  sixty-four  acres,  a  part  of  which 
is  within  the  corporate  limits  of  Tiro,  and  removed  to  it.  There  he  and  his 
most  estimable  wife  resided  until  her  death,  on  December  26,  1893,  when  he 
deeded  this  land  to  his  daughter,  Airs.  Brown,  and  went  to  live  with  her. 

In  his  political  life  Air.  Stevens  has  been  a  Republican  for  many  years, 
although  his  strong  temperance  principles  induced  him  to  vote  with  the  Pro- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  507 

hibition  party  for  a  time.  He  is  distinguished  as  being'  the  oldest  living  resi- 
dent of  Auburn  township.  His  years  have  reached  eighty-four,  but  his  mind 
is  clear  and  his  memory  of  past  events  is  vivid.  Many  of  his  years  have  been 
spent  in  the  most  laborious  toil,  but  he  has  always  possessed  both  energy  and 
ambition,  and  stands  to-day  as  a  worthy  representative  of  the  perseverance, 
courage  and  zeal,  which  has  made  the  extraordinary  progress  possible,  which 
has  given  Crawford  county  its  prominence  in  this  state,  which  latter  has  be- 
come known  as  the  "New  Mother  of  Presidents,"  well  deserving  the  title. 

REV.  ISRAEL  LUST. 

Probably  there  is  no  better  known  or  more  highly  esteemed  citizen  in 
Crawford  count}-,  (  )hio,  than  Rev.  Israel  Lust,  the  subject  of  this  biography, 
who  has  traveled  at  least  twelve  thousand  miles,  back  and  forth  through  the 
country,  laboring  in  the  interests  of  Christianity.  Not  only  is  he  a  preacher 
ot  power  and  convincing  argument,  but  he  is  an  author  of  considerable  note, 
especially  in  the  religious  world,  and  has  also  successfully  carried  on  large 
agricultural  1  iperations. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Lust  was  in  Chatfield  township,  in  this  county,  on  De- 
cember i  1.  1839,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Conrad  and  Magdalena  (  Myers)  Lust. 
They  reared  nine  children  to  maturity,  and  our  subject  is  the  eldest  of  the  fam- 
ily, the  others  being:  Susan,  the  wife  of  Christian  Klink,  of  Chatfield  town- 
ship; John,  of  Cranberry  township;  David,  of  Dallas  township:  Catherine,  the 
wife  of  William  Hunsicker,  of  Lykens  township;  Sophia,  the  wife  of  Emanuel 
Yeiter,  of  Liberty  township:  Solomon,  of  Chatfield  township;  Daniel,  of 
Chatfield  township;  and  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  John  Biel,  of  Chatfield  town- 
ship. 

The  father  of  this  family  of  prominent  and  highly  respected  children 
was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  in  1812.  and  in  1819  accompanied  his 
parents,  who  were  John  David  and  Elizabeth  Lust,  to  America.  Grandfa- 
ther Lust  brought  with  him  his  wife  and  eight  children,  all  of  whom  were  in 
great  danger,  during  the  long  voyage  of  ninety  days,  of  never  landing  in  the 
new  country,  upon  which  their  hopes  were  set.  The  captain  of  the  slow  sail- 
ing vessel  lost  his  bearings,  and  even  touched  the  shore  of  Greenland  before 
he  made  the  harbor  of  Philadelphia ! 

Grandfather  Lust  settled  on  a  small  farm  in  Lebanon  county.  Pennsyl- 
vania, for  the  welfare  of  his  children.  One  of  his  sons,  quite  a  young  boy. 
died  crossing  the  ocean  and  was  buried  in  the  grave  of  the  Atlantic  sea,  which 


5o8  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

was  the  most  heartfelt  trial  of  his  and  the  grandmother's  life.  He  lived  six 
years  in  Lebanon  county,  Pennsylvania,  quite  poor,  working  hard  to  support 
a  family  of  small  children.  He  and  another  man  by  the  name  of  Jacob  Buck 
thrashed  in  one  winter  with  a  flail,  forty-five  hundred  bushels  of  wheat,  at 
three  cents  per  bushel ! 

After  living  six  years  in  Pennsylvania  he  came  to  Richland  township, 
Marion  county,  Ohio,  among  the  Delaware  Indians,  and  bought  ninety-three 
acres  of  wild  woodland,  at  the  government  price.  Grandfather  Lust  there, 
with  his  sons,  soon  succeeded  in  clearing  away  quite  a  tract  of  land,  by  living" 
mostly  on  hominy  and  boiled  wheat,  as  then,  in  1826,  there  were  no  grist- 
mills nearer  than  from  thirty  to  sixty  miles  distant.  The  wild  woods  were 
everywhere  inhabited  by  Indians,  wolves  and  bears.  Bears  made  raids  upon 
his  hogs  right  beside  his  log  cabin  !  In  order  to  get  wheat  flour  and  corn  meal 
he  dressed  a  common  boulder  to  the  thickness  of  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch,  and 
three  feet  in  diameter,  through  which  he  drilled  a  hole  four  inches  in  di- 
ameter, and  through  this  he  put  a  stout  pole,  one  end  of  which  he  ran  into  a 
stump,  into  which  there  was  made  an  auger  hole,  a  large  flat  stone  lying  beside 
the  stump,  over  which  the  dressed  stone  was  rolled  to  and  fro  to  crack  the  corn 
or  wheat.  The  broken  grain  was  then  sifted  through  a  sieve  made  of  home- 
tanned  groundhog  leather.  Most  truly,  "Necessity  is  the  mother  of  inven- 
tion."    This  historic  stone  is  still  remaining  on  the  farm. 

Xow.  in  the  years  1828  to  1830  Grandfather  Lust  had  more  wheat  raised 
than  was  needed  by  his  family.  He  sent  the  father  of  our  subject,  Conrad 
Lust,  to  Sandusky  City  over  the  old  state  road,  from  Marion  to  Little  San- 
dusky, thence  to  Upper  Sandusky  and  to  Fort  Ball  or  Tiffin,  then  to  Fremont 
and  then  to  Sandusky  City,  with  a  yoke  of  young  oxen  and  about  twenty-two 
bushels  of  wheat,  the  price  of  which  ran  from  fifty  cents  to  a  dollar.  This  he 
exchanged  mostly  lor  clothing  goods.  It  required  eleven  days  and  nights  to 
return  again,  over  a  distance  of  about  sixtv  miles  of  wild-woods  road. 

On  or  about  the  year  of  1832  a  road  was  constructed  by  a  company  from 
Columbus  to  Sandusky  City,  called  the  Columbus  &  Sandusky  Pike,  which 
was  running  directly  through  the  farm  of  Grandfather  Lust,  of  which  pike  his 
three  sons — Gottlieb,  Conrad  and  Frederig  Lust — constructed  a  mile  and  a 
quarter,  all  along  their  home  in  Marion  county,  for  which  services  they  secured 
a  section  of  real  wild  land  of  the  pike  company  in  Chattield  township,  Craw- 
ford county,  and  on  this  they  settled  in  the  year  1837.  Over  the  above  pike  were 
sometimes  from  thirty  to  forty-five  teams  in  one  train  hauling  wheat  to  San- 
duskv  City  from  Marion  and  Delaware  counties.      Grandmother  Lust  died  in 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  509 

the  year  1839,  m  September,  and  Grandfather  Lust  died  in  the  year  1840,  in 
February,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years. 

Conrad  Lust,  who  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  mar- 
ried to  Magdelena  Myers,  who  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
in  May,  1820.  He  had  eight  hundred  acres  of  land,  in  different  places  of 
the  county  and  state.  In  politics  he  had  been  in  sympathy  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  but  was  never  a  politician,  and  through  all  his  life  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Evangelical  Pietist  church.  He  died  in  February,  1876,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-four  years,  and  his  wife  Magdalena  died  in  September,  1893,  aged 
seventy-three  years.  Frederig  Lust,  the  uncle  of  our  subject,  was  a  most 
powerful  preacher,  with  but  a  rare  equal,  in  spite  of  all  his  very  limited  edu- 
cation. He  also  was  the  founder  of  the  so  called  Lust  church  in  Chatfield. 
He  departed  this  life  in  December,  1882,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years. 

Who  would  not  look  down  with  a  flood  of  tears,  as  tears  trickle  down 
from  the  children's  eyes,  upon  the  graves  of  their  grandparents,  so  beloved: — 
fathers  and  mothers  who  are  now  mingled  with  the  dust  of  the  earth,  in  the 
silent  shade  of  death,  after  so  many  struggles,  with  hardship,  penury  and  so 
many  thousands  of  evils  full  of  trials?  Grandfather  John  David  Lust.  Gott- 
leib,  Conrad,  and  Rev.  Frederig  Lust,  and  Elizabeth  (Jacoby)  Lust,  are  all 
at  rest  in  the  Lust  cemetery  in  Chatfield  township. 

Rev.  Israel  Lust,  who  is  the  highly  esteemed  subject  of  this  review,  was 
reared  amid  pioneer  surroundings  His  educational  advantages  were  limited, 
having  only  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  days  of  schooling,  scattered  over 
ten  years,  introducing  him  only  to  primary  studies  and  fostering  a  love  for 
books,  which  he  has  never  outgrown.  In  May,  1865,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Magdalena  Crum,  who  was  a  native  of  Chatfield  township.  After  this  event 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lust  located  on  the  farm  now  owned  in  Todd  township  which 
was  given  him  by  his  father,  and  cleared  about  one  hundred  acres  of  dense  tim- 
ber, and  this  is  cultivated  by  our  subject.  The  estate  now  comprises  one 
hundred  and  forty-six  acres,  as  Mr.  Lust  has  added  other  land  by  later  pur- 
chases. He  also  became  the  owner  of  five  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Allen 
county,  Kansas,  which  he  mostly  deeded  to  his  children, — Jessias,  Magdalena, 
Frank  and  Wesly.  To  the  first  marriage  of  our  subject  one  child  was  born, 
Jessias,  now  a  resident  of  Allen  county,  Kansas.  Mrs.  Lust  departed  this 
life  in  January,  1867. 

In  the  following  year  our  subject  was  united,  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Mary 
Linn,  who  was  the  widow  of  William  Linn,  formerly  a  Miss  Seibert,  who  died 
on  September  8,  1881.      Seven  children  were  born  to  this  union,  these  being: 


510  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Magdalena,  deceased;  Benjamin  Franklin,  of  Allen  county,  Kansas;  Samuel 
Wesley,  of  Allen  county,  Kansas;  Catherine  E.,  at  home;  Sarah,  the  wife  of 
George  Cooper,  of  Shelby,  Ohio ;  Clements,  at  home ;  and  Mary,  the  wife  of 
Roassle  Winger,  of  Marion  county. 

Mr.  Lust  has  been  one  of  the  successful  and  prosperous  farmers  of  the 
count}-.  He  was  reared  in  the  Democratic  party,  but  in  late  years  has  taken 
no  active  interest  in  politics.  For  nineteen  years  he  has  been  a  preacher  in  the 
Evangelical  Pietist  church  and  also  nine  years  in  the  Crawford  County  In- 
firmary, and  during  this  time  he  has  covered  fully  twelve  thousand  miles,  driv- 
ing to  and  fro  over  the  country,  answering  the  calls  of  duty,  ministering  to  the 
sick  in  body  and  mind  and  working  faithfully  in  the  Master's  vineyard.  His 
faithful  horse  Cole,  which  has  carried  him  so  far,  often  through  storm  and 
cold,  still  stands  in  his  stable,  cared  for  with  the  affection  its  long  service  has  oc- 
casioned. Mr.  Lust  is  known  to  the  religious-reading  public,  especially  in 
his  own  church,  through  three  published  volumes  of  his  writings,  under  the 
title  of  "Exhortations  and  Edifications  of  Israel  Lust,"  and  the  fourth  volume 
is  ready  for  the  press.  Mr.  Lust  has  bound  over  two  thousand  volumes  of  these 
books  himself,  the  latter  work  reflecting  great  credit  upon  his  artistic  skill,  as 
he  never  served  any  apprenticeship  in  it.  They  are  filled  with  good  advice, 
moral  teachings,  and  no  reader  could  doubt  that  they  came  from  the  pen  of  a 
deeply  and  truly  religious  man.  In  arranging  all  the  writings  of  Rev.  Israel 
Lust  up  to  this  date,  1901,  in  a  line  it  would  make  a  continuous  line  of  not  less 
than  ten  miles. 

DAVID  LUST. 

The  career  of  no  man  in  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  more  forcibly  illustrates 
the  value  of  industry  and  integrity  than  that  of  David  Lust,  of  Lykens  town- 
ship. Mr.  Lust  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  was  born  in  Marion  county,  October 
26,  1828,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Stoneman)  Lust.  Jacob  Lust  and  his 
wife  both  died  in  1829,  and  their  son  Jacob,  their  only  other  child  except  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  is  also  dead.  David  was  reared  by  his  grandfather 
Lust  and  began  active  life  by  working  on  farms  in  Chatfield  township,  Craw- 
lord  county.  After  working  by  the  month  for  four  years  he  located  on  his 
present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He  now  owns  another  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  forty-two  acres  and  another  of  eighty  acres,  his  land  aggre- 
gating three  hundred  and  eighty-two  acres.  He  has  acquired  this  fine  prop- 
erty by  industry  and  good  business  management,  and  those  who  know  him  best 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  51s 

rejoice  with  him  most  in  his  worldly  success.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat. 
A  friend  of  public  education,  he  has  devoted  himself  to  the  development  of 
"good  schools  in  the  township,  and  has  rilled  the  office  of  school  director  for 
thirty  years.  Ohio's  present  admirable  school  system  had  not  been  developed 
when  he  was  in  his  youth,  and,  remembering"  that  he  was  obliged  to  be  satis- 
lied  with  a  scanty  education  obtained  in  subscripts  n  schools  taught  in  a  log 
school  house,  he  has  done  everything  in  his  power  to  give  improved  educational 
facilities  to  each  successive  generation  of  children  in  his  township.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  German  Methodist  church,  in  which  he  has  for  many  years 
held  the  office  of  trustee  and  in  which  he  was  treasurer  when  its  house  of  wor- 
ship   was  erected  in  Liberty  township. 

April  6,  1854,  Mr.  Lust  married  Catherine  Yeiter,  who  has  borne  him  ten 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living,  and  they  have  twenty-two  grandchildren. 
Their  son  Jacob  lives  in  Holmes  township,  Crawford  county.  Their  daughter 
Elizabeth  married  William  Heaver,  of  Libert}-  township,  Crawford  o  imty. 
Their  son  Simon  lives  in  Liberty  township.  Ther  daughter  Marian  married 
Philip  Cook  and  lives  in  Whetstone  township,  Crawford  county.  Their  son 
Noah  lives  in  the  township  last  mentioned.  Sarah  is  the  wife  of  William  Hay- 
den,  of  Morrow  county,  Ohio.  Wesley  lives  in  Holmes  township,  Crawford 
count}-.  Lydia  married  Isaac  Stump  and  is  a  member  of  her  father's  house- 
hold. Their  son  Abraham  is  a  farmer  in  Holmes  township,  Crawford  county. 
Their  son  Amos  lives  in  Lykens  township. 

HARVEY  CLOSE. 

Harvey  Close,  of  Texas  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is  a  Si 
Nelson  and  Elizabeth  (Bender)  Close,  and  was  born  at  the  old  home  of  the 
family  in  Texas  township,  March  31,  1858.  Nelson  Close,  who  was  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Texas  township,  was  born  in  the  Empire  state  in  1818,  and  died 
at  his  Ohio  home  April  25,  1874.  By  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Bender,  who  is  still 
living,  he  had  children  as  follows:  Mary,  who  married  Michael  Davis  and 
lives  in  Nebraska  :  Gei  irge,  who  owns  a  part  of  his  father's  old  homestead  :  Han- 
nah, who  is  dead ;  Ella,  who  lives  in  Texas  township  ;  Harvey,  who  is  the  imme- 
diate subject  of  this  sketch  :  Adelbert,  who  is  dead  ;  and  Alta,  who  married  Rob- 
ert 1'orbet  and  lives  in  Holmes  county,  Ohio.  Mr.  Close  was  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  in  which  his  widow  is  also  a  communicant.  The  latter 
taught  a  subscription  school  in  a  log  building  at  Benton  in  her  young  woman- 
hood. 


512  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  near  his 
home  and  for  a  time  was  a  student  at  the  Normal  School  at  Fostoria,  Seneca 
county,  Ohio,  and  finished  his  studies  at  Ada,  Hardin  county,  this  state.  He 
began  active  life  as  a  school-teacher  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  and  from  that 
time  on  for  twelve  years  he  taught  school  every  winter,  giving  his  attention  to 
farming  during  the  spring,  summer  and  fall  months.  Since  1888  he  has  de- 
voted himself  exclusively  to  farming.  He  is  the  owner  of  ninety  acres  of  fer- 
tile land,  which  he  has  improved  and  placed  under  cultivation  and  which  he  has 
furnished  with  a  good  house,  large  barns  and  graneries  and  all  essential  out- 
houses. He  gives  his  attention  to  general  farming  and  stock-raising  and  makes 
a  specialty  of  strawberries,  to  which  he  devotes  about  three  acres  of  land  and 
of  which  he  sold  four  hundred  ami  seventy-five  bushels  in  1901. 

Mr.  Close  was  married  March  21,  1883,  to  Miss  Lizzie  Fleming,  and 
they  have  two  children:  Iva,  aged  seventeen;  and  Charles,  aged  eleven  years. 
Mr.  Close  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  fills 
the  office  of  steward.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  exerts  a  recognized 
influence  upon  local  affairs.  He  circulated  the  petition  for  the  postoffice  of 
the  village  of  Plankton  and  conferred  upon  the  locality  the  name  by  which  it 
has  become  known.  He  was  first  elected  to  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  in 
1880,  and  by  repeated  re-election  he  has  served  in  that  office  since  except  during 
four  years.  In  1890  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  land  appraiser.  The 
public  schools  of  the  township  have  always  been  very  close  to  his  heart,  and  he 
has,  by  suggestion  and  otherwise,  been  instrumental  in  broadening  their  scope 
and  in  increasing  their  efficiency.  His  long  experience  in  the  school-room  gave 
him  a  practical  and  technical  knowledge  necessary  to  such  service,  and  he  has 
been  an  adviser  both  to  teachers  and  directors,  whose  opinion  has  been  often 
sought  and  has  always  been  held  valuable. 

WILLIAM  C.  SEELE. 

Among  the  progressive,  energetic  and  successful  young  farmer-citizens  of 
Holmes  township,  Crawford  county,  is  William  C.  Seele,  who'  has  been  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  public  affairs  of  the  county  for  some  years.  The  birth 
of  Mr  Seele  occurred  August  6,  1863,  on  the  farm  which  he  now  occupies.  His 
parents  were  Emil  and  Catherine  (Spade)  Seele,  the  former  of  whom  was  born 
in  WTurtemberg,  Germany,  on  March  31,  1823.  He  came  to<  America  with  his 
parents  in  1840.  They  located  in  Lykens  township  and  remained  there  all 
their  lives.    Emil  Seele  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker  and  folio-wed  it  for  some 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  5*3 

years,  in  connection  with  his  farming  operations.  After  several  years  of  resi- 
dence in  this  county,  he  purchased  our  subject's  present  farm,  then  consisting 
of  sixty-three  and  one-fourth  acres,  and  there  he  lived  until  within  a  short  time 
of  his  death,  when  he  went  to  reside  with  his  son  Albert.  Emil  Seele  was  well 
known  through  Crawford  county,  and  held  the  offices  of  constable  and  super- 
visor. In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  Eight  children  were  born  to  him  and 
wife,  and  all  of  these  survive,  viz. :  Melinda,  the  wife  of  Charles  Gersten- 
berger,  of  Chatfield  township;  Edward,  of  this  township:  Matilda,  the  wife  of 
Abraham  Ditty,  of  this  township;  Dellmor,  of  Broken  Sword;  Albert,  of  Bu- 
cyrus  township;  Celesta,  the  wife  of  Daniel  Smith,  of  Bucyrus ;  William  C. ; 
and  Charles  Wesly,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

William  C.  Steele  grew  up  and  attended  the  common  schools  in  his  district, 
supplementing  his  primary  education  by  attendance  upon  the  sessions  of  both 
the  Normal  College  at  Ada,  and  at  Xew  Washington,  in  1882,  beginning  his 
successful  career  as  a  teacher.  For  twelve  terms  he  efficiently  taught  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  through  Lykens  and  Holmes  townships,  becoming  well  and  favora- 
bly known  through  the  county  thus  early  in  life.  In  1893  he  was  united  in  mar- 
ri  age  of  Miss  Metta  Margraff,  who  was  a  native  of  Lykens  township  and  was 
the  daughter  of  Charles  and  Leah  (Miller)  Margraff.  Mr.  Margraff  was  a 
German  and  came  with  his  family  to  Ohio  from  Pennsylvania. 

AYhile  still  a  teacher,  our  subject  occupied  his  summers  in  Cleveland.  Ohio, 
working  in  the  ice  business,  and  thus  earned  enough  to  enable  him  to  purchase 
a  farm  from  his  father  in  the  year  prior  to  his  marriage,  and  he  located  upon 
it  at  that  time.  Although  he  is  interested  in  agricultural  matters,  he  has  taken 
a  very  active  part  in  public  affairs.  For  two  years  he  was  township 
clerk  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  was  re-elected  for  a  second  term,  de- 
declining  then  to  serve  longer.  His  next  position  of  trust  was  that  of  township 
treasurer,  and  as  such  he  is  now  serving  his  sea  aid  term.  During  the  administra- 
tion of  President  Cleveland  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Broken  Sword, 
and  served  faithfully  for  two  years.  Although  something  of  a  politician  and 
a  man  of  influence,  he  has  never  sought  the  offices  he  has  so  honorably  held, 
they  having  been  secured  for  him  by  his  friends.  He  is. one  of  the  progressive 
men  who  are  invaluable  in  a  community,  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board 
and  is  a  friend  of  all  educational  advancement  in  the  county.  Fraternally  he 
is  connected  with  the  Court  Broken  Sword.  No.  X^[).  Independent  Order  of 
Foresters,  of  which  he  has  been  recording  secretary  for  the  past  two  years ; 
also  is  a  member  of  Broken  Sword  Tent,  No.  123.  Knights  of  the  Maccabees, 
and  is  keeper  of  the  records  and  finances;  and  is  a  member  of  Broken  Sword 


514  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Grange,  No.  1487,  P.  of  H.,  in  which  he  has  been  secretary,  then  overseer  and 
at  present  is  the  master  of  the  lodge.  His  ability  is  recognized  in  this  com- 
munity and  he  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  representative  men  of  Crawford 

county. 

JACOB  RANCK. 

Crawford  county,  Ohio,  has  many  citizens  of  Pennsylvanian  descent  who 
as  farmers  and  in  business  life  have  ably  demonstrated  the  potency  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Dutch  blood  in  the  work  of  enlightenment  and  progress.  Prominent 
ami  nig  such  citizens  is  Jacob  Ranck.  who  was  born  in  Texas  township,  in  1843, 
and  ir.  at  this  time  a  prosperous  citizen  there. 

Jacob  Ranck  is  a  son  of  David  Ranck,  a  native  of  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, who  settled  in  Wyandot  county,  Ohio,  in  1829,  whence  he  removed  in 
1836  to  Texas  township,  Crawford  county,  on  government  land  upon  which  he 
had  hied  a  claim  two  years  previously.  The  tract  consisted  of  one  hundred  and 
ninety-four  acres  and  was  heavily  timbered.  He  erected  a  log  cabin,  contain- 
ing ore  room,  into  which  he  moved  his  family,  then  began  in  earnest  the  work 
of  clearing  and  improving  his  land.  He  died  there  in  1865,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three  years.  He  married  Frances  Betzer,  and  they  had  three  sons  and  eight 
daughters,  and  ten  of  their  eleven  children  are  now  living. 

All  three  of  their  sons  fought  for  the  flag  of  their  country  in  the  Civil 
war.  Jacob  and  Lewis  C.  in  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Regi- 
ment, Ohio-  Volunteer  Infantry,  from  August  19,  1862,  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  and  Ephraim  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-sixth  Regiment,  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  in  the  one  hundred  days'  service.  Jacob  and  Lewis  saw  their 
first  experience  of  battle  at  Winchester,  June  15th,  1863,  where  thev  were  made 
prisoners  of  war  and  taken  to  Libby  prison.  After  two'  days'  confinement  they 
were  transferred  to  the  Belle  Isle  prison.  Nineteen  days  later  Jacob  Ranck  was 
paroled  and  went  to  Annapolis,  Maryland,  whence  after  a  short  time  he  went 
home  on  parole.  Eventually  he  rejoined  his  regiment  at  Martinsburg,  West 
Virginia.  The  regiment  did  guard  duty  for  several  months.  Its  next  fighting 
was  at  Newmarket,  and  after  that  engagement  it  retreated  to  Cedar  Creek, 
where  General  David  Hunter  was  put  in  command,  and  on  the  26th  of  May  thev 
again  advanced  through  Newmarket  and  on  to  Piedmont,  June  5.  where  they 
again  had  a  severe  engagement  with  the  enemy,  under  command  of  General 
W.  E.  Jones.  June  6  they  took  possession  of  Staunton  without  further  opposi- 
tion ;  and  after  destroying  thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  Confederate  govern- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  515 

ment  property,  they  again  advanced  to  Lexington,  where  they  defeated  Mc- 
Causland,  and  after  destroying  considerable  Confederate  property  and  Gover- 
nor Letcher's  residence,  they  again  moved  on  to  Lynchburg,  where  they  again 
met  the  enemy,  under  Early,  June  18.  Finding  the  enemy  too  strong,  they  be- 
gan their  retreat  during  the  night  of  June  18,  by  the  way  of  Salem  through 
Buford's  Gap,  and  on  to  Gauley  Bridge,  arriving  at  Parkersburg,  July  5,  and  at 
Martinsburg  July  10,  having  marched  eight  hundred  miles  from  the  2d  day  of 
May,  1864,  till  the  10th  day  of  July,  following.  During  July,  1864,  it  had  a  num- 
ber of  engagements  at  Snicker's  Gay,  July  17,  at  Kernstown,  July  23,  and  at 
Winchester,  July  24.  September  2d  the  regiment  fought  at  Berryville;  at  Ope- 
quan  under  General  Sheridan,  September  19 ;  at  the  battle  of  Fisher's  Hill,  Sep- 
tember 22;  and  at  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek,  October  19,  all  in  1864.  It  was 
then  transferred  to  the  Army  of  the  James,  under  the  command  of  General 
Gram,  and  was  for  some  time  stati<  ued  at  Camp  Holley,  at  Deep  Bottom.  After 
that,  under  the  command  of  ( reneral  Ord  it  assisted  in  trie' capture  of  Petersburg 
and  Richmond.  After  the  fall  of  Richmond,  with  the  Fifty-fourth  Pennsyl- 
vania, it  was  detailed  to  burn  the  bridge  across  the  river  over  which  it  was  be- 
lieved Lee  intended  to  escape.  The  movement  was  not  successful,  and  Mr. 
Ranck  was  made  a  prisoner  of  war  April  6,  and  was  soi  held  with  Lee's  com- 
mand at  the  time  of  Lee's  surrender.  His  faithful  service  was  recognized 
by  promotion  to  the  office  of  corporal.  Lie  received  only  one  wound  during  the 
entire  term  of  his  service,  and  that  was  a  slight  one,  occasioned  by  the.  concus- 
sion of  a  spent  ball. 

At  the  end  of  his  memorable  experience  as  a  soldier,  Air.  Ranck  returned 
to'  Texas  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  soon  afterward  went  to  Wy- 
andot county,  Ohio,  where  for  five  years  he  farmed  on  rented  land.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  that  time  he  bought  eight}-  acres  there,  on  which  he  lived  two  years. 
He  then  bought  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  acres  of  land  in  Antrim  township, 
Wyandot  county,  where  he  followed  agriculture  until  1885,  when  he  moved  to 
his  present  farm  in  Texas  township.  He  owns  seventy-eight  acres  of  well  im- 
proved land  and  gives  his  attention  to  general  farming. 

He  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party  and  has  held  the  office  of  town- 
ship clerk  in  Texas  township  for  one  year,  and  while  a  resident  of  Wyandot 
county  he  filled  the  office  of  assessor  of  Antrim  township  for  four  years. 

Lie  was  married  February  2/.  1868.  to  Miss  Caroline  Gottier,  and  they 
have  three  children, — Jesse  G.,  a  farmer  in  Texas  township;  Ida  B.,  who  was 
married  to  Melville  C.  Hudle;  and  Clara  L.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Howard  J. 
Miller. 


516  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ranck  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
careful  in  their  adherence  to  all  its  requirements,  and  are  liberal  sup- 
porters of  its  various  interests ;  and  Mr.  Ranck  is  a  man  of  decided  public  spirit 
who  aids  to  the  extent  of  his  ability  any  movement  which  in  his  good  judgment 
promises  to  benefit  any  considerable  number  of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  is  a 
quiet  and  unostentatious  man,  who  speaks  little  of  his  own  good  deeds,  but 
who  :s  known  as  a  good  neighbor  of  most  generous  sympathies,  who  has  more 
than  once  proven  himself  a  friend  in  the  hour  of  need.  Mrs.  Ranck  is  a  wo- 
man of  many  virtues,  who  is  known  as  a  model  wife  and  mother  and  who  has 
been  a  most  worthy  helpmeet  to  her  husband  and  a  power  for  good  among  those 
with  whom  she  has  associated. 

FRANK  McVAY  VIRTUE,  M.  D. 

No  history  of  Crawford  county  would  be  complete  without  the  mention, 
in  connection  with  professional  interests,  of  Dr.  F.  M.  Virtue,  who  has  gained 
a  very  creditable  standing  as  a  representative  of  the  medical  fraternity.  He 
engages  in  practice  in  Sulphur  Spring's  and  the  surrounding  country,  and  his 
marked  ability  and  the  confidence  reposed  in  his  skill  are  indicated  by  the 
liberal  and  constantly  increasing  patronage  which  is  accorded  him. 

The  Doctor  was  born  in  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  September  5,  1863,  and 
comes  from  sturdy  Irish  ancestry.  His  paternal  great-grandfather,  Robert 
Virtue,  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  learning  that  pursuit  on  the  Emerald  Isle, 
where  his  birth  occurred.  On  coming  to  America  he  located  near  Wheeling, 
Virginia,  where  he  took  up  his  abode  upon  a  farm  and  remained  there  for 
several  years.  He  then  removed  to  Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  where  he  spent 
his  last  days.  His  son,  Robert  Virtue,  Jr.,  the  grandfather,  was  also  born 
in  Ireland,  and  was  a  little  lad  when  with  his  parents  he  came  to  the  new 
world.  He  was  largely  reared  in  Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  and  after  his  mar- 
riage he  removed  to  Morrow  county,  where  he  carried  on  agricultural  pur- 
suits until  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death.  His  son,  Samuel  Virtue,  the 
Doctor's  father,  was  reared  on  the  old  homestead  in  Morrow  county,  but  was 
born  in  Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  October  3,  1S4T.  The  work  of  the  farm  be- 
came familiar  to  him  in  his  youth,  and  the  occupation  to  which  he  was  reared 
he  followed  for  a  period  of  several  years.  After  he  had  arrived  at  years  of 
maturity  he  married  Miss  Jane  McVay,  who  was  born  in  Morrow  county,  in 
1844,  and  was  of  Scotch  descent,  her  grandparents  on  both  sides  of  the  family 
bavins:  come  to  the  new  world  from  Scotland.     After  his  marriage  Samuel 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  517 

Virtue  purchased  a  farm  near  Chesterville.  Particularly  successful  in  cur- 
ing diseases  of  horses,  his  neighbors  frequently  seeking  his  services  in  that 
regard,  he  determined  to  buy  a  library  and  inform  himself  thoroughly  con- 
cerning veterinary  surgery  and  enter  that  profession,  which  he  practiced  for 
many  years,  while  still  on  the  farm.  His  business,  however,  became  so  ex- 
tensive that  he  removed  to  Iberia,  where  he  practiced  his  profession  for  ten 
years  and  then  went  to  Mt.  Gilead,  where  he  has  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
veterinary  surgery  during  the  past  twelve  years,  and  for  four  years  his 
son,  Charles  E.,  has  been  in  partnership  with  him.  Samuel  and  Jane  Virtue 
became  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely:  Frank  M. ;  Charles  E.,  a  vet- 
erinary surgeon  of  Mt.  Gilead ;  Delphus  B.,  a  medical  practitioner  of  Iberia  ; 
and  Maggie,  the  wife  of  David  Douglas,  of  Iberia. 

Dr.  Virtue,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  spent  the  first  thirteen 
years  of  his  life  at  home  un  a  farm  and  then  began  earning  his  own  living 
as  a  farm  hand,  working  for  six  consecutive  summers  on  three  adjoining- 
farms.  In  the  winter  he  attended  school,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  having 
acquired  a  broad  general  knowledge,  he  began  teaching.  Desiring  to  still 
further  perfect  his  education,  he  afterward  entered  the  Ohio  Central  College, 
at  Iberia.  He  followed  teaching  through  four  school  years,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1883  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  W.  C.  Bennett, 
of  Iberia.  In  the  fall  of  1884  he  entered  the  Western  Reserve  University,  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  was  graduated  on  the  9th  of  March,  1887.  On 
the  18th  of  April,  following,  he  located  in  Sulphur  Springs,  in  the  office  va- 
cated by  Dr.  M.  M.  Carrothers,  and  in  the  fourteen  years  which  have  come 
and  gone  he  has  built  up  a  remunerative  and  greatly  increasing  practice.  His 
time  is  occupied  by  his  professional  duties  almost  day  and  night,  showing 
the  wide-felt  confidence  which  the  public  has  in  his  ability. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  18S7,  the  Doctor  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Lue  Hall,  a  native  of  Iberia,  Morrow  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and 
Eliza  Hall.  Five  children  have  been  born  of  this  union,  all  sons,  namely: 
Vance  McVay,  Cecil  R.,  Ivan  V.,  Samuel  F.  and  Robert  M. 

The  Doctor  is  unfaltering  in  his  support  of  Republican  principles  and 
does  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  growth  and  insure  the  success  of  his 
party.  For  the  past  nine  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and 
has  also  been  treasurer  of  his  district.  The  cause  of  education  finds  in  him  a 
warm  friend,  true  in  his  allegiance  to  its  best  interests.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Hope  Reformed  church,  with  which  they  united  in  1888, 
and  for  four  years  he  held  the  office  of  elder.     He  likewise  belongs  to  Liberty 

28 


518  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Lodge,  No.  845,  Knights  of  Honor,  in  which  he  is  past  dictator,  and  is  also 
a  member  of  Sulphur  Springs  Tent,  No  298,  K  O.  T.  M.  Of  both  societies 
he  is  examining  physician.  He  belongs  to  the  Northwestern  Ohio  Medical 
Society,  and  through  his  connection  therewith,  as  well  as  by  constant  reading 
and  study,  he  keeps  himself  in  touch  with  the  progress  that  is  constantly  being- 
made  in  the  medical  fraternity. 

LYSANDER  M.  WALLER. 

Lvsander  Milton  Waller  was  a  man  of  prominence  and  influence.  He  was 
"born  in  Chautauqua  county.  New  York,  July  20,  1827,  and  died  at  his  farm 
residence  in  Lykens  township.  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  on  the  17th  of  April, 
1892.  He  was  a  leading  factor  in  agricultural  circles  in  the  county  for  many 
years,  and  was  respected  and  honored  by  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances. 

His  father,  Milton  Waller,  was  a  native  of  Washington  county.  New 
York,  and  a  cooper  by  trade.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Polly  Coon. 
These  parents  had  six  children,  as  follows:  Lysander  Milton,  our  subject; 
Helen,  deceased;  Stephen,  farmer  of  Lykens  township;  Comfort  B.,  of  Bowl- 
ing- Green,  Ohio;  Sarah  A.,  deceased;  and  Sophia,  wife  of  Cornelius  Swalley, 
of  Lykens  township.  In  1833  the  father  came  by  team  to  Ohio  and  for  fifteen 
months  resided  in  Seneca  county,  but  in  the  year  of  his  arrival  in  the  state 
he  entered  eighty  acres  of  land,  constituting  a  part  of  the  farm  which  was  the 
home  of  our  subject  and  took  up  his  abode  thereon  in  1834.  Of  round  logs 
he  built  a  little  cabin  of  one  room  in  the  midst  of  the  heavy  timber,  and  there 
began  the  difficult  task  of  clearing  the  fields  and  preparing  them  for  the  plow. 
He  continued  farming  throughout  his  active  business  career  and  died  on  the 
old  family  homestead  in  Lykens  township,  in  February,  1880,  when  seventy- 
three  years  of  age.  He  served  as  clerk  and  trustee  of  his  township  and  was  an 
active  factor  in  public  affairs,  leaving  the  impress  on  his  individuality  for  good 
upon  the  substantial  development  of  the  state.  He  aided  in  laying  out  roads, 
building  schools  and  materially  assisted  in  the  work  of  progress  and  improve- 
ment. In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  His  wife  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in 
1872. 

Mr.  Waller,  of  this  review,  was  a  lad  of  six  years  of  age  when  brought 
by  his  parents  to  the  home  farm  in  Crawford  county.  He  aided  his  father  in 
clearing  the  land  and  cultivating  the  fields,  and  throughout  life  followed  the 
occupation  to  which  he  had  been  reared.  He  was  an  energetic  and  enterprising 
farmer  and  good  crops  rewarded  his  industry. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  519 

As  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  the  journey  of  life  Mr.  Waller  chose, 
in  1848,  Miss  Arietta  Cory,  who  died  in  185  1.  leaving  a  daughter  named  Ar- 
della.  now  the  wife  of  Frank  La  Rue,  of  Lykens  township.  In  1859  ^ir-  Waller 
again  married.  Miss  Anna  Jane  Yingiing,  a  daughter  of  Jonas  and  Alary 
(Thomas)  Yingiing.  becoming  his  wife.  She  was  born  in  Chatfield  township. 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  her  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  of  Ger- 
man descent, while  the  mother  was  a  native  of  Wales.  Her  parents  were  mar- 
ried in  Pennsylvania  and  became  early  settlers  of  Chatfield  township.  Unto  the 
second  marriage  of  our  subject  one  child  was  born —  a  daughter,  Amy  Sophia, 
who  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Waller  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  served  as  count y 
commissioner  two  terms,  and  also  as  township  clerk.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  was  a  most  excellent  citizen,  an  en- 
terprising and  successful  farmer,  a  true  friend,  a  faithful  husband  and  kind 
father. 

AUGUST  MARQUART. 

August  Marquart,  who  owns  and  operates  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  in  Cranberry  township,  was  born  on  the  31st  of  July,  1856,  on  the 
farm  in  this  township,  which  is  now  occupied  by  his  father,  Michael  Alar- 
quart,  one  of  the  honored  pioneer  settlers  and  representative  men  of  the  com- 
munity. The  days  of  his  childhood  and  youth  were  passed  in  a  manner  similar 
to  that  in  which  most  farmer  boys  spend  their  time.  He  attended  the  public 
schools,  worked  in  the  fields  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  entered  upon  an  inde- 
pendent business  career,  renting  and  cultivating  the  Kline  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  fourteen  acres. 

On  the  23d  of  September,  1880.  August  Marquart  led  to  the  marriage 
altar  Miss  Mary  J.  Tilton,  a  native  of  Cranberry  township  and  a  daughter  of 
Arthur  Tilton  and  thus  he  secured  for  the  journey  of  life  a  faithful  companion 
and  helpmeet.  Her  father  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Crawford  county, 
Ohio,  having  come  to  this  state  from  Pennsylvania,  where  his  birth  occurred. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Marquart  engaged  in  farming  upon  the  old  home- 
stead l<  ir  two  years  and  then  assumed  the  management  of  the  farm  upon  which 
he  now  resides,  a  tract  of  eighty  acres.  In  addition  to  this  he  and  his  brother 
Jefferson  two  years  later  began  cultivating  the  home  farm  on  the  shares. 
Subsequently  the}-  dissolved  partnership  and  Mr.  Marquart,  of  this  review, 
engaged  in  the  further  development  of  his  eighty-acre  farm  and  also  carried 
on  the  greater  portion  of  the  home  farm.  About  1888.  however,  he  abandoned 


520  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

his  work  upon  the  home  place  and  rented  the  Kappus  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  acres,  continuing  on  that  place  for  two  years.  During  the  succeeding 
two  years  he  cultivated  his  eighty-acre  place  and  also  rented  some  fields  of  the 
home  farm.  In  early  life,  beginning  in  his  nineteenth  year,  he  operated  a 
threshing  machine,  continuing  that  business  for  three  years.  In  1892  he  in- 
vested his  earnings  in  forty  acres  of  the  old  William  Anderson  farm  and  three 
years  later  he  purchased  another  forty-acre  tract  of  the  same  farm.  In  1900 
he  bought  eighty  acres  adjoining  so  that  he  now  has  a  quarter  section  of  land. 
His  place  is  a  desirable  one,  for  the  soil  is  rich  and  alluvial  and  yields  good 
crops  in  return  for  his  labor.  Upon  the  place  is  seen  substantial  buildings 
and  the  latest  improved  machinery  and  all  modern  accessories  and  the  owner 
is  regarded  as  one  of  the  enterprising  agriculturists  of  his  community. 

The  marriage  of  Air.  and  Mrs.  Marquart  has  been  blessed  with  seven 
children:  Ida,  now  the  wife  of  Perry  Musselman,  of  Cranberry  township; 
Minnie,  Elmer,  Ora,  Emma,  Arthur  and  Lillie,  all  at  home.  The  parents 
hold  membership  in  the  Lutheran  church  and  for  six  years  Mr.  Marquart 
has  served  as  one  of  its  trustees.  In  politics  he  is  not  bound  by  party  ties. 
He  believes,  however,  in  clean  politics  and  supports  the  men  whom  he  thinks 
will  most  honorably  and  ably  discharge  the  duties  of  office.  He  is  one  of  the 
progressive  and  enterprising  agriculturists  of  Crawford  county,  is  a  public- 
spirited  man  who  supports  all  church  and  charitable  work  and  co-operates  in 
every  movement  for  the  general  good. 

WILLIAM  S.  NICHOLLS. 

In  the  parish  of  St.  Teath,  County  of  Cornwall,  England,  William  S. 
Nicholls  was  born,  on  the  25th  day  of  December,  1855.  His  parents  were  Will- 
iam and  Hannah  (Lobb)  Nicholls.  His  mother  and  also  an  infant  brother 
(  John  Francis )  died  when  William  S.  was  eighteen  months  old,  and  thus  very 
early  in  life  he  was  deprived  of  the  tender  care  and  nurture  of  a  mother.  When 
six  years  of  age  he  went  to  live  with  his  maternal  grandparents,  Francis  and 
Mary  Lobb,  and  with  them  made  his  home  until  he  was  twelve  years  of  age; 
then  (  1867)  his  father  removed  to  Plymouth,  Devonshire,  taking  his  son  with 
him.  Here  our  subject  completed  a  common  school  education  m  the  public 
schools  of  the  city.  In  1871  he  was  bound  as  an  apprentice  to  the  woolen 
drapery  or  clothing  business,  for  a  term  of  three  years.  This  contract  was  af- 
terward cancelled,  for  a  consideration,  in  lieu  of  removal.  In  April,  1873,  Mr. 
Nicholls,  then  seventeen  years  of  age,  left  Plymouth  and  his  native  land  in  com- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOR)  521 

pany  with  friends  with  whom  he  had  lived  for  six  years,  embarking-  from  Liv- 
erpool in  the  "S.  S.  Batavia,"  Cunard  Line,  for  New  York,  in  which  city  he 
landed  on  May  12th.  Thence  he  proceeded  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  the  place  of 
destination,  arriving  there  May  15th. 

Soon  after  landing  in  the  land  of  his  adoption  Mr.  Xicholls  engaged  as  a 
salesman  in  the  clothing  and  merchant  tailoring  business  of  Henry  Beckman, 
of  Cleveland,  and  was  thus  employed  for  several  years,  subsequently  accepting 
a  position  with  E.  R.  Hull  &  Company,  clothiers  and  furnishers,  of  Cleveland. 
In  1888  he  removed  from  that  city  to  Bucyrus,  accepting  a  position  as 
store  keeper  and  shipping  clerk  for  the  Steam  Shovel  &  Dredge  Company  at 
the  latter  city.  With  this  concern  he  remained  until  it  removed  from  Bucyrus 
to  South  Milwaukee,  in  1893.  In  ^94  Mr.  Nicholls  accepted  a  position  with 
The  Hopley  Printing  Company,  taking  charge  of  the  circulation  of  the  Bucyrus 
Evening  Telegraph,  a  position  which  he  has  since  held. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  this  country  Mr.  Xicholls  united,  in  1874,  with  the 
Congregational  church  of  Cleveland,  and  soon  after  coming  to  Bucyrus  united 
by  letter  with  the  First  Presbyterian  church.  He  has  long  been  an  active 
worker  for  the  church,  and  is  now  the  official  superintendent  of  the  Sunday- 
school  of  his  church. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma  L.  Aumiller,  September  30, 
1 89 1.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Xicholls  have  a  bright  and  entertaining  little  daughter, 
Nellie  Mabel,  now  six  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Xicholls  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Sarah  (Boyer)  Aumiller,  and  was  born  and  reared  in  Crawford  county.  She, 
to,,,  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  and  is  reckoned  among  the 
active  and  leading  church  workers.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nicholls  enjoy  most  pleas- 
ont  social  relations,  and  their  home  is  well  known  because  of  its  generous  hos- 
pitality. Her  father  was  a  worthy  and  well  known  pioneer  of  the  county,  and 
resided  within  its  borders  for  over  fifty-four  years.  He  was  a  native  of  Union 
county,  Pennsylvania,  born  October  16,  1809,  and  when  nineteen  years  of  age, 
in  1828,  came  by  way  of  wagon  with  an  elder  brother  and  the  brother's  fam- 
ily to  Crawford  county.  His  brother  settled  on  a  farm  one  mile  northwest  of 
Bucyrus,  and  they  cut  through  the  dense  forest  a  road  to  the  farm,  this  road 
being  the  first  one  in  that  direction  from  Bucyrus.  In  1836  Daniel  Aumiller 
married  Sarah  Boyer,  and  immediately  afterward  entered  from  the  general 
government  a  tract  of  land  lying  about  two  miles  west  of  Bucyrus.  On  the 
land  he  built  a  rude  log  house  in  the  woods,  haunted  by  the  wild  beasts  and  the 
scarcely  less  wild  Indians.  On  this  farm  Mr.  Aumiller  continued  to  reside  the 
rest  of  his  days ;  and  farming  was  his  life  pursuit.    He  and  his  wife,  in  an  early 


522  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

day,  were  members  of  the  Evangelical  church,  which  was  weak  numerically 
and  died  not  flourish.  He  was  noted  for  his  strict  integrity  and  probity  of 
character.  His  death  occurred  February  8,  1882.  His  good  wife  survived  him 
many  years,  dying  February  26.  1898.  in  Bucyrus,  to  which  city  she  removed 
about  six  years  prior  to  her  death.  She,  too,  was  a  native  of  Union  county, 
Pennsylvania,  born  February  18,  181 7,  and  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Bar- 
bara Bover.  She  came  to  Crawford  county  in  1828  with  her  mother  and  step- 
father, and  ever  afterward  made  her  home  in  the  county,  and  so  was  a  resident 
of  the  county  for  a  period  of  seventy  years.  She  bore  her  husband  eleven  chil- 
dren, four  sons  and  seven  daughters,  all  of  whom  lived  to  years  of  maturity, 
four  now  being  deceased.  The  father  was  of  French  Huguenot  descent,  while 
the  mother  was  of  German  lineage.  The  farm  on  which  they  settled,  as  stated, 
had  already  been  entered  by  Mr.  Aumiller  from  the  government,  and  it  has 
never  passed  out  of  the  hands  of  the  family,  now  being  owned  by  Airs.  Nicln  ills 
and  a  sister.  For  many  years  Mrs.  Miller  was  a  consistent  Christian,  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  church.  She  possessed  many  sterling  qualities  of  heart  and 
mind  and  was  universally  beloved. 

MADISOX  PRICE. 

Madison  Price,  a  pioneer  conductor  of  the  Pittsburg,  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chi- 
cago Railroad  residing  at  Crestline,  was  born  in  Holmes  county,  Ohio,  March 
21,  1845.  His  father,  Wiliam  Price,  was  also  a  native  of  that  county,  hern  in 
181 7,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  In  1849,  accompanied  by  four  of  his 
brothers,  he  joined  the  California  Argonauts,  who,  in  search  of  the  gold  fields, 
traveled  across  the  plains  to  the  Pacific  coast.  In  1852  he  returned  eastward 
and  died  the  same  year  in  Holmes  county,  Ohio.  His  wife  was  Catherine 
De  Belle  Woods,  the  widow  of  Hugh  Woods.  She  was  born  in  Virginia,  in 
1820,  and  at  an  early  age  was  brought  by  her  parents  to  Ohio.  Her  death 
occurred  at  Shreve,  Holmes  county,  this  state,  in  January,  1901.  This  worthy 
c<  tuple  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely  : 
Winifred,  Louisa,  Madison,  Joseph  D.  and  Adelia,  all  natives  of  Holmes 
ci  iiinty. 

The  snbject  of  this  review  was  the  eldest  son  and  third  child.  He  was 
burn  in  a  log  cabin  and  pursued  his  education  in  a  log  schoolhouse.  At  the 
age  of  twelve  years  he  went  to  Wayne  county  to  live  with  his  uncle,  the  Rev. 
Hugh  Price,  a  minister  of  the  Disciple  church,  who  resided  upon  a  farm.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  enlisted  in  response  to  the  country's  call  for  aid. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  523. 

becoming  a  member  of  the  Eighty-sixth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which 
he  remained  for  six  monuths  and  was  then  honorably  discharged.  In  1863, 
however,  he  re-enlisted,  becoming  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty- 
sixth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  His  regiment  participated  in  the  capture  of 
Morgan  and  aided  in  the  taking  of  Cumberland  Gap.  For  about  six  months 
Air.  Price  was  with  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-sixth  Ohio  and  then  returned 
to  his  uncle's  farm  in  Wayne  county,  this  state.  The  following  year  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  brakeman  on  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Rail- 
road, was  thus  employed  for  about  a  year,  after  which  he  again  took  up  his 
abode  upon  the  farm  and  devoted  his  time  to  agricultural  pursuits  for  four 
years,  but  in  1869  lie  again  entered  the  railroad  service  as  a  brakeman  on  the 
Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  railroad,  serving  in  that  capacity  until 
1873,  when  he  was  promoted  to  conductor.  His  service  with  the  road  covers 
many  years  and  indicates  his  close  application  and  his  faithfulness  to  his  work. 
He  is  a  very  reliable  railroad  employe,  enjoying  the  unqualified  confidence  and 
respect  of  his  superiors  and  the  warm  regard  of  many  of  the  patrons  of  the 
road. 

In  1868  Air.  Price  was  united  in  marriage  to  Aliss  Elizabeth  Sigournev 
Mower,  who  was  born  near  Mansfield,  Richland  county,  Ohio,  November  9, 
1848.     Her  father,  John  Mower,  was  born  near  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  but 
in  his  young  manhoi  d  removed  to  Richland  county,  Ohio,  where  he  engaged 
in  teaching  and  farming     Later  he  was  a  justice  of  the  peace.     He  was  a 
devoted  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  though  one  of  his  grand- 
fathers, the  Rev.  Abram  Crider,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren church.     He  married  Elizabeth  Hartupee,  who  also  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, of  parents  of  French  Huguenot  descent.     One  of  her  ancestors  was  an 
officer  of  the  Revolution,  and  many  of  the  family  served  in  that  war.      Both 
of  Mrs.  Price's  parents  died  when  she  was  a  child  and  she  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated by  her  grandparents.     After  attaining  womanhood  she  gave  her  hand  in 
marriage  to  Madison  Price,  the  ceremony  being  performed  by  the  Rev.  T.  K. 
Dissette.     Three  children  graced  their  marriage:  a  daughter,   who  died   in 
infancy;  William  Mower  Price,  born  in  Galion,  Ohio,  June   19,   1871 ;  and 
Frank  Carl  Price,  born  in  Crestline,  Ohio.  August  6,  1873.     Both  are  grad- 
uates of  the  Crestline  high  school.      The  former  is  an  engineer  on  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad,  and  the  latter  is  a  machinist  in  the  employ  of  the  Big  Four 
Railroad  Company. 

Air.  Price  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Railway  Conductors,  with  which 
he  has  been  connected  for  about  seventeen  years.     In  his  political  faith  he  has 


524  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

been  a  Republican  since  casting  his  first  presidential  vote  for  General  Grant. 
Air.  and  Mrs.  Price  belong  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Crestline, 
Ohio,  where  they  reside  in  their  own  pleasant  home. 

JOSEPH  E.  HALL. 

i 

Joseph  Edward  Hall  is  numbered  among  the  native  sons  of  the  Buckeye 
state  now  actively  connected  with  the  business  interests  of  Bucyrus  and  thus 
contributing  to  its  welfare  and  growth  while  promoting  his  individual  pros- 
perity. He  was  born  in  Ganges,  Richland  county,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  T.  C. 
and  Julia  Hall.  His  father  was  born  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  June  13, 
1822,  near  Xew  Garden,  and  in  1838  removed  to  Stark  county,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  business  as  a  dealer  in  harness  and  saddlery.  He  was  there  mar- 
ried and  subsequently  removed  by  wagon  to  Ganges,  Richland  county,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  dry-goods  business  in  connection  with  Horace  Lvbarger, 
the  partnership  being  maintained  until  about  1852,  when  Mr.  Hall  disposed 
of  his  interest  and  removed  to  Crestline,  where  he  took  a  contract  for  grading 
on  the  line  of  the  Ohio  &  Indiana  Railroad  in  connection  with  a  Mr,  Conover. 
This  road  is  now  known  as  the  Pittsburg  &  Fort  Wayne  Railway.  On  the 
completion  of  the  contract  Air.  Hall  erected  the  first  brick  house  in  Crestline, 
now  known  as  the  Olive  house,  and  into  that  he  moved,  keeping  boarders  there 
for  some  time.  He  was  also  proprietor  of  a  dry-goods  store  and  was  prom- 
inent in  public  affairs,  serving  as  postmaster  and  also  filling  the  positions  of 
township  trustee  and  road  supervisor.  Soon  afterward  he  became  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  Crestline  House,  which  was  the  main  hotel  of  the  place.  Later 
he  sold  that  property  but  continued  the  dry-goods  business  for  two  or  three 
years,  when  he  came  to  Bucyrus  and  in  connection  with  C.  L.  and  A.  D.  Juil- 
liards  he  purchased  the  dry-goods  business  of  Rupp,  Fisher  &  Hall.  The 
new  firm  was  organized  under  the  name  of  Hall  &  Juilliards,  and  this  continued 
for  some  time.  They  built  the  west  end  of  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Ouimby  block,  into  which  they  removed  their  stock  of  goods.  At  a  later  date 
C.  L.  Juilliards  sold  his  interest  in  the  business  to  T.  C.  Hall  and  A.  D.  Juil- 
liards. and  the  new  firm  carried  on  business  for  several  years,  when  Mr. 
Juilliards  sold  out  and  P.  Lewis  and  J.  J.  Fisher  became  partners  of  Air.  Hall, 
under  the  firm  style  of  Lewis,  Fisher  &  Hall.  Mr.  Hall  did  not  give  much 
of  his  attention  to  merchandising,  his  time  being  devoted  to  farming,  but 
ultimately  he  returned  to  Bucyrus  and  took  charge  of  a  mercantile  enterprise 
under  the  firm  name  of  T.  C.  Hall  &  Sons.     He  remained  in  the  drv-goods 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  525 

business  until  1874,  when  he  engaged  in  contract  work  to  construct  the  At- 
lantic &  Lake  Erie  Railroad,  which  is  now  known  as  the  Toledo  &  Ohio  Cen- 
tral Road.  The  contracting  firm  was  composed  of  B.  B.  McDonald,  T.  C. 
Hall,  Horace  Rouse,  W.  C.  Lemert  and  J.  G.  Frayer.  In  his  later  years  Mr. 
Hall  retired  from  active  business,  merely  supervising  his  farming  interests 
while  living  in  Bucyrus. 

Mr.  Hall  was  united  in  marriage  to  Julia  Juilliard,  who  was  born  near 
the  city  of  Montpelier,  France,  May  24,  1822,  and  came  with  her  parents  to 
this  country  when  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  the  family  locating  in  Stark 
county,  Ohio,  upon  a  farm  where  the  daughter  remained  until  she  gave  her 
hand  in  marriage  to  T.  C.  Hall.  For  many  years  they  traveled  life's  journey 
together  but  were  separated  by  the  death  of  her  husband  on  the  6th  of  March, 
1896.  He  had  contributed  in  large  measure  to  the  improvement,  upbuilding 
and  advancemnt  of  Ohio,  leaving  the  impress  of  his  forceful  individuality 
upon  many  lines  of  progress. 

Joseph  Edward  Hall,  whose  name  begins  this  review,  acquired  his  early 
education  in  the  schools  of  Bucyrus  and  afterward  entered  his  father's  store  as 
a  clerk,  being  employed  in  that  capacity  for  six  years,  when  he  removed  to 
Wyandot  county,  locating  upon  a  farm.  There  he  resided  for  three  years, 
after  which  he  took  up  his  abode  on  the  old  Reed  farm,  near  Bucyrus,  where  he 
remained  until  his  removal  to  the  city  three  years  later.  Again  he  entered  the 
store,  then  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Louis  Fisher  &  Hall,  continuing 
with  the  firm  for  three  or  four  years,  when  a  change  was  made  in  the  owner- 
ship, the  new  firm  being  Hall  &  Juilliard.  After  two  years  another  change  oc- 
curred, our  subject  becoming  a  partner  in  the  enterprise  under  the  firm  name  of 
T.  C.  Hall  &  Sons.  He  acted  as  buyer  for  the  house  and  carried  on  the  business 
under  that  style  for  three  years,  when  Mr  Hall  sold  cut  to*  Fisher  Brothers  and 
began  the  business  of  railroad  contracting.  His  first  contract  was  on  the 
construction  of  the  x\tlantic  &  Erie  Railroad,  now  the  Toledo  &  Ohio  Central 
Railroad,  and  for  three  years  he  devoted  his  energies  to  that  work. 

On  once  more  returning  to  Bucyrus,  Mr.  Hall  again  entered  the  mer- 
cantile field,  purchasing  the  dry-goods  business  of  William  Rouse  &  Son, 
which,  he  conducted  under  his  own  name  and  under  his  personal  supervision 
for  two  and  a  half  years,  when  he  disposed  of  the  store  to  J.  M.  Black  &  Com- 
pany. He  next  accepted  a  position  at  Moxahala,  Ohio,  as  manager  of  a  com- 
pany store  and  after  acting  in  that  capacity  for  two  years  he  purchased  the 
store,  which  he  conducted  for  some  time  and  then  sold  to  the  Moxahala  Iron 
Company.    He  then  took  a  contract  for  the  construction  of  a  part  of  the  exten- 


526  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

sion  of  the  Toledo  &  Ohio  Central  Railroad  Company,  known  as  the  Bucking- 
ham branch,  and  later  returned  to  Bucyrus,  where,  in  company  with  his  broth- 
ers, L.  C.  and  J-  S.  Hall,  he  purchased  the  dry-goods  and  grocery  business  of 
C.  G.  Malic,  conducting  the  same  for  seven  or  eight  years,  when  'Sir.  Hall,  of 
this  review,  became  the  sole  proprietor  by  purchasing  his  brothers'  interests. 
He  was  then  alone  for  three  years,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period  official 
duties  claimed  his  attention,  for  he  was  specially  appointed  postmaster  August 
8,  1898,  by  President  McKinley  and  was  regularly  reappointed  on  the  24th  of 
January,  1899,  for  a  term  of  four  years,  so  that  he  is  the  present  incumbent. 
Air.  Hall  was  united  in  marriage  to  Emma  Caldwell,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Lizzie  Caldwell.  She  was  born  near  Bucyrus,  acquired  her  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  Crawford  county,  and  on  the  15th  of  De- 
cember, 1870,  became  the  wife  of  Joseph  E.  Hall.  They  now  have  one 
•  laughter,  Xellie,  who  was  born  January  19,  1872,  and  has  completed  the 
educational  course  in  the  schools  of  this  city,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  W.  A. 
Blicke,  of  Bucyrus.  Mr.  Hall  holds  membership  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Royal  Arcanum  and  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  has  a 
wide  acquaintance  in  this  portion  of  Ohio,  where  his  worth  and  ability  are 
widely  recognized,  winning  him  the  warm  regard  of  his  friends. 

HENRY  BERG. 

Henry  Berg  is  the  superintendent  of  the  Leesville  Stone  Company  of  Lees- 
ville  Crossroads,  and  was  born  in  Mansfield,  Richland  county,  Ohio,  January 
26,  1850.  His  father,  Valentine  Berg,  was  a  native  of  Germany  and,  believing- 
that  he  might  improve  his  financial  condition  in  the  new  world,  he  crossed  the 
Atlantic  U>  America  when  a  young  man,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Mansfield, 
where  he  died  when  his  son  Henry  was  but  six  years  of  age.  His  wife  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Mary  Heis  and  she,  too.  was  born  in  the  fatherland,  coming' 
to  the  United  States  when  a  maiden  of  six  summers.  She  died  when  her  son 
Henry  was  but  three  years  old.  He  was  the  second  child  and  eldest  son  born 
to  his  parents,  and  after  his  mother's  death  he  was  reared  by  his  maternal 
grandfather,  Henry  Heis,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Leesville.  Henry 
Berg  went  to  his  home  in  1862  and  there  he  remained  for  about  four  years,  af- 
ter which  he  lived  with  his  uncle  for  about  three  years.  He  attended  school 
at  intervals  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  entered  upon  an  ap- 
prenticeship to  the  shoemaker's  trade  under  the  direction  of  Hon.  D.  O.  Cas- 
tle, now  representative  from  the  thirteenth    district    in    congress.     Mr.    Berg 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  527 

served  for  three  years  and  one  month  as  an  apprentice  to  the  firm  of  Castle  & 
Beach,  and  as  a  journeyman  continued  in  their  employ  for  two  more  years.  He 
was  afterward  employed  as  a  salesman  in  the  store  of  Castle  &  Heckert,  at 
Leesville,  after  which  he  began  business  on  his  own  account.  About  a  year 
later  he  entered  into  partnership  with  1).  O.  Castle,  which  connection  was 
maintained  for  about  one  year,  when  Mr.  Castle  was  elected  county  recorder. 
He  then  worked  in  the  recorder's  office  for  fourteen  months,  after  which  he 
returned  to  Leesville  and  purchased  the  old  Castle  shop  and  homestead  and 
again  engaged  in  the  shoe  business,  which  he  continued  until  the  nth  of  June, 
1883.  On  that  day  he  accepted  the  position  of  bookkeeper  with  the  Leesville 
Stone  Company.  Recently  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  same, 
which  position  he  has  held  since. 

In  1878  Mr.  Berg  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Henrietta,  daughter  of 
Christian  and  Magdakna  Huhn,  early  settlers  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio.  Her 
father  served  in  the  army  in  America  from  1861  to  1865.  Mrs.  Berg  is  the  sec- 
ond of  a  family  of  three  daughters  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  Leesville. 
Both  our  subject  and  his  wife  hold  membership  in  the  English  Lutheran  church, 
and  in  politics  he  is  a  stalwart  1  )em<  crat.  being  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders 
of  his  party.  He  has  served  as  township  clerk  for  five  years,  has  been  treasurer 
for  ten  years  and  is  now  the  incumbent  of  that  office.  For  about  eight  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and  in  all  these  positions  has  shown 
that  the  trust  reposed  in  him  is  full}'  merited.  Whatever  success  he  has 
achieved  in  life  is  due  to  his  own  efforts,  resulting  from  his  economy,  industry 
and  integrity.  His  career  forcibly  illustrates  what  may  be  accomplished  by 
determination  and  energy  in  a  land  where  all  avenues  are  open  and  excellence 
is  rewarded. 

FRANKLIN   P.   DICK. 

Among  the  best-known  citizens  of  Crawford  county,  a  leader  in  Demo- 
cratic political  circles  and  prominent  in  township  affairs,  is  the  substantial 
farmer  and  stock-raiser.  Franklin  P.  Dick,  whose  fine  farm  is  located  in  Dallas 
township. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Dick  occurred  in  Cass  township,  Richland  county,  Ohio, 
on  November  18,  1855,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Ann  (  Bushey )  Dick, 
coming  of  old  Dutch  ancestry.  Jacob  Dick  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  Ohio, 
a  son  of  George  Dick,  who  settled  in  Richland  county  in  1832  and  lived  and 
died  there.     The  father  of  our  subject  became  2.  successful  farmer,  but  died  at 


528  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  age  of  forty  years  in  Hancock  county,  his  wife  having  died  previously,  in 
1862,  in  Richland  county,  when  only  twenty- four  years  old.  The  six  children 
left  by  these  parents  are  all  living,  namely :  Franklin ;  Mary  Adam,  of  Shelby, 
Ohio;  Minnie  De  Witt,  of  Auburn  township,  this  county;  Olive;  Jennie  Kime, 
of  Blooming  Grove  township,  Richland  county;  and  Maggie  Hassenger,  of 
Auburn  township,  this  count)-. 

From  the  age  of  fourteen  years  Mr.  Dick  has  shaped  his  own  career. 
He  became  motherless  at  the  age  of  seven,  and  as  his  father  kept  the  home 
intact  by  a  second  marriage,  he  remained  until  the  death  of  this  parent  also,  and 
then  started  out,  his  capital  being  his  country-school  education  and  his  experi- 
ence of  farm  life.  For  thirteen  years  he  found  employment  and  a  home  with 
his  uncle,  Levi  Dick,  in  Richland  county.  At  the  age  of  twenty-seven  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Lovena  Noecker,  a  native  of  Richland  county,  and  a  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Lavina  (Vanhorn)  Noecker,  early  settlers  of  that  county. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Dick  settled  on  a  farm  near  that  upon  which  he 
now  lives,  in  Dallas  township,  and  for  ten  years  he  rented  land.  At  the  end 
of  this  period  he  had  so  prospered  that  he  was  prepared  to  purchase  the  one- 
hundred-acre  farm  he  now  occupies,  and  immediately  set  about  its  improve- 
ment. Mr.  Dick  is  a  progressive  and  enterprising  farmer,  and  all  of  these 
improvements  are  in  the  best  of  style.  He  rebuilt  his  barn  with  an  L-shaped 
basement,  ninety  by  forty-two  and  thirty-two  feet.  Mr.  Dick  has  made  a 
success  of  general  farming  and  usually  feeds  a  large  number  of  hogs. 

The  four  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dick  are  Jesse  J.,  Sarah  May, 
Francis  Alwilda  and  Ruth  Columbia.  Both  he  and  wife  are  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  United  Brethren  church  and  are  well  and  favorably  known  for  their 
many  kind  and  neighborly  actions.  As  one  of  the  leading  Democrats  in  the 
county  Mr.  Dick  has  been  identified  with  many  party  affairs,  and  for  six  years 
served  as  township  trustee,  being  elected  to  the  office  again  in  1901.  As  an 
energetic,  liberal  and  enterprising  citizen  he  is  highly  esteemed,  and  is  a  truly 
representative  resident  of  Dallas  township. 

JACOB  H.  SCHAEFFER. 

A  splendid  commentary  on  the  desirability  of  residence  in  Crawford 
county  is  the  fact  that  so  many  of  its  native  sons  have  continued  their  residence 
from  birth  to  the  present  time  within  its  borders,  becoming  prominent  as  rep- 
resentatives of  its  business  interests  and  carrying  forward  the  work  of  improve- 
ment and  advancement  along  many  lines  of  progress.      Such  a  one  is  Jacob  H. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  529 

Schaeffer,  who  was  born  in  Chatfield  township,  February  1,  1843,  ^ns  parents 
being  George  and  Anna  (Capst)  Schaeffer,  both  natives  of  Neabronn,  Uhr- 
wirller,  Alsace,  France,  the  former  born  December  15,  181 5,  and  the  latter  Oc- 
tober 12,  1809.  The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  were  John  and 
Catherine  (Zeider)  Schaeffer.  The  grandfather  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  follow- 
ing that  pursuit  throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  business  career.  The  ma- 
ternal grandparents  were  John  and  Margaret  (Liever)  Capst,  who  emigrated 
to  America  at  an  early  day,  settling  in  Cranberry  township,  Crawford  county. 
George  Schaeffer  learned  the  tailor's  trade  with  his  father,  but  the  work 
was  distasteful  to  him  and  he  never  followed  it  as  a  vocation.  Having  heard 
excellent  reports  of  the  opportunities  America  afforded  to  her  citizens,  he  de- 
termined to  seek  a  home  in  the  land  of  promise,  and  when  eighteen  years  of  age 
sailed  for  the  new  world.  Upon  landing  in  New  York  he  at  once  resumed  his 
journey,  crossing  the  country,  and  on  reaching  Ohio  took  up  his  abode  in  Stark 
county,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  working  by  the  day  and  month.  He 
had  saved  about  fifty  dollars,  when,  in  1835,  ne  came  to  Crawford  county  and 
located  forty  acres  of  land  in  Chatfield  township,  which  he  had  entered  from 
the  government  the  year  previous  while  making  a  prospecting  trip  through 
this  portion  of  the  state.  The  land  was  covered  with  dense  timber,  but  with 
characteristic  energy  he  began  to  clear  the  place,  and  after  cutting  down  some 
trees  he  erected  a  log  cabin,  in  which  he  and  his  worthy  wife  began  life  in  true 
pioneer  style.  They  had  to  endure  the  hardships  and  difficulties  which  usually 
fall  to  the  lot  of  frontier  settlers.  Their  home,  however,  was  for  many  years 
the  best  in  the  neighborhood.  During  the  first  year  Mr.  Schaeffer  cleared  and 
sowred  three  acres  with  wheat.  The  wolves  and  other  wild  beasts  were  very 
numerous  in  the  neighborhood  and  were  frequently  in  close  proximity  to  the 
cabin.  Money  was  an  almost  unknown  medium  of  exchange  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  for  the  farmers  received  goods  instead  of  coin  for  their  product--. 
Their  wants,  however,  were  few,  and  when  money  became  an  absolute  necessity 
Mr.  Schaeffer  would  go  many  miles  to  obtain  work  on  the  canal  or  on  other 
public  works,  and  thus  receive  the  money  with  which  to  purchase  furniture  1  >r 
other  equipments  for  the  house.  They  lived  frugally,  but  though  their  meals 
were  of  simple  fare  they  were  heartily  relished,  for  labor  gave  a  good  appetite 
to  those  early  settlers.  The  table  was  a  rude  one  of  his  own  construction  and 
the  chairs  were  merely  slab  stools.  But  this  pioneer  family  was  happy  and 
murmured  not  over  the  hardships  of  their  lot,  hoping  that  in  course  of  time 
the}-  would  be  able  to'  have  better  advantages  and  enjoy  more  of  the  comforts 
of  life.     This  hope  was  at  length  realized,  and  Mr.  Schaeffer  became  one  of 


530  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  well-to-do  farmers  of  Chatfield  township,  where  he  continued  the  operation 
of  his  eighty  acres  of  land,  making  his  home  thereon  until  1893,  when  he  took 
up  his  abode  with  his  son  Jacob,  there  spending  the  last  few  years  of  his  life. 
He  also  owned  the  farm  of  seventy  acres  upon  which  our  subject  now  resides. 
He  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  from  his  fifteenth  year, 
and  his  integrity,  fidelity  and  uprightness  won  him  the  confidence  and  good 
will  of  many  warm  friends.  He  died  July  27,  1895,  and  his  wife  passed  away 
March  21,  1877.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  and  all  are  yet  liv- 
ing, namely:  George,  a  resident  of  Perry  county,  Michigan;  John  A.,  who  is 
living  in  Huntington  county,  Indiana;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Adam  Donnen- 
wirth,  of  Cranberry  township;  Jacob  H.,  of  this  review;  Adam  B.,  who  is 
living  on  the  old  homestead  in  Chatfield  township;  Catherine  A.,  wife  of  John 
C.  Conklin,  of  Plymouth,  Ohio;  and  Anna,  wife  of  Henry  Reichart,  of  New 
Washington. 

Amid  the  wild  scenes  of  frontier  life  in  the  pioneer  home  Jacob  H. 
Schaeffer  spent  the  days  of  his  youth.  His  education  was  obtained  in  a  log 
school  house,  where  the  teaching  was  rather  of  a  primitive  order.  He  and  his 
brothers  could  attend  school  only  when  the  work  of  the  farm  was  at  low  ebb, 
for  their  services  were  needed  in  reclaiming  the  wild  land  for  the  purposes  of 
civilization.  On  reaching  his  majority  Mr.  Schaeffer  went  to  Huntington 
county,  Indiana,  where  for  three  years  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand,  and  on  re- 
iurnmg  home  he  and  his  brother  Adam  began  the  operation  of  his  father's 
two  farms,  which  they  cultivated  on  the  shares.  After  his  marriage,  which 
occurred  in  1867,  he  settled  with  his  bride  upon  one  of  his  father's  farms  in 
Cranberry  township, — the  place  upon  which  he  is  now  living  and  which  has 
since  been  his  home.  After  his  father's  death  he  purchased  this  tract  of  land, 
and  with  marked  energy  and  diligence  has  carried  on  the  work  of  improvement 
and  cultivation.  His  fields  are  well  tilled,  his  buildings  kept  in  good  repair 
and  everything  about  the  place  is  neat  and  thrifty  in  appearance. 

On  the  17th  of  September,  1867,  Mr.  Schaeffer  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Catherine  Kieffer,  a  native  of  Lykens  township  and  a  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Barbara  (Breitenbach )  Kieffer,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ger- 
man}-. Two  children  were  born  of  this  marriage:  Frank  A.,  who  operates 
the  old  homestead;  and  Lovina  E.,  who  is  with  her  father.  On  the  2d  of  July, 
1891.  a  cloud  darkened  the  sunshine  of  this  home,  for  the  wife  and  mother  was 
called  to  her  final  rest  upon  that  day.  Mr.  Schaeffer  is  a  worthy  follower  of 
the  teachings  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  in  which  he  holds  membership. 
He  votes  with  the  Democracy  and  keeps  well  informed  on  the  issues  of  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  531 

day,  but  has  refused  to  accept  all  offices,  save  that  he  served  for  six  years  as 
school  director.  The  cause  of  education  finds  in  him  a  warm  friend,  and  he  is 
deeply  interested  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  progress  and  improvement  of 
his  native  county,  in  which  he  is  uniformly  regarded  as  a  valued  and  enter- 
prising citizen. 

CHARLES  A.  LAUBACH. 

If  all  those  qualities  which  constitute  good  character  are  essential  to  the 
man  who  would  succeed  in  the  city  where  to  a  considerable  extent  he  is  a 
stranger  to  those  with  whom  he  deals,  how  much  more  necessary  are  they  to 
the  man  who  would  succeed  in  a  country  community  where  nearly  every  im- 
portant act  of  his  life  is  known  to  every  one  with  whom  he  associates.  A  city 
man  may  have  a  good  reputation  and  not  deserve  it,  but  any  man  living  in  a 
country  township  or  village  who  is  known  as  a  man  of  honor,  with  whom  it 
is  not  only  safe  but  desirable  to  have  business  relations,  may  be  set  down  as 
richly  deserving  all  the  good  things  that  are  said  about  him.  Such  a  man  is 
Charles  A.  Laubach,  of  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  some  ac- 
count of  whose  in  every  way  creditable  career  it  is  the  intention  of  the  editors 
to  include  in  this  work. 

Charles  A.  Laubach  was  horn  near  Allentown,  Lehigh  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, November  20,  1843,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  reared 
to  the  hard  but  healthful  and  useful  labors  of  the  farm,  which  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years  he  forsook  to  become  a  carpenter.  A  year  later,  when  he  was 
about  eighteen  years  old,  he  went  to  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
where  for  three  years  he  worked  as  a  carpenter  as  opportunity  afforded.  Being 
of  an  enterprising  turn  of  mind  and  not  wishing  to  pass  his  entire  life  as  a 
hired  hand,  he  then  entered  upon  a  career  as  contractor  and  builder,  which, 
with  few  intervals,  he  has  continued  successfully  to  the  present  time.  In 
1877  he  assumed  the  management  of  a  sawmill,  which  he  soon  purchased  and 
has  since  owned.  This  business  he  has  run  in  connection  with  his  building 
operations,  and  for  the  past  ten  years  in  connection  with  building  and  farming, 
with  considerable  success.  In  1891  he  moved  onto  his  farm  of  one  hundred 
acres,  where  he  has  lived  since  that  time.  He  does  miscellaneous  farming,  and 
has  shown  himself  to  be  as  well  informed  and  as  resourceful  as  many  older 
farmers  in  his  community. 

June  i,  1 86 1,  Mr.  Laubach  married  Rebecca  Shook,  who  has  borne  him 
five  children,  who  will  be  mentioned  here  in  the  order  of  their  nativity.     Their 


532  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

daughter  Sarah  married  David  Shock,  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio.  Their  daugh- 
ter Laura  is  the  wife  of  John  King,  of  the  same  county.  Their  son  Alfred  T. 
married  Loretta  Armitage  and  has  managed  his  father's  farm  during  recent 
years.  Their  daughter  Celestia  is  a  member  of  her  parents'  household.  Their 
daughter  Almeta  is  dead. 

Mr.  Laubach  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  is  not  an  active  politician  in  the 
ordinary  sense  of  the  term ;  but  while  he  is  not  an  office  seeker  and  has  refused 
most  of  the  offices  that  have  been  offered  to  him,  he  served  his  fellow  townsmen 
as  justice  of  the  peace  for  three  years  and  as  township  trustee  for  six  years, 
and  his  public  spirit  is  so  well  developed  that  he  aids  to  the  extent  of  his  ability 
every  movement  tending  to  the  public  good.  He  is  a  member  of  the  German 
Reformed  church  and  a  liberal  contributor  toward  the  maintenance  of  all  its 
interests. 

JAMES  H.  MALCOLM. 

Honored  and  respected  by  all,  there  is  no  man  in  Bucyrus  who  occupies 
a  more  enviable  position  than  did  James  Llarvey  Malcolm  in  industrial  and 
financial  circles,  not  alone  on  account  of  the  brilliant  success  he  achieved,  but 
also  on  account  of  the  honorable,  straightforward  business  policy  he  ever 
followed.  He  posessed  untiring  energy,  was  quick  of  perception,  formed 
his  plans  readily  and  was  determined  in  their  execution,  and  his  close  applica- 
tion tc  business  and  his  excellent  managemen  brought  to  him  a  high  degree 
of  prosperity,  so'  that  he  left  his  family  in  very  comfortable  circumstances. 

Mr.  Malcolm  was  born  in  Marlboro,  Ulster  county,  New  York,  Oc- 
tober 18,  1827,  and  was  a  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Hayne)  Malcolm, 
who  had  four  sons  and  seven  daughters.  The  father  died  when  our  subject 
was  only  eight  years  of  age.  The  Malcolm  family  is  of  Scotch  origin  and 
was  founded  in  America  by  James  Malcolm,  Sr.,  the  grandfather,  who  wTas 
born  in  Scotland,  November  30,  1786,  and  was  married  there.  While  on  the 
ocean  en  route  for  America  their  only  child  died,  but  during  their  residence 
in  New  York  three  other  children  were  born  to  them.  James  Malcolm,  Sr., 
served  in  the  war  of  181 2  and  was  aid-de-camp  to  General  Winfield  Scott  at 
the  battle  of  Lundy's  Lane,  while  his  son,  James,  was  also  a  soldier  in  the 
same  contest  with  Great  Britain.  There  were  a  series  of  honorable  titles 
in  the  old  Scotch  family  and  the  Malcolms  of  America  have  ever  been  dis- 
tinguished for  the  sterling  traits  of  their  ancestors. 


/  /^^~£^_- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  535 

Owing  to  his  father's  death  James  Harvey  Malcolm,  of  this  review,  was 
early  thrown  upon  his  own  resources.     His  youth  was  spent  upon  a  farm 
and  he  attended  the  district  schools  as  he  had  opportunity,  working  in  a  mill 
morning's  and  evenings  in  order  to  pay  his  board.     The  persistence  and  de- 
termination of  his  Scotch  ancestry  were  thus  shown  forth,  and  in  later  life 
enabled  him  to  triumph  over  many  obstacles.     When  he  was  sixteen  years  of 
age  he  began  buying  cattle  for  his  brother,  who  was  one   of  the  first  to 
slaughter  cattle  and  send  quartered  beef  down  the  Hudson  river  to  the  Xew 
York  markets.     After  three  years  spent  in  that  way  he  went  to  Xew  York 
city  and  worked  in  the  Washington  market,  engaging  in  selling  beef  by  the 
quarter,  and  continuing  in  that  business   for  five  years,  during  which  time, 
he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  some  leading  stock-dealers  of  the  Sandusky 
Plains,  including  the  Monnetts.     In  185 1  he  went  to  California  by  the  water 
route,  being  thirty-six  days  on  the  way,  which  was  then  considered  a  very 
quick  trip.     He  purchased  a  tract  of  kind  in  the  Santa  Clara  valley  and  for 
one  year  devoted  his  attention  to  the  organization  and  conduct  of  a  ranch, 
which  he  then  sold  for  a  fair  profit.     His  next  venture  was  on  the  great  Vine 
ranch,  twenty  miles  below  Sacramento,  where  he  gave  his  attention  to  the 
raising  and  marketing  of  vegetables.      Frequent  overflows,   however,   made 
the  business  too  uncertain  to  suit  him,  and,  disposing  of  his  interests,  he  re- 
turned to  New  York  in  the  winter  of  1854. 

Again  Mr.  Malcolm  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  in  his  native  county, 
but  since  the  time  when  he  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  Crawford  county- 
men  several  years  before,  he  had  been  interested  in  this  section  of  the  country 
and  in  1856  he  carried  out  a  long  cherished  desire  of  casting  in  his  lot  with 
the  residents  of  this  part  of  Ohio,  lie  soon  engaged  in  buying  and  feeding; 
cattle,  in  partnership  with  George  Roberts,  which  connection  was  maintained 
for  three  years.  He  next  rented  one  of  the  Monnett  farms,  and  later  purchased 
three  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  to  which  he  afterward  added  three  hundred 
acres.  He  engaged  in  farming  on  an  extensive  scale  and  his  stock  interests 
were  equally  important.  He  owned  altogether  eighteen  hundred  acres  of  land, 
having,  as  his  financial  resources  increased,  made  judicious  investments 
in  real  estate  until  his  holdings  were  among  the  most  extensive  in  this  part 
of  the  state.  He  also  was  interested  in  the  cattle  business  in  Kansas,  with  his 
son-in-law.  In  all  of  his  work  he  was  progressive  and  energetic  and  his 
labors  brought  to  him  an  excellent  return.  He  always  followed  the  most 
honorable  and  straightforward  business  methods,  and  over  the  record  of  his 
career  there  has  never  fallen  the  suspicion  or  shadow  of  wrong. 

29 


536  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

In  1878  he  purchased  a  home  on  North  Sandusky  avenue,  in  Bucyrus, 
and  located  in  the  city  for  the  convenience  of  his  family,  but  continued  his 
personal  supervision  of  his  farms,  driving  out  nearly  every  day  in  all  kinds 
of  weather.  After  some  vears'  residence  in  the  county  he  became  the  president 
<  >f  the  Monnett  Bank,  and  therein  displayed  his  excellent  business  ability  and 
keen  discernment  in  his  control  of  financial  interests.  He  gained  for  the  in- 
stitution a  high  reputation,  which  largely  increased  his  patronage  and  made 
it  one  of  the  most  reliable  institutions  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

On  the  4th  of  November,  1862,  Mr.  Malcolm  was  married  to  Miss  Elsie 
M.  Monnett,  a  daughter  of  Abraham  Monnett,  who  was  the  president  of  the 
Second  National  Bank  of  Bucyrus,  in  which  position  he  continued  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death     He  was  also  president  of  the  Farmers'  Bank  at  Marion. 
Unto  Air.  and  Mrs.  Malcolm  were  born  the  following  children:     Catherine 
E.,  is  the  wife  of  William  Mitchell  Aye,  who  formerly  resided  in  Morrow 
county,  but  is  now  a  resident  of  Manhattan.  Kansas,  in  the  vicinity  of  which 
citv  he  owns  a  very  large  ranch.     They  have  one  son,   Malcolm.      Gilbert 
Farris  Malcolm,  the  second  of  the  family,  is  residing  upon  a  farm  six  miles 
south  of  Bucyrus.     He  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Hineman,  of  Marion  and  they 
have  two  children — James  Harvey  and  Catherine  E.     The  third  and  youngest 
of  the  family  is  Elmira  Ala}-,  a  graduate  of  the  high  school,  now  at  home 
with   her  mother.      The  children   were   all   provided   with   good   educational 
advantages,  and  the  son  and  both  daughters  attended  the  high  school  in  Bu- 
cyrus.    Air.  Malcolm  died  June  1,   [900,  and  thus  the  community  lost  a  valu- 
able citizen,  but  the  greatest  loss  was  in  his  home,  where  he  was  ever  a  loving, 
considerate  and  devoted  husband  and  father.     In  early  life  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  church,  but  after  coming  to  Crawford  count}-  united  with  the 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  his  wife  was  a  member.     He  took  an  active 
part  in  Christian  work,  contributed  liberally  to  the  support  of  various  churches 
and  was  in  earnest  sympathy  with  all  movements  for  Christian  development. 
He  took  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs  pertaining  to  the  general  welfare, 
and  co-operated  in  many  movements   for  the  public  good.     His  success  was 
the  result  of  honest  effort  in  the  line  of  honorable  and  manly  dealing.     His 
aim  was  always  to  attain  to  the  best,  and  he  carried  forward  to  successful 
completion  whatever  he  undertook.     His  life  marked  a  steady  growth  in  ma- 
terial, intellectual  and  moral  development,  and  he  left  to  his  family  a  hand- 
some fortune  and  an  untarnished  name,  for  his  record  is  one  above  reproach. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY.  537 

JACOB  MILLER. 

The  well-known  citizen  of  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
whose  name  appears  above  and  some  account  of  whose  busy  career  it  will  be 
attempted  here  to  give,  traces  his  ancestry  to  Germany.  His  father.  Christian 
Miller,  was  born  in  the  fatherland,  in  1824,  and  acquired  the  usual  public- 
school  education  given  to  youths  in  his  native  land.  As  soon  as  he  left  school 
he  began  an  apprenticeship  at  the  shoemaker's  trade.  Later  he  served  four 
years  in  the  German  army.  In  1849  ne  came  to  America,  making-  the  voyage 
on  a  sailing  vessel,  which  landed  in  New  York  City  fifty-five  days  after  its 
departure  from  its  German  port. 

Going  west  as  far  as  Ohio,  Mr.  Miller  located  at  Republic.  Seneca  county, 
where  he  worked  a  year  as  a  shoemaker.  Removing  then  to  Lykens  township, 
Crawford  count}-,  he  bought  an  acre  of  land,  upon  which  he  established  a  home 
and  for  five  years  carried  on  a  shoemaking  business.  After  that  he  bought 
eight}-  acres  of  land  near  Lykens,  where  he  farmed  and  worked  at  his  trade  for 
six  years,  until  he  bought  his  farm  on  which  he  died,  October  [3,  1879.  His 
wife  died  February  _>S,  1889,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  German  Reformed  church,  and  in  politics  Mr.  Miller  was  a  Demo- 
crat. "When  he  arrived  in  Ohio  his  cash  capital  consisted  of  fifty  cents,  but 
for  some  time  before  he  died  he  was  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred 
acres.  In  the  best  sense  of  that  often-abused  term  he  was  a  self-made  man, 
and  his  character  was  such  that  he  commanded  the  respect  of  all  who  knew 
him.  He  was  the  father  of  nine  children,  as  follows:  Jacob,  who  is  the  im- 
mediate subject  of  this  sketch  ;  Catharine,  who  is  the  widow  of  Richard  Dewalt, 
of  Chatfield  township  ;  Christian,  w1k>  lives  in  Texas  township  :  John  and  Mary, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Lucy,  who  married  Otto  Weisenaure,  of  Lvkens  town- 
ship; Sarah,  who  is  the  wife  of  William  Kirges,  of  Seneca  count}-;  Henry  D., 
pf  Lykens  township;  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

Jacob  Miller  was  born  in  Bloom  township,  Seneca  count}".  August  9,  1840, 
and  was  a  year  old  when  his  parents  brought  him  to  Lvkens  township.  He 
remained  in  his  father's  household  assisting  his  father  on  his  farm  until  he 
was  twenty-two1  years  old.  when  he  married  Elizabeth  Stuckey,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Stuckey,  by  whom  he  has  had  four  children,  Charles  F. ;  Lola  E.,  who 
married  Loren  Hufford,  of  Seneca  county;  Cora,  who  is  at  home:  and  Cath- 
arine E.,  who  died  in  infancy.  His  wife  died  December  13,  1884.  and  he  was 
married  October  12,  1893,  to  Catharine  Schaffer,  who  has  borne  him  a  daugh- 
ter named  Mabel  L.  Miller. 


533  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

After  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Miller  removed  to  the  farm  on  which  he 
now  lives,  and  for  ten  years  he  and  his  family  lived  in  a  building  which  he  now 
uses  as  a  cow  stable.  He  owns  one  hundred  and  nineteen  acres  of  good  land,, 
one  hundred  acres  of  which  is  cleared,  and  he  has  improved  the  farm  until  it 
is  one  of  the  best  in  the  vicinity.  He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Reformed 
church,  which  he  has  served  faithfully  in  the  office  of  trustee.  Though  not 
a  politician  in  the  accepted  sense  of  the  term,  he  is  not  without  authority  in  the 
councils  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  has  come  to  be  known  as  a  man  of  much, 
public  spirit. 

JACOB  SEERY. 

Although  he  has  passed  the  Psalmist's  span  of  three  score  years  and  ten, 
Jacob  Seery  is  yet  actively  collected  with  agricultural  pursuits,  still  managing 
his  farming  interests  which  throughout  many  years  have  brought  to  him  a 
good  return  for  his  labor,  making  him  one  of  the  well-to-do  citizens  of  Lykens 
township.  He  needs  no  introduction  to  the  readers  of  this  volume,  for  no 
representatives  of  the  farming  class  in  this  county  are  more  widely  or  favorably 
known  than  the  Seery  family,  that  was  founded  here  in  1833,  at  which  time 
Solomon  Seen-,  Sr.,  brought  his  wife  and  children  to  Lykens  township.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch,  then  a  youth  of  eight  summers,  was  born  in  Ross  county, 
Ohio,  November  19,  1825,  but  was  reared  on  the  old  family  homestead  here 
and  pursued  his  education  in  a  log  school  house,  such  as  was  common  at  that 
time.  To  his  father  he  gave  the  benefit  of  his  services  until  his  marriage,  when 
he  began  farming  on  his  own  account. 

On  the  226.  of  January,  1852,  Jacob  Seery  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Lavina  A.  Cooiv,  and  their  home  was  blessed  with  the  presence  of  four  children  : 
Alvaro  E.,  now  deceased;  De  Forrest  B.,  a  resident  farmer  of  Lykens  town- 
ship; Lorenzo  M.  D.,  deceased;  and  Reno  R.,  who  is  with  his  father  and  as- 
sists,him  in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Seery  removed  to  the  farm  upon  which  he  now 
resides,  and  it  has,  therefore,  been  his  home  for  almost  half  a  century.  He 
has  here  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres  of  good  land  and  owns  elsewhere  a 
valuable  farm  of  eighty  acres.  He  has  cleared  fifty  acres  of  the  home  place 
and  has  made  excellent  improvements  thereon,  all  of  which  stand  as  monu- 
ments to  the  enterprise  and  thrift  of  the  owner.  He  is  still  managing  the  op- 
eration of  his  fields  and  the  raising  of  stock,  and  his  activity  in  business  affairs 
at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years  should  put  to  shame  many  a  man  who,  grown 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  539 

weary  of  the  burdens  and  responsibilities  which  he  should  bear,  would  relegate 
them  to  others. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Seery  is  a  stalwart  Republican,  and  for  three 
years  he  served  as  township  trustee.  During  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the 
home  guards  for  five  years.  In  1864  his  regiment  was  called  out,  and  as  a  pri- 
vate he  went  to  the  scene  of  conflict.  He  was  mustered  in  at  Camp  Chase  for 
one  hundred  days'  service,  and  with  his  command  went  to  the  defense  of  Wash- 
ington, being  stationed  at  Fort  Worth,  near  Alexandria.  He  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  Roberts  Post,  No.  672,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Poplar,  and  has  served  as  senior 
vice  commander.  He  has  always  been  loyal  to  the  best  interests  of  citizenship, 
and  has  taken  a  deep  and  active  interest  in  the  upbuilding  and  progress  of  the 
•county,  in  which  almost  his  entire  life  has  been  passed. 

CHARLES  F.  MARGRAFF. 

Charles  F.  Margraff,  a  well-known  and  highly  esteemed  resident  of  Ly- 
kens  township,  was  born  in  Bucyrus,  January  4,  1843,  his  parents  being  Will- 
iam H.  and  Wilhelmina  (Reidel)  Margraff.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Saxony,  Germany.  In  the  family  were  nine  children,  as  follows :  Augusta, 
the  widow  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Graetz,  of  Bucyrus;  Caroline,  the  widow  of  the 
Rev.  August  Michlalis,  of  Bucyrus:  Emeline,  deceased  wife  of  John  Linn; 
Bertha,  the  wife  of  John  A.  Schaber,  of  Bucyrus;  Julia,  who  married  Adam 
Augene,  of  Lykens  township;  Charles  F. ;  Lottie,  the  deceased  wife  of  August 
Brause ;  Sophia,  the  wife  of  Hiram  Smith,  of  Bucyrus;  and  W'illiam  H.,  of 
Fayette  county,  Iowa.  The  father  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  in  1836 
came  to  America  on  a  sailing  vessel,  arriving  at  Xew  York  City  after  a  voyage 
of  seven  weeks.  He  thence  made  his  way  by  water  to  Sandusky,  and  from 
there  drove  across  the  country  with  ox-teams  to  Bucyrus.  Establishing  a 
shoemaking  shop,  he  carried  on  business  along  that  line  with  good  success  from 
1836  until  1850,  when  he  removed  to  Lykens  township,  purchasing  the  farm 
upon  which  Henry  Fralick  now  resides.  He  purchased  land  in  the  Indian 
reserve  and  eighty  acres  near  his  home,  making  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
the  home  farm.  He  traveled  quite  extensivly  in  Europe,  and  while  in  this 
county  gave  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  whereby  he  gained  a  com- 
fortable competence.  He  died  in  January,  1889,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty- 
three  years,  while  his  wife  passed  away  in  1884.  when  seventy-three  years  of 
age.  They  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  active  in  its  work  and 
deeply  interested  in  the  extension  of  its  influence. 


54Q  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Charles  F.  Margraff  was  a  little  lad  of  seven  years  when  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  Lykens  township,  and  in  the  common  schools  he  acquired  his 
education,  which,  however,  has  been  largely  supplemented  by  reading,  observa- 
tion and  experience,  until  he  is  now  a  well-informed  man.  He  assisted  in  the 
work  of  the  home  farm  until  his  marriage,  when  he  began  farming  on  his  own 
account.  He  rented  land  from  1868  until  1874,  and  then  with  the  capital  he 
had  acquired  purchased  eightv  acres  of  the  old  homestead,  upon  which  he  re- 
sided for  four  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  removed  to'  the  farm 
upon  which  he  now  resides,  and  the  many  excellent  improvements  here  stand 
as  monuments  to  his  enterprise,  being  the  visible  proof  of  an  energetic,  active 
and  honorable  career.  He  owns  here  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  fine  land, 
of  which  one  hundred  acres  have  been  cleared,  and  he  has  elsewhere  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-four  acres  in  Lykens  township.  He  carries  on  general  farming 
and  stock-raising,  and  in  both  branches  of  his  business  is  meeting  with  credit- 
able prosperity.  Honesty  he  regards  as  the  best  policy  in  all  trade  transactions, 
and  his  business  career  is  one  unassailable. 

On  the  19th  of  December,  1867,  Air.  Margraff  was  married  to  Miss  Leah 
.Miller,  and  unto  them  have  been  born  five  children:  Armetta,  the  wife  of 
William  C.  Seele,  of  Holmes  township;  Mary  Ellen,  the  wife  of  O.  J.  Cory, 
of  Tiffin,  Ohio;  Ida  Irene,  wife  of  Henry  D.  Miller;  Edwin  S.,  deceased;  and 
Charles  Clarence,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  living  in  Lykens  township.  The  fam- 
ily is  one  of  prominence  in  the  neighborhood,  and  the  hospitality  of  the  best 
homes  of  this  part  of  the  county  is  extended  to  the  members  of  the  househld. 
In  politics  Air.  Margraff  is  a  Democrat,  but  not  strongly  partisan.  For  two 
terms  he  served  as  township  trustee,  giving  excellent  satisfaction  by  his  faith- 
ful discharge  of  duties.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  church  and  a 
worthy  representative  of  an  honored  pioneer  family  whose  history  has  been 
interwoven  with  that  of  Crawford  county  through  many  decades. 


SAMUEL  SHUPP. 

Among  the  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Crawford  county  who  have  been 
particularly  well  known  for  many  years,  is  Samuel  Shupp,  a  successful  agri- 
culturist, a  worthy  member  of  a  leading"  religious  denomination  and  an  intelli- 
gent and  progressive  citizen.  Mr.  Shupp  was  born  in  Dauphin  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, August  2,  1828,  a  son  of  John  and  Maria  (Yaeger)  Shupp,  and  was 
one  in  a  family  of  twelve  children,  all  of  whom  have  passed  to  the  other  shore 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  54 1 

except  Samuel  and  his  sister  Mary,  the  widow  of  Daniel  Fralick,  of  Lemert, 
Ohio. 

John  Shupp  was  horn  in  Dauphin  county.  Pennsylvania,  while  his  great- 
grandfather was  horn  on  the  sea  during  the  passage  ®i  his  parents  from  Ger- 
many to  America.     The  father  of  our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in  the  Key- 
stone state  and  followed  the  trade  of  shoemaking.      In  the  fall  of  1830.  with 
his  wife  and  a  son-in-law.  he  started  from  the  Pennsylvania  home  in  a  one- 
horse  wagon,  and  finally  reached  Crawford  county,  Ohio.     They  were  looking 
for  a  suitable  location,  and  before  returning  Mr.  Shupp  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  the  farm  upon  which  our  subject  now  resides.     He  then  went  back  to  perfect 
arrangements  for  the  removal  of  the  family  in  the  following  spring.     As  soon 
as  traveling  could  be  undertaken  with  safety  and  comfort,  Mr.  Shupp,  with  his 
wife  and  children,  save  the  oldest  son,  who  came  about  one  year  later,  started 
for  Crawford  county.     They  were  accompanied  by  one  son-in-law  and  his  two 
children.     They  had  two  wagons,  one  being  a  prairie  schooner,  hauled  by  a 
four-horse  team.      Many  of  the  older  members  of  the  family  made  almost  all 
of  the  long  journey  on  foot,  and  finally  arrived  at  the  little  cabin  erected  by  the 
former  settlers.      This  was  found  toe  small  to  hold  the  whole  family,  but  with 
great  cheerfulness  beds  were  made  in  the  corn  crib,  and  when  the  cabin  was 
full  the  overflow  found  peaceful  rest  after  the  hard  labor  of  the  day  within  the 
improvised  house.      So  many  hands  soon  made  light  the  work  of  erecting  a 
new  house  of  hewn  logs,  and  before  long  they  were  all  very  comfortable. 
Soon  the  father  entered  for  hi-  children  three  farms,  of  eighty  acres  each,  in 
Lykens  township,  and  two  others,  of  eight)-  acres  each,  in  Holmes  township, 
and  also  entered  one  eighty-acre  tract  for  a  nephew,  who  shortly  followed  them 
to  Crawford  county.      This  nephew  gave  a  year  of  work  to  Mr.  Shupp  in  pay 
for  the  land.      Mr.  Shupp  also  purchased  twenty-five  acres  adjoining  his  land. 
in  this  township,  and  an  additional  thirty-two  acres  in  Lykens  township.      His 
death  came  in  1863,  when  he  had  reached  his  eighty-first  year.     During  all  his 
life  he  had  actively  supported  the  Democratic  party.      For  many  years  he  was 
an  earnest  worker  in  the  German  Reformed  church,  while  his  wife  was  just 
as  devoted  to  the  Lutheran  faith.      Services  in  all  religious  denominations  were 
held  in  those  days  in  the  school  houses  and  both  parents  attended  together. 
The  mother  survived  her  husband  three  or  four  years,  living  to  be  seventy- 
eight. 

Our  subject  was  reared  at  home,  but  had  few  educational  advantages  on 
account  of  the  unsettled  state  of  the  locality.  This  lack  has  long  since  been 
remedied.     In  1849  he  married  Miss  Mary  Young,  but  a  year  later  the  young 


542  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

wife  died,  and  soon  after  her  infant  child  also  passed  away.  After  his  mar- 
riage Air.  Shupp  settled  on  a  portion  of  his  father's  property,  which  he  farmed 
on  shares  until  he  was  bereft  of  his  wife  and  child,  when  he  returned  home 
and  soon  after  began  making  preparations  for  a  western  trip.  However,  his 
parents  dissuaded  him  from  carrying  out  this  plan,  as  they  were  advanced  in 
years,  and  to  gratify  them  he  settled  down  at  home  again  and  took  up  his  old 
occupations.  Later  he  married  Miss  Rosanna  Schaal,  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  then  purchased  the  home  farm  and  had  his  beloved  parents  take  up  their 
residence  with  him.  giving  them  filial  care  and  loving  attention  until  their 
•death. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shupp  were:  John  L.,  of  Sandusky, 
Ohio;  Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Isaiah  Laipply,  an  Evangelical  minister  in 
Nebraska ;  Simon  F.,  of  Marion.  Ohio;  Sarah  J.,  the  widow  of  Elias  Candel, 
of  Lykens  township;  Rebecca,  the  wife  of  C.  P.  Deervester,  of  Broken  Sword, 
this  county;  and  Emma,  E.,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Cover.  Mrs.  Shupp  died  in 
February,  1863,  and  on  March  31,  1S64,  Mr.  Shupp  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Gerhart.  a  native  of  Lykens  township,  the  daughter  of  Martin  and 
Eve  E.  (Lehman)  Gerhart,  b  >th  natives  of  Germany.  They  came  to  Crawford 
county  early  in  the  '30s.  Three  children  were  born  to  this  last  marriage : 
Edwin,  of  Holmes  township;  Rolandus,  a  farmer  on  his  father's  land  in 
Holmes  township ;  and  Bessie  B.,  at  home. 

Mr.  Shupp  retains  only  one  hundred  acres  of  land,  although  he  has  owned 
much  more.  His  political  belief  is  in  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
although  prior  to  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  Democrat.  For  more  than  forty  years 
he  has  been  an  active  and  prominent  member  of  the  Evangelical  church  and  has 
faithfully  served  it  as  trustee,  class-leader,  local  preacher  and  in  the  minor 
offices,  contributing  generously  to  all  of  its  charitable  and  benevolent  enter- 
prises. 

ANTHONY  SMITH. 

Anthony  Smith  is  a  retired  farmer  living  in  New  Washington,  and  bis 
position  of  financial  ease  has  been  Avon  by  years  of  indefatigable  labor  in  the 
earlier  period  of  his  manhood.  He  was  born  in  Hardin  county,  Virginia, 
February  24,  1831.  his  parents  being  John  and  Rebecca  (Davis)  Smith,  of 
whose  family  of  eight  children  our  subject  is  the  only  survivor.  The  father 
was  born  in  Virginia,  about  1785,  and  in  the  Old  Dominion  was  reared  to 
manhood,  early  becoming  familiar  with  farm  work  in  its  various  departments. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  543 

He  married  Miss  Rebecca  Davis,  also  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  upon  a  farm 
they  began  their  domestic  life.  In  the  fall  of  1833  they  removed  to  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  and  the  father  entered  1hree  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Chatfield 
township  from  the  government.  At  th:  t  me  there  were  only  two  houses  in 
New t  Washington  and  no  roads  had  been  made  through  this  section  of  the 
country,  so  that  the  pioneer  settlers  blazed  the  trees  in  order  to  mark  a  path 
through  the  forest.  Mr.  Smith  erected  a  hewed-log  house  in  the  midst  of  the 
wilderness  and  then  began  the  arduous  task  of  clearing  his  land  and  preparing 
it  for  the  plow.  He  was  a  frugal,  energetic  man,  and  had  placed  much  of  his 
farm  under  cultivation  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1845. 

Anthony  Smith,  of  this  review,  was  then  only  fourteen  years  of  age.  His 
childhood  and  youth  were  passed  at  home  and  he  received  but  a  limited  edu- 
cation, owing  to  the  inadequate  school  facilities  found  in  the  pioneer  settle- 
ment. After  his  death  our  subject  and  his  brothers  operated  the  home  place 
until  the  time  of  our  subject's  marriage,  in  1866.  He  then  purchased  the  in- 
terest of  the  other  heirs,  becoming  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres  of  the  old  homestead,  and  from  that  time  until  his  retirement  to  private 
life  he  was  successfully  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In  the  fall  of  1867, 
however,  he  sold  the  old  home  farm  and  purchased  a  better  improved  property 
comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Cranberry  township,  where  he 
cultivated  the  fields  until  1878.  He  then  rented  his  farm  and  removed  to  New 
Washington,  purchasing  the  present  home  property  in  which  he  yet  resides. 

On  the  30th  of  January,  1866,  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Koehler,  a  native  of  Cranberry  township  and  a  daughter  of  Herman 
and  Martha  (Guiss)  Koehler.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Helserberg,  Ger- 
many, born  August  2,  181 7,  and  when  a  lad  of  twelve  years  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica with  his  parents,  the  family  settling  in  Cranberry  township,  Crawford 
county,  in  1833,  being  among  the  first  residents  of  this  locality.  His  wife  was 
born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  February  1,  1825,  and  on  the 
1 2th  of  November,  1842,  she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Mr.  Koehler,  Her 
death  occurred  June  22,  1893.  Both  were  consistent  members  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  church  and  were  beloved  by  all  who  knew  them.  Unto  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Smith  have  been  born  three  children,  namely :  John  H.,  a  resident 
of  New  Washington;  Margaret  M.,  wife  of  George  Longyear,  of  New  Wash- 
ington: and  William  H.,  who  is  living  with  his  parents. 

Air.  Smith  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  Democratic  prin- 
ciples. He,  too,  belongs  to  the  Lutheran  church,  and  is  a  man  of  genuine 
worth,  highly  regarded  for  his  sterling  traits  of  character.     He  has  made  his 


544  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

home  in  Crawford  county  since  pioneer  days  and  has  witnessed  the  wonderful 
changes  which  have  transformed  this  region  from  a  wild  tract  into  cultivated 
farms  and  comfortable  homes.  He  has  seen  the  forests  cut  away,  to  be  re- 
placed by  fields  of  waving  grain,  and  has  watched  the  introduction  of  the  rail- 
road, the  telegraph,  the  telephone,  the  business  enterprises  and  industries  and 
all  improvements  known  to  the  older  east.  He  takes  just  pride  in  what  his 
county  has  accomplished,  and  is  a  loyal  and  public-spirited  citizen. 

FRANK  O.  SEARS. 

Frank  O.  Sears,  a  son  of  Benjamin  Sears,  a  well-known  resident  of  Craw- 
ford count}',  was  born  on  the  homestead  farm  in  Bucyrus  township,  on  the 
24th  of  April,  1863,  and  has  always  resided  in  this  portion  of  the  state.  The 
first  four  years  of  his  life  were  spent  on  the  farm,  at  the  end  of  which  time  lus 
parents  removed  with  their  family  to  the  city  of  Bucyrus,  where  his  youthful 
days  were  passed.  In  the  public  schools  there  he  acquired  a  fair  literary  edu- 
cation, and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  Rufus 
V.  Sears,  he  began  farming  and  stock-raising  upon  his  father's  land,  a  short 
distance  west  of  the  city.  This  partnership  continued  for  five  years  from  the 
spring  of  1880.  but  since  1885  our  subject  has  operated  the  farm  alone,  and 
is  now  accounted  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  and  stock-raisers  of  the 
county. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1891,  Mr.  Sears  wedded  Miss  Elizabeth  Walker,  a 
daughter  of  L.  L.  Walker,  and  four  children  have  been  born  unto  them,  namely  : 
Sallie  M.,  Melissa  M.,  Benjamin  and  Annie  B.  In  politics  Mr.  Sears  is  a 
Republican.  His  life  is  a  busy  and  useful  one,  and  the  capable  manner  in 
which,  he  manages  his  farm  has  Brought  to  him  a  good  financial  reward  for 
his  labor. 

PETER  SEERV. 

In  pioneer  days  Peter  Seery  came  to  Crawford  county  and  has  been  an 
interested  witness  of  the  growth  and  development  of  this  portion  of  the  state 
since  that  time.  He  has  borne  his  part  in  the  work  of  upbuilding  and  progress, 
and  has  aided  in  transforming  the  wild  land  into  beautiful  homes  and  farms. 
He  well  deserves  mention  among  the  pioneer  settlers,  and  gladly  we  present 
the  record  of  his  life  to  our  readers. 

Air.  Seery  was  born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio,  near  Chillicothe,  October  5, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  545 

1818,  his  parents  being  Solomon  and  Magdeline  (Vangundy)  Seery.  The 
father  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  when  young  went  to  Ross  county. 
After  arriving  at  years  of  maturity  he  married  Miss  Vangundy,  and  unto  them 
were  hern  twelve  children:  Alary,  John,  David,  Peter,  Samuel,  Ann,  Solomon, 
Magdeline,  Jacob,  Francis,  Jeremiah  and  cue  that  died  in  infancy.  The  only 
ones  now  living  are  Peter,  Solomon,  Jacob  and  Francis. 

In  the  spring  of  1833,  accompanied  by  his  two  oldest  children,  the  father 
came  to  Crawford  county,  making  the  journey  by  ox  team.  He  located  in 
Lykens  township,  entering  eighty  acres  of  land  from  the  government,  and 
erected  thereon  a  log  cabin,  built  of  split  logs  and  containing  but  one  room. 
He  spent  the  summer  in  clearing  his  land  and  in  the  fall  returned  to  Ross 
county  for  his  wife  and  the  other  members  of  the  family.  Again  the  journey 
was  made  with  ox  learns,  and  here  in  true  pioneer  style  the  Seery  family  began 
life,  sharing  in  the  trials  and  experiences  of  the  frontier.  Later  the  father 
entered  a  quarter  section  of  land  from  the  government,  and  throughout  the 
remainder  of  his  life  successfully  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a 
progressive  and  public-spirited  citizen,  who  aided  in  laying  out  the  roads, 
organizing  the  school  districts  and  otherwise  promoting  the  work  of  public 
progress  and  improvement.  He  served  as  township  trustee  and  in  other  local 
offices,  and  his  labors  in  behalf  of  the  community  proved  of  great  value.  He 
was  a  member  of,  and  active  worker  in,  the  United  Brethren  church  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  [861,  when  he  was  seventy-two  years  of  age.  His 
wife,  who  survived  him  thirteen  years,  was  also  a  consistent  member  of  the 
United  Brethren  church. 

The  subject  of  this  review  was  a  youth  of  fourteen  when  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  this  county.  He  aided  in  the  work  of  clearing  and  developing 
the  land  and  in  an  early  day  engaged  in  hauling  grain.  He  remained  on  the 
farm  with  his  father  until  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  when  he  was  married  and 
removed  to  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides.  Only  a  few  acres  had  been 
cleared  at  that  time  and  the  home  was  a  primitive  log  cabin.  To-day  he  owns 
one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  valuable  land,  constituting  a  fine  farm,  splen- 
didly improved. 

Air.  Seery  first  wedded  Margaret  Pennington,  and  unto  them  were  born 
five  children,  namely  :  Mary  F.,  now  deceased;  William  H.,  a  carpenter  residing 
in  Kansas ;  Williard  W.,  of  Polk  county,  Wisconsin  ;  Rhoda  M.,  wife  of  James 
Delinger,  a  stock-buyer  of  Lykens  township;  and  Phoebe  ].,  wife  of  John 
Kannel. 

Mr.   Seery  married   Sarah  Livensparger,  a  native  of  Richland  county,. 


546  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Ohio.  The  family  attended  the  United  Brethren  church,  of  which  Mr.  Seery 
is  an  earnest  and  active  member,  having  served  therein  as  steward  and  trustee 
and  aided  in  every  possible  way  in  advancing"  its  growth  and  extending  its 

influence. 

GEORGE  SHROLL. 

The  time  has  gone  by  when  the  life  of  a  farmer  was  one  of  toil  with  dis- 
couraging and  depressing  surroundings.  At  present  no  class  of  citizens  are  so 
independent  or  so  comfortably  fixed  as  are  the  farmers  of  a  county  like  that  of 
Crawford,  Ohio.  Among  the  well-improved  and  productive  farms  and  com- 
modious and  attractive  residences  is  that  owned  by  George  Sholl,  farmer  and 
stock-raiser,  in  Bucyrus  township.  His  birth  was  in  this  count}",  October  18, 
1855,  and  his  parents  were  Levi  and  Barbara  (  Wisman)  Shroll,  both  of  Ger- 
man descent. 

Levi  Shroll  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  came  to  Crawford  county  with 
his  parents,  and  later  married  Barbara  Wisman,  whose  family  has  notice  in 
another  part  of  this  volume.  Five  children  were  born  of  this  union,  two  of 
whom  died  in  childhood,  and  one,  Sarah,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  Maria 
is  the  wife  of  Frederick  Trisk,  of  Todd  township,  our  subject  being  the  only 
other  survivor.  The  mother  died  when  George  was  but  an  infant  of  one  and 
one-half  years.  After  marriage  the  father  had  settled  on  our  subject's  present 
farm,  and  here  he  died  in  1876,  having  been  a  successful  farmer  and  respected 
citizen. 

Reared  on  the  farm  and  educated  in  the  public  schools,  George  Shroll  grew 
to  self-respecting"  manhood,  and  by  the  time  he  was  prepared  to  set  up  a  house- 
hold of  his  own  he  most  thoroughly  understood  the  science  of  farming"  from 
practical  experience.  In  1881  he  married  Leafie  Conkle,  the  only  daughter  of 
Niche-las  and  Susan  Conkle,  a  pioneer  and  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers 
•of  this  county,  who  was  born  in  Bucyrus  township.  In  1879  he  moved  to 
Sedalia,  Missouri,  and  died  January  11,  1885.  The  mother  and  five  brothers 
of  Mrs.  Shroll  all  live  in  Missouri.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Shroll :  Clarence  C,  Jesse  E.  and  Raymond. 

The  land  owned  by  Mr.  Shroll  shows  its  tine  cultivation  on  every  side, 
and  his  flocks  cover  many  fields,  as  he  is  largely  interested  in  the  raising  O'f 
sheep.  The  stranger  is  immediately  impressed  with  the  air  of  neatness  and 
thrift  which  pervades  the  surroundings  of  Mr.  Shroll,  his  buildings  being  mod- 
ern in.  stvle  and  finish  and  models  of  their  kind.     For  manv  vears  he  has  been 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  547 

a  leading  member  and  willing  supporter  of  the  United  Brethren  church  and  is 
deservedly  popular  among  his  acquaintances,  and  through  the  township  is 
known  as  honest,  upright  and  industrious. 

THOMAS  TOBIN. 

The  name  of  Tobin  is  a  familiar  one  in  Crawford  county,  for  through 
many  years  its  representatives  have  been  actively  connected  with  its  agri- 
cultural interests  and  have  been  promoters  of  the  progress  and  development  of 
this  portion  of  the  state.  Thomas  Tobin,  of  this  review,  was  born  in  Letter 
Kenny  count}',  Donegal,  Ireland,  about  1822.  Little  is  known  concerning 
the  ancestral  history  of  the  family,  for  during  his  early  boyhood  his  par- 
ents died  within  one  week  of  typhoid  fever. 

After  the  death  of  his  parents  Thomas  Tobin  found  a  home  with  his 
uncle,  John  Gibson,  where  he  remained  until  his  twentieth  year.  Then,  in 
connection  with  his  brother  William,  he  rented  a  field  and  raised  a  crop  of 
flax.  With  the  sale  of  this  crop  and  through  other  means  the  brothers  ac- 
quired enough  money  to  enable  one  of  them  to  come  to  America,  and  as 
William  was  the  elder  our  subject  turned  over  his  money  to  him,  with  the 
agreement  that  William  was  to  send  for  Thomas  when  he  had  earned  the 
sum  sufficient  to  pay  the  latter's  passage  to  the  new  world.  In  1844  our 
subject  started  for  the  United  States,  landing  in  Philadelphia  on  the  3d  of 
July,after  seven  weeks  spent  on  the  bosom  of  the  Atlantic.  Two  weeks  later 
he  came  to  Ohio,  making  the  trip  by  rail  to  Johnstown,  thence  by  canal  to 
Pittsburg  and  on  to  Wooster,  Ohio,  by  stage.  From  that  place  to  Rome  he 
continued  the  journey  on  foot.  During  the  succeeding  autumn  he  went  to 
work  for  a  Mr.  Haymaker,  in  Franklin  township,  Richland  county,  by  whom 
his  brother  William  was  employed,  and  for  a  year  continued  in  that  service, 
receiving  the  meager  compensation  of  three  dollars  per  month  for  his  services. 
He  next  went  to  Mansfield,  where  he  engaged  in  carpentering  for  two  years, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1847  he  returned  to  Franklin  township,  entering  into 
partnership  with  his  former  employer,  Mr.  Haymaker,  the  connection  being 
maintained  until  late  in  the  succeeding  autumn.  Their  relation  being  then 
severed,  Mr.  Tobin  continued  carpentering  and  building  on  his  own  account 
until  after  his  marriage,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

On  the  6th  of  April,  1849,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  our  subject  and 
Miss  Elizabeth  Shilling,  a  native  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a 
daughter  of  David  and  Anna  (Hollister)  Shilling,  both  of  whom  were  natives. 


54§  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

of  Germany  and  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  about 
1847.  During  the  years  of  a  happy  married  life  eight  children  have  come 
to  bless  the  home  of  3*1  r.  and  Airs.  Tobin,  and  the  family  circle  vet  remains 
unbroken  by  the  hand  of  death.  The  children  are:  Anna  Mary,  widow  of 
Samuel  Springer,  of  Cranberry  township;  William  James,  who  conducts  a 
blacksmith  shop  in  Xew  Washington;  David  Elmer,  a  resident  farmer  of 
Cranberry  township;  John  Franklin,  who  is  proprietor  of  a  grocery  store  in 
Xew  Washington;  Margorie  E.,  wife  of  Allison  Bittikoffer,  of  Bucyrus ; 
Thomas  G.,  of  Canyon  City,  Colorado;  Eva  E.,  at  home;  and  Clement  L., 
who  is  living  in  Denver,   Colorado. 

For  a  year  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Tobin  resided  upon  the  farm  which 
adjoins  his  present  home  place,  and  then  purchased  the  eighty  acres  which  he 
has  since  improved  and  cultivated.  He  first  erected  a  log  cabin  in  the  midst 
of  the  forest  and  removed  to  his  home,  the  family  experiencing  man)-  of  the 
trials  and  hardships  of  pioneer  life  during  the  early  days  in  which  he  was 
gaining  a  start.  After  some  years  he  erected  his  present  substantial  residence 
and  other  farm  buildings  and  has  since  carried  on  the  work  of  development 
and  improvement,  until  the  property  is  now  very  valuable.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat  and  in  religious  faith  is  an  English  Lutheran.  Strong  purpose 
and  indefatigable  energy  have  been  the  means  of  bringing  to  him  success  in 
life,  and  he  is  now  numbered  among  the  men  of  affluence  and  among  the  lead- 
ing and  influential  citizens  of  Cranberry  township. 

HUGH  M.  COin'. 

Hugh  M.  Cory  has  a  wide  acquaintance  in  Crawford  county  and  enjoys 
the  hig'hest  esteem  of  his  fellow  townsmen.  He  makes  his  home  in  Xew  Wash- 
ington and  is  one  of  its  representative' citizens,  well  deserving  representation 
in  this  volume. 

Mr.  Cory  was  born  in  Cranberry  township,  Crawford  county.  December 
28,  1845,  anc^  comes  of  one  of  the  old  New  England  families  of  Scotch  de- 
scent. Early  in  the  seventeenth  century  three  brothers  of  Scotch  birth  emi- 
grated from  the  land  of  hills  and  heather,  and  braving  the  danger  incident  to 
an  ocean  voyage  in  that  early  period  of  trans-Atlantic  navigation,  came  to 
America.  Aaron  Cory,  one  of  these  brothers,  soon  after  settling  in  the 
Massachusetts  colony,  was  married  and  for  many  years  continued  his  resi- 
dence in  Massachusetts.  One  of  his  descendants,  though  in  what  generation 
is  not  known,  was  Nathan  Cory  and  his  eldest  son  was  Joseph  Cory.     An- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  549 

other  link  in  the  family  history  is  missing',  but  we  have  record  of  John  Cory, 
who  about  1725  removed  to  Trenton,  New  Jersey.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Brown,  who  was  also  of  Scotch  descent,  and  the  eldest  of  their  large  family 
of  children  was  Thomas  Cory,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  in  1734,  and 
when  thirty-six  years  of  age  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Wallace, 
by  whom  he  had  three  sons  and  three  daughters.  One  of  these  sons  was 
Aaron  Cory,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject. 

Aaron  Cory  was  born  in  Xew  Jersey,  in  the  year  1773,  and  near  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century  located  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania. 
In  that  state  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  McGuire  in  1798.  In  1802  he  emi- 
grated westward  to  Ohio,  settling  in  Tuscarawas  county,  where  he  remained 
for  a  number  of  years,  or  until  about  1819,  when  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Ash- 
land county.  There  he  remained  for  seven  years  and  in  1826  came  to  Craw- 
ford count}-,  casting-  in  his  lot  among  its  pioneer  settlers.  He  made  his  home 
in  Cranberry  township,  entering  a  tract  of  land  from  the  government  and 
there  he  began  the  development  of  a  farm.  In  addition  to  his  farming  opera- 
tions Aaron  Cory  labored  earnestly  for  the  spiritual  uplifting-  of  his  fellow 
men.  He  was  an  ordained  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  pos- 
sessed great  personal  magnetism  and  an  undaunted  will  and  did  a  vast 
amount  of  good  in  founding  and  encouraging  the  church  and  Sunday-school 
organizations.     He  died  in  1834,  in  the  sixty-first  year  of  his  age. 

Since  1826  the  Corys  have  been  among  the  most  distinguished  and  lead- 
ing- citizens  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Crawford  count}-.  Thomas  Cory,  a 
son  of  Aaron  Cory  and  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  man  of  great  natural 
ability  and  served  with  marked  fidelity  in  various  positions  of  honor  and 
trust.  He  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  in  1810,  was  reared  under  the  parental 
roof,  and  when  about  twenty-five  years  of  age  married  Esther  G.  Brown,  who 
was  born  in  Nescopeck,  Luzerne  county,- Pennsylvania,  in  1808,  her  parents 
being  James  and  Mar}-  Brown,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  representatives 
o>f  Dutch  ancestry.  They  came  to  Ohio  at  an  early  period  in  its  development, 
locating  in  Auburn  township,  Crawford  count}-,  whence  they  afterward  re- 
moved to  Van  Wert  county,  where  the  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject 
was  accidentally  killed  while  hauling  logs.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage 
Thomas  Cory  began  his  career  as  a  farmer  on  a  little  tract  of  land  of  twenty 
acres  in  Auburn  township.  After  some  time  his  success  enabled  him  to  in- 
crease his  landed  possessions,  and,  selling  his  first  property,  he  purchased 
the  farm  now  owned  by  T.  B.  Carson,  comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
in  Cranberry  township.     Thereon  he  made  his  home  until  his  death,  which 


55o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

occurred  in  1854.  Six  years  previous  his  constitution  had  been  broken  down 
by  the  suffering'  caused  from  milk  sickness.  He  was  a  stanch  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  affilia- 
tions, but  was  never  an  office  seeker.  Unto  Thomas  and  Esther  Cory  were 
born  seven  children,  of  whom  six  are  yet  living,  namely :  Mary  E.  is  now 
the  wife  of  James  Morrow,  of  Auburn  township.  James  E.  is  a  dealer  in 
oil  and  gas  lands  in  Marion,  Indiana,  and  was  for  four  years  representative 
from  his  county  in  the  state  legislature.  He  was  the  author  of  several  im- 
portant enactments,  which  passed  both  the  house  and  the  senate.  Robert  W. 
is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  serving  for  three  years  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany C,  Sixty-fifth  Ohio  Infantry,  and  is  now  a  farmer  living  at  Galena, 
Missouri.  Hugh  M.  is  the  next  younger.  Sarah  E.  is  the  wife  of  Henry 
C.  Martin,  a  farmer  of  Montgomery  county,  Kansas.  Susan  N.  is  the  wife 
of  John  Morrow,  an  agriculturist  of  Auburn  township.  The  second  mem- 
ber of  the  family  was  Thomas  C.  Cory,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  who  after- 
ward became  a  prominent  attorney  of  Kansas,  but  died  in  that  state,  as  the 
result  of  his  wounds,  in  1888. 

Hugh  M.  Cory  spent  his  childhood  days  under  the  parental  roof  and 
acquired  his  education  in  the  district  schools.  On  the  return  of  his  brothers 
from  the  army  the  burden  of  the  farm  work  and  management  was  taken  from 
his  shoulders  and  he  was  then  able  to  acquire  a  better  education,  so  that  in 
1864  he  entered  Lexington  Seminary,  where  he  pursued  his  studies  during  the 
summer  months  for  four  years.  In  the  winter  season  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing in  order  to  pay  his  tuition.  He  was  also  a  student  for  one  term  in  the 
Delaware  University.  In  April,  1870,  he  went  to  Kansas,  and  shortly  after- 
ward, on  account  of  the  building  of  the  two  branches  of  the  Missouri,  Kan- 
sas &  Texas  Railroad,  he  went  to  Parsons,  Kansas,  which  was  at  the  junction 
of  the  two  railroads  and  there  the  company  purchased  four  sections  of  land, 
laying"  out  the  town  of  Parsons.  Believing  that  the  new  town  would  prove  a 
desirable  place  Mr.  Cory  and  his  brother  hastened  thither,  acquiring  some 
propertv,  and  for  eight  years  Air.  Cory,  of  this  review,  was  engaged  in  the 
real-estate  business  at  that  point,  while  his  brother  practiced  law.  Our  sub- 
ject read  law  with  his  brother  in  his  leisure  hours,  but  never  applied  for  ad- 
mission to  the  bar.  However,  during  that  time  he  argued  many  cases 
before  the  iustice  court  and  was  very  successful  in  law  work.  In  August, 
1878,  he  sold  his  real  estate  in  Kansas  and  returned  to  Ohio,  soon  after- 
ward locating  in  New  Washington,  where  he  engaged  in  the  real-estate  and 
fire  insurance  business.     In   1882  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  551 

with  but  two  or  three  terms  intermission  has  continuously  filled  the  posi- 
tion since  that  time.  In  1885  ne  was  elected  mayor  of  New  Washington  and 
served  for  fourteen  consecutive  years  in  that  office.  He  has  a  record  for 
public  service  that  is  scarcely  paralleled  and  no  comment  need  be  made  con- 
cerning his  ability  and  fidelity,  for  this  is  indicated  by  his  long  continuance 
in  office.  Mr.  Cory  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Settlers'  Advocate,  a 
weekly  publication  in  the  interests  of  the  settlers,  as  well  as  real-estate  men. 
In  1886  occurred  the  marriage  of  our  subject  and  Miss  Carrie  F.  Baker, 
a  native  of  Crawford  county  and  a  daughter  of  George  W.  Baker,  a  prom- 
inent farmer  of  Vernon  township.  Six  children  have  been  born  unto  them  : 
Hazel,  now  deceased:  Minnie  M..  who  born  in  1888:  a  son  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; Thomas,  born  in  1894;  Lois,  born  in  1898;  and  Mary  E.,  born  on 
the  1st  of  May,  1899.  The  parents  hold  membership  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  and  Mr.  Cory  is  one  of  the  well  known  and  highly  esteemed 
residents  of  Xew  Washington. 

GEORGE  STUCKEY. 

While  Germans  and  men  of  German  extraction  have  won  success  m 
nearly  every  walk  of  life,  they  have  been  especiallv  successful  as  farmers,  a 
fact  that  has  been  amply  demonstrated  by  farmers  of  German  blood  in 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  notably  in  Lykens  township,  where  George  Stuckev 
and  others  have  made  records  which  distinguish  them  above  manv  other  well- 
to-do  farmers  in  the  county. 

George  Stuckey  was  burn  in  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  01ii<». 
on  the  same  farm  which  is  now  his  home,  August  19,  1867,  a  son  of  Carl 
Stuckey,  a  native  of  Bavaria.  Germany,  born  in  1821.  Carl  Stuckev,  who 
was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  came  to  America  in  1847  and  landed  in  New- 
York  City,  after  forty  days'  voyage  on  an  old-fashioned  sailing  vessel.  From 
New  York  he  went  to  Sandusky,  Ohio,  where  for  a  time  he  was  employed  at 
railway  construction.  Removing  to  Bloom  township,  Seneca  count)-,  he 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  several  years  by  the  month  until  he  was  able  to 
buy  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county.  The  land 
was  heavily  timbered  and  he  made  a  clearing  on  it  and  built  a  log  house,  in 
which  he  lived  until  1864,  when  he  removed  to  the  farm  on  which  he  died, 
January  22,  1899.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Mary  Keiffer, 
bore  him  two  children :     Henry,  who  lives  in  Seneca  county,  and  Mary,  who 

married  John  Ohl.     His  second  wife  was  Laura  Kellar,  and  they  had  eight 
30 


5  52  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

children,  as  follows:  Lena,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Dennis,  of  Seneca 
county,  Ohio;  Charles,  who  is  a  well-known  citizen  of  Texas  township,  Craw- 
ford county;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Lewis  Young,  of  Lykens  township;  Hat- 
tie,  who  married  Charles  Mohr,  of  Lykens  township;  George,  who  is  the 
immediate  subject  of  this  sketch  and  the  next  in  order  of  birth ;'  William  J., 
a  respected  citizen  of  Texas  township;  Laura,  who  married  Cyrus  Ohl,  of 
Seneca  county;  and  Nellie,  who  makes  her  home  with  George  and  is  a  student 
at  Heidelberg  College,  at  Tiffin,  Ohio.  The  mother  of  these  children  died 
in  September,  1893. 

George  Stuckey  was  brought  up  to  work  on  the  farm  and  received  a 
practical  education  in  the  common  schools  near  his  home.  In  1890  he  rented 
his  father's  homestead,  which  has  been  his  home  to  the  present  time.  He 
owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  good  land  and  gives  his  attention  to 
general  farming  and  stock-raising.  lie  is  a  member  of  the  German  Reformed 
church  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  never  been  active  as  a  pol- 
itician and  has  never  sought  any  public  office,  but  he  exerts  a  good  influence 
in  a  political  way  and  his  public  spirit  has  led  him  to  identify  himself  with 
man)'  movements,  which  he  believed  promised  to  benefit  his  fellow  citizens. 

Air.  Stuckey  was  married  February  28,  1896,  to  Miss  Etta  Boomershine, 
and  has  a  boy  named  Glenn. 

SAMUEL   SNYDER. 

Samuel  Snyder,  who  resides  on  one  of  the  fine  farms  of  Todd  township, 
and  is  one  of  the  highly  esteemed  and  useful  citizens  of  Crawford  count)-, 
Ohio,  was  born  in  Holmes  township,  on  Xov ember  17,  1836.  He  was  a  son 
of  Rudolph  and  Anna  (Schlabaeh)  Snyder,  who  had  six  children,  our  sub- 
ject and  his  brther  John,  of  Henry  count)",  Ohio,  being  the  only  ones  re- 
maining. 

Born  in  Berne,  Germany,  about  1800,  Rudolph  Snyder  grew  up  in  his 
native  land  and  was  thoroughly  instructed  in  the  trade  of  carpenter,  and 
married  an  estimable  lady  in  his  neighborhood.  Starting  with  his  wife  and 
three  children  for  the  United  States,  in  1836,  he  reached  this  country  with  his 
wife  and  only  one  of  the  children,  as  two  of  the  little  ones  died  on  the  voyage 
and  were  buried  at  sea.  Not  only  did  Mr.  Snyder  and  his  wife  have  to 
suffer  from  this  double  bereavement,  but  the  voyage  was  one  of  storm  and 
danger,  after  sixty-four  days  being  towed  into  New  York  harbor  by  a  passing 
vessel,  their  own  sails  having  been  washed  away. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  553 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder  made  their  way  to  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  where  many  of 
their  countrymen  resided,  and  with  them  found  sympathy  and  remained  there 
for  six  months.  Their  means  were  limited  and  Mr.  Snyder  was  able  to 
buy  but  nine  acres  of  land.  This  was  covered  with  timber,  but  on  it  Mr. 
Snyder  dug  a  cave,  improvised  a  roof  and  lived  here  for  the  following  two 
years,  and  then  built  a  substantial  and  comfortable  hewed-log  house,  in 
which  he  resided  until  1856.  when  he  removed  to  what  was  known  as  the 
Hall  farm,  which  he  rented  for  three  years.  That  Mr.  Snyder  was  frugal, 
energetic  and  industrious  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  about  this  time 
he  was  financially  able  to  purchase  eighty  acres  of  timber  land,  in  Todd  town- 
ship, this  being  the  farm  upon  which  our  subject  now  resides.  During-  these 
succeeding  three  years,  by  working  on  moonlight  nights  and  taking  advantage 
of  every  holiday,  receiving  some  assistance  from  his  little  sons,  Mr.  Snyder 
succeeded  in  clearing  up  ten  acres,  and  in  1859  he  built  a  portion  of  the  pres- 
ent handsome  farm  residence  and  here  he  lived  until  his  death,  in  1879.  His 
faithful  wife,  who  has  endured  all  his  trials  and  cheered  him  through  the 
years  of  their  companionship,  survived  him  only  eight  days.  They  were  most 
worthy  people  and  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  while  in  politics 
he  was  in  sympathy  with  the  Democratic  party,  although  he  never  took  any 
active  interest  in  public  affairs. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  Samuel  Snyder,  grew  to  sturdy  manhood, 
strengthened  by  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life,  and  became  a  most  important 
factor  in  the  clearing  of  the  farm,  and  in  i860  bought  twenty  acres,  which 
adjoined  his  father's  purchase.  Two  years  later  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Catherine  Spiegel,  who  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  a  daughter  of  Chris- 
topher Spiegel,  who  came  to  Ohio  from  his  German  home  and  settled  in 
Todd  township  about  ]86o.  After  marriage  our  subject  began  housekeeping 
on  his  little  farm  and  worked  also  at  the- carpenter's  trade  and  built  many  of 
the  largest  barns  in  this  section  of  the  township,  although  he  never  served 
any  apprenticeship,  having  inherited  the  capacity  for  mechanical  skill  from  his 
father. 

In  1879,  when  the  parents  of  Mr.  Snyder  died,  the  home  farm,  which  had 
been  acquired  with  so  much  industry  and  economy  by  his  father,  and  upon 
which  he  had  worked  through  many  a  year,  came  into  his  possession,  while 
his  brother  John  took  a  farm  in  Henry  county,  in  which  our  subject  also 
had  an  interest.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Snyder  and  family  have  lived  on  the 
old  homestead,  now  one  of  the  most  valuable  properties  in  this  part  of  the 
township.     Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder,  namely : 


554  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Hygeia,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Hilborn,  of  Bucyrus;  Hattie,  the  wife  of  George 
Allbright,  of  Todd  township;  Charles,  at  home;  and  Bertha,  the  wife  of 
Benjamin  Beall,  of  Bucyrus  township,  in  this  county. 

Mr.  Snyder  is  inclined  to  favor  the  Democratic  party  in  politics,  but  he 
is  liberal-minded,  and  frequently  votes  for  the  man  instead  of  the  party.  He 
is  one  of  the  highly  respected  citizens  of  this  township,  and  a  most  worthy 
representative  of  the  honest  and  persevering  parents  who  so  bravely  battled 
through  poverty  and  misfortune  and  won  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  they 
came  in  contact. 

WILLIAM   GLEDHILL. 

There  are  few  farmers  in  Jefferson  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,, 
who  are  better  or  more  favorably  known  than  William  Gledhill,  who  was 
born  March  12,  1838.  in  Jefferson  township,  Crawford  county  (then  Rich- 
land county),  Ohio,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Mitchell)  Gledhill. 

Joseph  Gledhill  was  born  September  11,  1799,  at  Browbridge,  Others- 
field,  Yorkshire,  England;  married  at  Leicester,  England,  in  the  year  1824, 
Mary  Mitchell;  moved  to  America  in  1826,  and  located  in  Trumbull  county, 
Ohio.  Being  a  carder  by  trade,  he  ran  a  woolen  factory  for  five  years,  then 
removed  to  Youngstown  and  engaged  again  at  his  trade,  and  from  Youngs- 
town  he  came  to  Crawford  county,  in  1832,  and  bought  a  farm,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  His  wife,  who  bore 
him  eleven  children,  attained  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four  years.  The 
following  facts  concerning  the  children  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Mitchell) 
Gledhill  are  pertinent  to  the  purpose  of  this  sketch.  Eight  of  them  grew  to 
manhood  and  womanhood.  Elizabeth,  the  eldest,  married  David  Snyder  and 
they  have  both  passed  away.  Alary  married  Perry  Russell  and  lives  at  Mid- 
diet  oavii,  Ohio.  Esther  married  John  Shoemaker  and  is  dead.  Martha,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Colonel  Calvin  Burwell,  is  also  dead.  Sarah  married 
Henry  Castle  and  lives  in  Jefferson  township.  John  married  Susan  Burgin 
and  died  in  1883.  Joseph  is  a  prominent  citizen  of  Jefferson  township.  Will- 
iam  is  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch. 

William  Gledhill  was  born  and  reared  on  his  father's  old  homestead  in 
Jefferson  township,  of  which  he  took  charge  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years, 
of  which  he  is  now  the  owner  and  on  which  he  has  lived  all  his  life.  He  owns 
one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  well  improved  and  very  productive  land 
and  gives  his  attention  to  general  farming  and  stock-raising.     A  Republican" 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  5  55 

in  politics,  he  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  local  affairs  and  has  held  the 
•office  of  township  trustee  for  eleven  years,  with  some  intervals,  and  is  its 
incumbent  at  this  time,  and  his  interest  in  good  roads  has  been  such  that  he 
lias  for  many  years  been  kept  in  the  office  of  road  supervisor.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Junior  Order  of  American  Mechanics. 

Mr.  Gledhill  was  married  April  10,  1873,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Gilliland  and 
they  have  five  children,  named  Olive,  Esther,  Edward,  Tacy  and  Cleo  Hazel. 
Edward  married  Miss  Idessa  Deam  and  lives  in  Jefferson  township. 

JOHN  KELLER. 

One  of  the  fertile  and  valuable  farms  of  Crawford  county  is  the  prop- 
erty of  John  Keller,  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  lhs  locality.  He  is  a 
native  of  Ashland  county,  Ohio,  born  on  the  3d  of  April,  1843,  a  son  °f 
Henry  and  Maria  (Geip)  Keller.  The  father  was  born  in  Northampton 
count)",  Pennsylvania,  in  181 6,  and  when  fourteen  years  of  age  came  with  his 
parents  to  Ashland  county,  Ohio.  In  1847  ue  took  up  his  residence  in  Craw- 
ford count}',  settling  in  Todd  township,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
land,  but  seven  years  later  he  sold  that  tract  and  purchased  one  hundred  and 
thirty-three  and  a  third  acres  north  of  Osceola,  also  in  Todd  township,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  passing  away  on  the  1st  of  June,  1899.  He 
was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views  and  was  a  member  of  the  German  Bap- 
tist church.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keller  were  born  seven  children,  five  of  whom 
still  survive:  Hettie,  the  wife  of  W.  Y.  Fagin,  of  Sycamore,  Ohio;  John, 
of  this  review;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  J.  A.  Welsh,  of  Wyandot  county,  Ohio; 
Nancy,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Keifer,  of  Osceola;  and  Elias,  a  resident  of  Todd 
township.  After  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  the  father  was 
again  married,  Miss  Mary  Baker  becoming  his  wife,  and  they  had  one  son, 
William,  who  resides  at  Lemert,  Todd  township. 

John  Keller,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  acquired  a  limited  edu- 
cation in  the  old  log  school  house  of  his  district.  In  February,  1864,  he  en- 
isted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  becoming  a  member  of  Company  E, 
Thirty-fourth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  took  part  in  the  Lynchburg  raid, 
was  with  Sheridan  in  the  second  engagement  at  Y\ 'inchester,  and  took  part 
in  the  battles  of  Berryville,  Cedar  Creek,  Fisher's  Hill  and  many  other  en- 
gagements of  the  war.  He  was  captured  at  Beverly,  Virginia,  on  the  8th 
of  January,  1865,  and  was  sent  to  Libby  prison,  where,  after  forty  days,  he 
was  paroled  and  exchanged,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  home  on  a  thirty 


556  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

days  furlough.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  returned  to  his  command, 
and  on  the  31st  of  July,  1865,  received  his  honorable  discharge  at  Columbus 
and  returned  to  his  home.  Mr.  Keller  then  worked  for  his  father  until  the  fol- 
lowing December,  when  he  went  to  Michigan  and  worked  as  a  farm  hand  there 
for  one  year.  Again  returning  to  his  home,  he  then  took  charge  of  the  old 
homestead,  which  he  worked  on  the  shares,  and  in  August,  1872,  he  purchased 
his  present  farm  of  sixty  acres,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

In  1866  Mr.  Keller  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  L.  Mc- 
Creary,  a  native  of  Lorain  county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  John  McCreary. 
They  have  had  two  children,  but  only  one  is  now  living,  Eva  L.,  the  wife  of 
J.  C.  Frost,  who  is  serving  as  postmaster  of  Osceola.  Our  subject  is  liberal 
in  his  political  views,  but  gives  his  preference  to  the  Democracy.  He  is  one 
of  the  most  successful  men  of  his  community  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  its 
well-to-do  citizens. 

ALBERT  HAMMOND. 

Albert  Hammond  was  one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  this  portion  of 
Ohio,  and  for  many  years  was  identified  with  agricultural  interests  here.  He 
was  a  native  of  Cayuga  county.  New  York,  born  February  25,  1813,  and 
was  a  son  of  George  and  Sarah  (  White)  Hammond.  His  father,  at  a  very 
early  period  in  the  development  of  Crawford  county,  emigrated  westward, 
settling  near  Tiro,  wher.e  he  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
from  the  government  and  began  the  arduous  task  of  developing  a  new  farm, 
and  there  lived  and  died. 

Mr.  Hammond,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  married  Miss  Catherine  Groes- 
beck,  who  was  born  October  4,  181 3,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  six 
children:  Almira ;  Alvira ;  Philora,  deceased;  Orlando,  deceased;  Ellen  De- 
lora;  and  Lucy.  In  1834  our  subject  removed  to  Lykens  township  and  set- 
tled where  Jacob  Breode  now  lives.  He  entered  the  land  from  the  govern- 
ment, built  a  log  cabin  and  began  to  clear  and  improve  the  farm,  which  he 
transformed  into  a  desirable  property,  the  fields  yielding-  to  him  good  har- 
vests. There  he  resided  until  1875,  when  he  removed  to  the  farm  upon 
which  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  his  death  occurring  when  he  was  seventy- 
two  years  of  age.  He  was  actively  concerned  in  the  work  of  public  progress 
and  improvement.  Indians  were  still  to  be  seen  in  this  part  of  the  state  when 
he  came  to  the  county  and  the  work  of  progress  and  improvement  seemed 
scarcely  begun.     He  helped  to  lay  out  roads,  build  school  houses  and  assisted 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  5  57 

in  building  the  Baptist  church.  No  work  calculated  to  advance  the  general 
welfare  sought  his  aid  in  vain  and  he  was  widely  known  as  a  most  valuable 
citizen.  He  held  various  township  offices,  ever  discharging  his  duties  most 
faithfully,  and  wherever  he  was  known  he  was  held  in  the  highest  regard 
by  reason  of  his  upright  life  and  ficlelitv  to  principle. 

Almira,  the  eldest  child  of  Albert  Hammond,  was  born  in  Lvkens  town- 
ship, Crawford  county,  Ohio,  May  12,  [835,  and  has  spent  her  entire  life 
in  the  county.  She  has  been  twice  married.  She  first  wedded  James  Miller, 
and  they  had  four  children:  Albert,  a  merchant  of  Plankton,  Ohio;  Izora 
A.,  wife  of  Elbridge  Tippin,  of  Kansas:  Elbert  P.  and  Francis  M.  The  last 
two  learned  blacksmithing  and  located  in  Tiffin,  Ohio,  where  the  younger 
was  killed  by  a  kick  from  a  horse  in  July,  1901.  After  the  death  of  her 
first  husband  Mrs.  Miller  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Jacob  Johnston,  and 
they  had  two  sons,  one  dying  in  infancy,  and  the  surviving  one  is  Corma  E., 
at  home  with  his  mother. 

Mrs.  Johnston  owns  eighty-two  acres,  which  is  cultivated  by  her  youngest 
son,  and  the  farm  is  now  in  good  condition,  due  mother  and  son  are  both 
members  of  the  Baptist  church.  Mrs.  Johnston  is  a  milliner  by  trade  and  has 
engaged  in  business  along  that  line  to  a  considerable  extent.  She  is  one  of 
the  worthy  and  honored  pioneer  ladies  of  the  county,  representing-  a  prom- 
inent family,  and  is  held  in  high  regard  for  her  many  estimable  characteristics. 

HENRY  R.  LINN. 

As  one  of  the  largest  land-owners  and  most  substantial  citizens  of  Craw- 
ford county,  Henry  R.  Linn  occupies  a  prominent  position,  although  there  are 
many  who  can  recall  the  day  when  his  only  capital  was  an  abundance  of  en- 
ergy, an  industrious  and  willing  nature  and  an  honesty,  which  his  worthy  par- 
ents had  taught  him  while  still  a  child. 

Mr.  Linn  was  born  in  Holmes  township,  in  Crawford  count}',  on  April 
12,  1840,  and  was  a  son  of  Philip  and  Christina  (Holcher)  Linn.  They  were 
born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  and  were  married  in  their  native  land,  and 
there  their  oldest  son,  John,  was  born.  John  Linn  is  now  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  Chatfield  township.  In  1833,  when  John  was  but  three  years  old,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Linn  came  to  America  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Holmes  township,  where 
the  rest  of  the  children  were  born,  these  being:  William,  who  died  in  1862; 
Mary,  who  married  Andrew  Green,  of  Liberty  township;  Henry  R. ;  Philip. 
who  resides   in  Marion  county,   Ohio;  Jacob,   who   also  resides   in    Marion 


5  5§  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

county;  Charles,  who  lives  in  Bucyrus;  and  Elizabeth,  who  is  unmarried. 
The  mother  died  in  1870,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five,  the  father  surviving-  until 
he  was  eighty-two.  These  worthy  and  pious  parents  reared  their  children  in 
the  German  Lutheran  church  and  did  their  best  to  give  them  a  common- 
school  education. 

Until  he  was  fifteen  years  old  Henry  Linn  remained  at  home,  but  the 
family  was  large  and  he  early  decided  to  look  out  for  himself  /and  for  five  or 
six  years  he  worked  by  the  month  and  then  bought  a  team  and  as  a  renter 
engaged  in  farming.  -  For  about  eight  years  he  rented  farms  and  finally 
bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  in  Holmes  township,  but  never 
located  on  that  land.  After  owning  it  for  some  three  or  four  years  he  sold  it 
and  bought  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres  in  Dallas  township,  upon  which 
he  moved,  and  there  he  lived  for  two  years,  erecting  a  house  and  barns, 
with  other  outbuildings  and  putting  it  into  perfect  repair.  This  enabled 
him  to  sell  at  a  good  profit  and  then  he  bought  a  fine  estate,  consisting  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Dallas  township,  where  he  now  lives.  Here 
he  has  built  one  of  the  most  attractive  residences  in  this  locality,  and  one 
of  those  barns  so  necessary  upon  a  farm  where  large  operations  are  success- 
fully carried  on,  and  has  made  other  improvements,  both  to  beautify  and  in- 
crease the  value  of  his  property.  Since  this  purchase  he  has  added  ninety 
acres  and  now  owns  four  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  some  of  the  finest  land 
in  the  county 

In  1877  Mr.  Linn  married  Miss  Alice  Martin,  the  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Elizabeth  (Miller)  Martin,  pioneers  of  Crawford  county.  To  Mr.  and 
Mis  Linn  three  daughters  and  one  son  have  been  bom:  Grace  E.,  who  has 
taught  several  terms  of  school;  Gertie,  who  has  also  proved  herself  a  line 
teacher;  Helen  and  Ora.  With  his  wife  and  children  he  belongs  to  the  Meth- 
odist church,  where  all  are  highly  valued.  Mr.  Linn  has  been  a  life-long 
Democrat  and  has  efficiently  served  for  two  years  as  township  treasurer. 

Henry  Martin,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Linn,  was  born  in  Richland  county, 
Ohio,  on  January  12,  1826,  and  was  a  son  of  Charles  Martin,  a  pioneer  of 
Richland  county,  who  later  lived  in  Crawford  county  and  then  removed  to 
Huron  county,  where  he  died.     His  ancestry  was  German. 

Mr.  Martin  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Miller,  in  1853,  in  Marion  county, 
Ohio,  where  Mrs.  Martin's  parents  were  then  living.  She  was  born  there. 
Her  parents,  also  of  German  descent,  were  early  settlers  of  Marion  county. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  ten  children  were  born,  all  of  whom  survive  and 
are  George  W.,  Alice  J.,  Mary  J.,  Erne  A.,  Sarah  Ellen,  Ida  May,  Viola  I., 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  5  59 

Charles  E.,  Harry  J.  and  Blanche  I.     The  lamented  death  of  Air.  Martin  oc- 
curred on  August  19,  1891,  and  his  widow  lives  on  the  old  home  place. 

In  1857  Mr.  Martin  moved  to  Dallas  township,  Crawford  county,  and 
established  the  home  upon  which  his  widow  now  resides.  By  trade  he  was  a 
carpenter,  but  he  worked  at  it  very  little  after  coming  to  this  county.  In 
business  he  was  fairly  successful.  He  took  a  great  interest  in  the  Democratic 
party  and  for  several  years  was  justice  of  the  peace  and  township  treas- 
urer. He  was  held  in  high  esteem  in  the  Methodist  church,  of  which  he  was  a 
worthy  member. 

JEFFERSON  MARQUART. 

Jefferson  Marquart  is  a  representative  of  a  well-known  family  of  Craw- 
ford county,  whose  members  have  ever  been  people  of  sterling  worth,  well 
meriting  the  high  regard  in  which  they  are  uniformly  held.  Throughout  his 
entire  life  he  has  been  identified  with  agricultural  pursuits  in  his  native  county. 
His  birth  occurred  on  the  old  family  homestead,  where  his  father  now  resides, 
his  natal  day  being  October  4,  1858.  He  is  a  son  of  Michael  Marquart,  of 
whom  extended  mention  is  made  on  another  page  of  this  work.  During  his 
youth  he  had  the  influences  of  a  good  home  and  was  enabled  to  acquire  a 
practical  English  education  in  the  common  schools.  He  received  training  in 
the  work  of  the  fields  and  meadows  and  was  thus  fitted  for  carrying  on  business 
on  his  own  account.  On  the  23d  of  May,  1882,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Margaret  Riedel,  a  native  of  Chatfield  township,  and  a  daughter  of  Con- 
rad Riedel,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Crawford  count)-,  now  residing  in  New 
Washington. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Marquart  and  his  bride  located  upon  his  father's 
land  in  Seneca  county  and  operated  that  farm,  while  he  and  his  brother 
August  also  carried  on  the  home  farm,  the  partnership  continuing  for  one  year. 
In  the  succeeding  autumn  Jefferson  Marquart  removed  to  his  present  home  of 
eighty  acres,  which  his  father  had  purchased  only  a  short  time  previous. 
Here  he  has  since  resided,  his  time  and  attention  being  given  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  Everything  about  his  place  is  neat  and  thrifty  in  appearance  and 
in  his  farming  operations  he  is  meeting  with  creditable  prosperity.  For  eight 
years  he  ran  a  thresher,  but  in  1899  disposed  of  his  interests  in  that  busi- 
ness. The  many  excellent  improvements  which  he  has  made  upon  his  farm 
have  transformed  it  into  one  of  the  valuable  farm  properties  in  this  portion  of 
the  countv. 


560  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Tn  1884  Mr.  Marquart  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  first  wife, 
who  died  on  the  22(1  of  May,  and  their  only  child  is  also-  deceased.  On  the 
2d  of  January,  1887,  he  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss 
Mary  E.  Shade,  a  native  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Anna  (Deisler)  Shade,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Seneca  county, 
Ohio.  Her  paternal  grandfather,  Samuel  Shade,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
and  came  to  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  among  the  first  of  its  pioneer  settlers.  Her 
maternal  grandfather,  Charles  Deisler,  also  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  early  resi- 
dents of  that  community  when  it  was  a  frontier  region,  he  having  emigrated 
to  the  new  world  from  Germany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marquart  now  have  one 
child,  Rosa  A.  C,  who  was  born  December  20,  1887.  In  his  political  views 
Mr.  Marquart  is  liberal,  although  he  usually  supports  the  Democracy.  He  and 
his  family  are  very  highly  esteemed  people  and  are  consistent  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church.  Their  circle  of  friends  is  extensive  and  their  own  home 
is  well  known  for  its  cordial  and  sincere  hospitality. 

ROYAL  R.  ROSS. 

The  Ross  family,  to  which  our  subject.  Royal  Resolved  Ross,  who  is  a 
leading  citizen  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  traces  his  ancestry,  originated  in 
Scotland,  from  which  country  his  great-grandfather  came  generations  ago, 
settling  in  Pomfret,  Connecticut,  among  the  early  settlers.  The  grandfather 
was  a  well  known  physician  there  who  later  removed  with  his  family  to 
Otsego  count}-,  Xew  York,  where  the  father  of  our  subject  grew  to  manhood 
and  married;  in  1825  he  came  to  Crawford  county.  The  parents  of  our 
subject,  Abel  C.  and  Celia  (  Emmons)  Ross,  had  a  family  of  four  children,  but 
our  subject  is  the  only  survivor.  Two  died  in  infancy  and  one  daughter, 
Phoebe  Alzina  married  Wiliam  Cuykendall,  who  at  death  left  four  children, 
viz.  :     Ross,  Dorr,  Edessa  and  William  R. 

Abel  Ross  was  born  in  Pomfret.  Connecticut,  in  1800,  and  was  a  son 
of  Royal  Ross.  After  his  marriage  in  the  state  of  New  York  he  came  to 
Craw  ton  1  county,  Ohio,  and  settled  on  the  farm  in  Auburn  township,  which 
is  now  the  property  of  Alfred  C.  Ross,  and  here  he  entered  eighty  acres  of 
land,  and  in  later  vears  added  thirty-two  and  one-half  acres  to  the  original 
purchase.  At  that  time  it  was  virgin  forest,  but  he  worked  hard  and  suc- 
ceeded in  clearing  it  up,  and  lived  in  the  log  cabin,  which  he  built  upon  it, 
until  our  subject  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  Then  Mr.  Ross  built  a  com- 
modious and  comfortable  frame  residence,   and   lived  here  until  his  death. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  56 * 

The  mother  of  Mr.  Ross,  of  this  sketch,  died  when  he  was  only  four  years 
old.  By  a  later  marriage,  to  Miss  Laura  A.  Carlisle,  three  more  children 
were  added  to  the  family, — Byron  H.,  Celia  A.  and  Alfred  C,  the  last  named 
residing  on  the  home  farm.  In  his  early  years  Mr.  Ross  was  a  Whig",  and 
later  naturally  connected  himself  with  the  Republican  party.  Although  not 
a  member,  he  was  a  supporter  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  was  known  as  a  man 
of  probity  and  Christian  life  and  character. 

Royal  R.  Ross  was  born  in  Auburn  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
on  November  2^,  1832,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Abel  C.  and  Celia  (Emmons) 
Ross,  as  mentioned  above.  He  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  acquired  his 
education  in  the  common  schools,  all  of  his  attendance,  with  two  years'  excep- 
tion, being  in  the  pioneer  log  hut,  with  slabs  for  benches  and  with  a  puncheon 
floor,  over  which  the  little  barefooted  children  had  to  walk  with  circum- 
spection, always  being  in  danger  of  splinters.  When  he  had  reached  the  age 
of  nineteen  years  our  subject  began  to  work  for  neighboring  farmers,  as- 
sisting in  the  haying  and  harvesting,  and  was  a  welcome  hand  for  the  fol- 
lowing four  years,  being  strong  and  willing. 

About  1855,  desiring  to  see  something  of  the  world,  Mr.  Ross  went  to 
Charlotte,  Michigan,  and  worked  through  one  year  in  a  sawmill  there,  going 
then  to  Marion,  in  Linn  county,  Iowa,  where  he  was  employed  during  the  next 
year  on  a  farm.  A  party  of  friends  desired  Mr.  Ross  to  accompany  them  to 
Kansas,  and  he  bought  a  horse  and  made  his  way  to  Independence,  Missouri, 
where  he  joined  them,  but  the  party  was  detained  some  weeks  and  our  sub- 
ject in  the  meantime  found  temporary  employment.  They  all  reached  Neo- 
sho Falls,  Kansas,  but  finally  decided  to  turn  back.  Mr.  Ross  returned  with 
them  to  Ohio,  and  found  business  conditions  better  in  his  native  place  than 
in  other  sections  of  the  country.  In  1858  he  entered  into  a  partnership  with 
Samuel  Hilborn  and  Samuel  Wynn  and  they  built  a  steam  sawmill  in  this 
township,  and  this  enterprise  was  successfully  conducted  for  seven  years. 
During  this  time  Mr.  Ross  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  known  as 
the  Williams  farm,  later  trading  this  for  one  of  eighty  acres,  located  near 
the  mill.  Two  vears  later  he  sold  this  property  to  advantage  and  bought 
eighty  acres,  where  he  now  resides,  selling  the  mill  at  this  tune  and  removing 
to  his  present  property,  where  he  now  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
well-improved  and  highly  cultivated  land.  Forty  acres  of  desirable  land  our 
subject  gave  to  his  sons. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Ross  was  in  i860,  to  Miss  Mar}-  A.  Aumena, 
and   to  this   union   five  children  were  born,   their   names   being   as   follows: 


5&2  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Emmons  W.,  who  is  a  farmer  in  this  township;  William  B.,  who  is  a  farmer 
of  Richland  county,  Ohio;  Fred  R.,  who  is  a  resident  of  Bloomville,  Ohio; 
and  Amelia  A.  and  Howard,  who  have  passed  away. 

In  politics  Mr.  Ross  is  a  Republican  and  has  filled  a  number  of  the  local 
offices  with  credit  to  himself,  notably  those  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  two 
terms  and  some  five  terms  as  township  trustee.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist church,  in  which  he  is  both  trustee  and  class-leader  and  to  which  he 
'contributes  most  liberally.  Mr.  Ross  is  highly  respected  as  a  self-made  man 
and  as  one  of  sterling  character,  upright  and  honorable  in  his  citizenship  and 
esteemed  in  every  relation  of  life. 

GILBERT  F.   MALCOLM. 

A  busy,  useful  and  successful  career  has  been  that  of  Gilbert  Ferris 
Malcolm,  who  is  one  of  Crawford  county's  native  sons  and  who  has  through- 
out his  entire  life  been  connected  with  the  agricultural  and  stock-raising  inter- 
ests of  this  locality.  He  stands  to-day  as  one  of  the  leading  representatives 
of  this  department  of  labor  and  in  his  business  affairs  he  is  meeting  with 
splendid  success. 

A  son  of  James  Harvey  and  Elsie  M.  (Monnett)  Malcolm,  he  was  born 
on  a  farm  in  the  southeastern  portion  of  Bucyrus  township,  April  29,  1865, 
and  there  the  days  of  his  youth  were  passed.  His  father  was  an  extensive 
farmer  and  stock-raiser  and  early  he  became  familiar  with  the  best  methods 
of  caring  for  stock  and  cultivating  the  fields.  He  pursued  his  education  in 
the  public  schools,  acquiring  a  good  knowledge  of  the  English  branches  of 
learning  usually  taught  in  such  institutions.  He  was  a  stout  and  hearty 
youth  and  even  at  the  early  age  of  twelve  years  he  was  able  to  perform  the 
labors  usually  assigned  to  a  man.  Between  that  time  and  his  majority  no  man 
of  the  many  employed  on  his  father's  farm  ever  did  more  hard  labor  than 
our  subject.  In  fact,  he  has  experienced  many  hardships  and  has  done  much 
difficult  work.  Learning  in  early  life  the  value  of  industry  and  perseverance, 
he  has  made  them  salient  features  in  his  career  and  they  have  contributed  in 
large  measure  to  his  prosperity.  He  continued  to  work  and  labor  in  the 
interests  of  his  father  with  no  salary  or  any  agreement  about  the  work  until 
he  was  twenty-nine  years  of  age.  at  which  time  he  was  given  a  fourth  interest 
in  the  profits  of  his  father's  stock  business  and  was  also  given  two  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  land.  In  the  stock  business  he  was  associated  with  his 
father  until  the  latter's  death. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  563 

Mr.  Malcolm  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  his  marriage  and 
just  after  the  celebration  of  that  event  he  removed  with  his  young'  bride 
to  their  present  residence,  situated  on  section  33,  Bucyrus  township,  the  place 
being  known  as  the  Ed  Monnett  homestead.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father, 
in  June,  1900,  he  assumed  the  business  control  of  the  estate  and  now  superin- 
tends the  operation  of  nineteen  hundred  acres  of  land,  of  which  he  leases  and 
cultivates  six  hundred  and  sixty-eight  acres,  all  in  one  body  and  constitut- 
ing one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  entire  county.  In  addition  to  this  he  op- 
erates his  farm  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  given  him  by  his  father  on 
the  twenty-ninth  anniversary  of  his  birth,  and  a  tract  of  four  hundred  acres, 
which  he  owns  in  Dallas  township  and  which  adjoins  his  Bucyrus  township 
land  on  the  south.  He  is  one  of  the  largest,  if  not  the  largest,  cattle 
feeders  of  the  county,  having  at  this  time  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  head 
upon  his  farm.  He  buys  all  of  the  cattle  which  he  feeds,  and  in  addition  he 
raises  horses,  mules  and  hogs  on  quite  an  extensive  scale.  He  has  a  large 
frame  barn  with  stone  foundation  and  basement,  a  modern  and  convenient 
frame  residence  and  other  good  improvements  upon  his  place. 

On  the  18th  of  February,  1897,  Mr.  Malcolm  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Hinamon,  a  daughter  of  Fred  Hinamon,  of  Marion  county,  Ohio,  where 
occurred  the  birth  of  Mrs.  Malcolm.  Two  children  grace  their  union :  Cath- 
erine Elsie  and  James  Harvey.  Their  home  is  celebrated  for  its  pleasing 
hospitality  and  their  friends  throughout  the  community  are  many  and  the 
circle  is  constantly  increasing.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Malcolm  is  a  Re- 
publican and  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  principles  and  policy  of  the  part)-,  but 
has  never  sought  office  as  a  reward  for  party  allegiance.  He  prefers  to  give 
his  time  and  attention  to  his  business  interests,  which  are  extensive  and  im- 
portant, demanding  capable  management  and  keen  business  discernment  in 
their  control.  He  is  widely  regarded  as  a  most  enterprising  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  reliable  in  business  and  in  all  trade  transactions,  conducting  his  inter- 
ests along  the  lines  of  the  strictest  commercial  honor. 

JOHN  SHALTER. 

The  once  prominent  citizen  of  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
whose  name  is  above,  was  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  December  30,  181 5, 
and  died  at  his  home  in  Lykens  township,  August  3,  1880.  His  parents  died 
when  he  was  three  years  of  age  and  he  lived  with  different  families  until  he 
was  able  to  begin  the  battle  of  life  for  himself.     He  passed  his  early  life  in? 


564  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

working  at  whatever  he  could  find  to  do  and  in  1832  moved  to  Crawford 
county  and  took  up  eighty  acres  of  government  land  in  Lykens  township,  on 
which  he  built  a  log  cabin,  which  a  few  years  later  he  replaced  by  a  more 
commodious  log  house,  which  in  turn  was  superseded  by  the  modern  house 
which  is  the  home  of  his  daughters.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  one 
hundred  and  fifty-five  acres,  which  had  been  cleared  and  improved  by  his 
own  industry.  His  wife  died  August  30,  1892,  aged  eighty-two  years  and 
six  months.  They  were  active  workers  in  the  church  and  useful  citizens  in  the 
community.  Mrs.  Shatter  was  Miss  Elizabeth  Albaugh,  of  Jefferson  county, 
Ohio,  and  she  bore  her  husband  thirteen  children,  the  following  informa- 
tion concerning  whom  will  be  of  interest  in  this  connection.  Hiram,  the 
first  born,  is  a  farmer  in  Texas  township,  Crawford  county.  John  lives  in 
Putnam  county,  Ohio.  Abraham  lives  in  Seneca  county,  Ohio.  Saloma  is 
the  wife  of  Daniel  C.  Savage  and  lives  at  Cripple  Creek,  Colorado.  Mary 
A.,  Levi,  Catharine,  Susannah,  Emma  and  David  are  dead.  Nancy,  Lizzie 
and  Delia  live  on  their  father's  homestead.  For  several  years  the  three  were 
the  proprietors  of  millinery  stores  at  Bloomville  and  at  other  places  in  Ohio, 
and  before  that,  for  several  vears,  Delia  was  a  successful  teacher. 


ROBERT  E.  CROWLEY. 

Robert  E.  Crowley,  who  is  a  passenger  conductor  on  the  Big  Four 
Railroad,  was  born  in  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1849,  an^  ^s  a  son 
of  Robert  Crowley,  a  native  of  Scotland.  Having  arrived  at  years  of  ma- 
turity, the  father  married  Miss  Agnes  J.  McCullough,  also  a  native  of  the 
land  of  hills  and  heather,  their  wedding  being  celebrated  in  Edinburg.  Cross- 
ing the  Atlantic  to  America,  they  became  residents  of  Schuylkill  county. 
Pennsylvania,  where  occurred  the  birth  of  our  subject.  He  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  under  the  parental  roof  until  fifteen  years  of  age.  when  he  ran 
away  from  home  in  order  to  aid  his  country  in  preserving  the  Union.  On 
account  of  his  extreme  youth  his  parents  withheld  their  consent  for  him  to 
become  a  soldier,  but  his  spirit  of  loyalty  could  not  be  checked  and  he  there- 
fore quietly  left  the  parental  abode  in  1864  and  was  enrolled  as  a  member  of 
the  Sixth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry.  Five  other  boys  of  the  neighborhood  en- 
listed at  the  same  time,  but  four  of  the  number  were  killed  or  died  in  the 
service.  Mr.  Crowley  was  with  Sheridan  in  the  Shenandoah  valley  and  did 
dispatch  duty  for  a  long  time.     This  service  was  particularly  arduous  and 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  565 

dangerous,  but  he  never  faltered,  although  so  young,  and  was  ever  found 
true  to  the  trusts  reposed  in  him  and  to  the  important  work  given  into  his 
charge.  He  was  twice  slightly  wounded,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  was 
mustered  out  at  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  receiving  an  honorable  discharge. 

Throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  business  career  Air.  Crowley  has  been 
connected  with  railroad  service,  having  been  for  twenty-eight  years  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railway  Companv. 
He  was  on  the  road  when  it  was  known  as  the  Bee  line,  and  since  1873  he  has 
been  a  conductor  on  what  is  now  the  Big  Four  Railroad,  a  part  of  the  Vander- 
bilt  system.  For  some  years  he  acted  as  freight  conductor  between  Gabon 
and  Union  City,  Indiana,  but  since  1880  has  been  a  passenger  conductor, 
running  to  Indianapolis.  During-  all  of  the  years  of  his  connection  with 
the  road  he  has  never  had  an  accident,  never  been  suspended  and  has  never 
been  reprimanded  by  railway  authorities.  It  is  a  record  of  which  he  has 
every  reason  to  be  proud  and  one  indicating  close  application  and  unques- 
tioned fidelity. 

Mr.  Crowley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  Carrothers,  a 
daughter  of  George  Carrothers,  who  came  from  county  Fermnagh,  Ireland, 
to  the  new  world  when  a  lad  of  ten  summers,  accompanied  by  his  parents, 
who  located  in  Guernsey  county,  Ohio.  This  family  of  Carrothers  were 
heirs  to  the  Abercrombie  castle  and  estates  in  Scotland.  After  some  time 
spent  in  Guernsey  county,  George  Carrothers  removed  to  Noble  county,  from 
there  to  Morrow  county,  where  his  last  days  were  passed.  His  widow  is 
still  living  on  a  farm  in  that  county,  her  home  being  seven  miles  from  Gallon. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crowley  have  been  born  five  children :  Agness  Jane  and 
Clyde  W.,  twins,  who  died  in  infancy,  at  the  ages  of  eight  months  and  two 
years,  respectively;  Margaret,  who  is  in  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  acting  as 
private  secretary  to  Bishop  Brown,  of  the  Episcopal  church.  She  was  edu- 
cated in  St.  Mary's  Episcopal  school,  at  Knoxville,  Illinois,  being  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1898,  in  which  she  won  class  and  valedictorian  honors.  She 
learned  stenography  and  typewriting  in  three  months,  after  which  she  ac- 
cepted her  present  position.  Bishop  Brown  was  residing  in  Gallon  during  her 
infancy  and  acted  as  her  godfather  and  Mrs.  Brown  as  godmother.  There 
are  also  two  sons  in  Mr.  Crowley's  family, — Forest  Glenn  and  Robert  Gar- 
field,— both  of  Galion,  the  latter  now  a  student  in  the  high  school. 

Mr.  Crowley  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views,  and,  though  he  takes 
no  active  part  in  campaign  work,  he  believes  firmly  in  the  principles  of  the 
party  and  keeps  well  informed  on  the  issues  of  the  day.     He  was  reared  in 


566  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  Episcopal  church  and  he  and  his  family  attend  its  services.  Although 
his  life  has  been  quietly  passed  it  contains  many  lessons  worthy  of  emulation, 
as  does  that  of  every  man,  who,  like  Mr.  Crowley,  is  true  to  his  duties,  to 
himself,  to  his  neighbors  and  to  his  country. 

WILSON  C.  LEMERT. 

No  adequate  memorial  of  Colonel  Wilson  C.  Lemert  can  be  written  until 
many  of  the  useful  enterprises  with  which  he  has  been  connected  have  com- 
pleted their  full  measure  of  good  in  the  world  and  until  his  personal  influ- 
ence and  example  shall  have  ceased  their  fruitage  in  the  lives  of  those  with 
whom  he  has  been  associated  while  an  actor  in  the  busy  places  of  the  world. 
Yet  there  is  much  concerning  him  that  may  with  profit  be  set  down  here  as 
an  illustration  of  what  can  be  done  if  a  man  with  a  clear  brain  and  willing 
hands  but  seriously  undertakes  the  real  labors  and  responsibilities  of  life. 

Colonel  Lemert  is  numbered  among  the  native  sons  of  Crawford  county 
who  have  attained  distinction  and  honor  in  connection  with  commercial  and 
industrial  interests.  He  was  born  upon  a  farm  in  Texas  township,  in  1837. 
His  father,  Louis  Lemert,  was  born  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  August 
5,  1802,  and  was  a  son  of  Joshua  Lemert,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the  Old 
Dominion,  but  whose  parents  were  of  German  birth.  Joshua  Lemert  was 
united  in  marriage,  in  Virginia,  to  Miss  Mary  Wright,  and  in  1808  emigrated 
to  Ohio,  settling  on  a  farm  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio.  He  served  as  an 
officer  in  the  war  of  181 2  and  is  said  to  have  been  the  strongest  man  in  the 
regiment.  He  died  in  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  in  1858.  Lewis  Lemert,  the 
father  of  the  Colonel,  acquired  a  fair  education  in  his  youth,  and  on  the  2d 
of  January,  1823,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ruth  Perdew,  who  was 
born  in  Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  4,  1802,  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Rachel  Perdew,  who  removed  to  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  in  181 6.  In 
1826  Lewis  Lemert  came  with  his  young  wife  to  Crawford  county  and  took 
up  his  abode  on  a  farm  in  Texas  township,  where  he  won  prosperity  through 
the  tilling  of  the  soil.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  active  members  and  liberal 
supporters  of  the  Methodist  church  in  an  early  day  and  they  lived  exemplary 
Christian  lives.  The  father  held  various  positions  of  public  trust  and  ever 
merited  the  honor  and  confidence  reposed  in  him.  Their  son,  Joshua,  was 
for  three  years  a  member  of  the  Seventh  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  at  the  time 
of  the  Civil  war  and  for  one  year  commanded  his  company,  with  the  rank  of 
captain. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  569 

Wilson  C.  Lemert  pursued  his  preliminary  education  in  the  schools  of 
Crawford  county,  later  entered  the  Republic  Academy,  in  Seneca  county. 
Ohio,  subsequently  was  a  student  in  Heidelberg  College,  of  Tiffin,  Ohio,  and 
was  graudated  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  in  Delaware,  with  the  class 
of  1858.  In  the  following  year  he  was  graduated  in  the  Cleveland  Law  Col- 
lege, and  in  i860  began  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession  in  Greensburgv 
Indiana,  but  about  a  year  later  he  put  aside  all  personal  considerations  that 
he  might  aid  his  country,  then  engaged  in  civil  war. 

During  the  first  year  of  hostilities  between  the  north  and  the  south 
Wilson  C.  Lemert  joined  the  Seventh  Indiana  Infantry,  was  chosen  second 
lieutenant  of  his  company,  and  during  the  first  year  of  his  services  was  pro- 
moted to  first  lieutenant  and  afterward  to  captain,  receiving"  the  latter  pro- 
motion in  recognition  of  meritorious  conduct  on  the  battlefield  of  Winchester. 
In  1862  Governor  Tod  tendered  him  a  major's  commission  in  the  Eighty- 
sixth  Ohio*  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  in  \  863,  on  the  reorganization  of  that 
regiment,  he  became  its  colonel.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  command 
of  General  Burnside,  with  the  Ninth  Army  Corps  and  was  active  in  the  his- 
torical campaign  of  eastern  Tennessee.  Colonel  Lemert  was  given  command 
of  the  Third  Brigade,  Second  Division,  Ninth  Army  Corps,  consisting  of 
over  seven  thousand  soldiers,  including  infantry,  cavalry  and  artillery  troops,, 
which  constituted  the  Federal  forces  in  the  department  of  Clinch  river.  I J  is 
headquarters  were  at  Cumberland  Gap,  the  strategic  gateway  of  east  Ten- 
nessee. Colonel  Lemert  continued  in  command  of  this  brigade  and  a  part  of 
the  time  was  acting  commander  of  the  division,  until  the  expiration  of  his 
services  in  1865.  The  movement  of  his  troops  formed  an  important  chapter 
in  the  history  of  the  war.  He  was  a  gallant  officer,  with  a  comprehensive 
and  practical  knowledge  of  military  tactics.  Ever  fearless  himself,  he  in- 
spired his  men  with  his  own  bravery,  yet  he  was  never  reckless  in  exposing 
them  to  needless  danger.  His  loyalty  was  above  question  and  he  enjoyed 
the  confidence  of  his  superior  officers  and  those  who  served  under  him. 

On  his  return  from  the  war  the  Colonel  entered  upon  a  business  career 
requiring  generalship  no  less  marked  than  that  needed  in  commanding  troops 
on  the  field  of  battle.  It  requires  a  master  mind  to  plan,  formulate  and  ex- 
ecute gigantic  business  enterprises,  and  this  the  Colonel  has  done.  No  citizen 
of  Crawford  county  has  been  connected  to  a  greater  degree  with  important 
commercial  and  industrial  concerns.  In  1865  he  was  president  and  general 
manager  of  the  Bellefontaine  Cotton  Company,  eng'aged  in  raising'  and  trading 
in  cotton  in  Mississippi  and  Alabama.  From  1867  until  1877  he  was  a  part- 
31 


5/0  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

ner  and  manager  in  the  business  of  A.  M.  Jones  &  Company,  extensive  manu- 
facturers of  wagons,  carriages  and  sleighs.  In  1877  he  became  manager  of 
the  firm  of  McDonald  &  Company,  railroad  builders,  who  constructed  and 
operated  the  Toledo  &  Ohio  Central  Railroad.  In  1878  he  became  president 
and  manager  of  the  Moxahala  Furnace  Company,  of  Perry  county,  Ohio,  con- 
structed and  opreated  the  plant  and  opened  coal,  iron-ore  and  fire-clay  mines 
at  Moxahala.  During  the  same  time  he  superintended  the  construction  of 
the  Toledo  &  Ohio  Central  Railroad  from  Moxahala  to  Corning".  He  pur- 
chased the  land,  platted  and  built  the  town  of  Corning  and  there  developed 
other  coal  mines,  with  a  daily  capacity  of  three  thousand  tons.  In  1880  he 
completed  the  Corning  mines  and  built  the  railroad  from  Corning  to  Buck- 
ingham, and  raised  by  subscription  along  the  line  to  Toledo  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  to  complete  the  line  to  Toledo  and  enlarge  its  equip- 
ment. He  was  appointed  manager  of  the  entire  mining  and  railroad  prop- 
erties and  conducted  the  "Corning  war"  which  resulted  satisfactorily  to 
miners  and  operators.  During  the  same  year  he  secured  a  location  of  the 
railroad  machine  shops  at  Bucyrus  and  purchased  and  reorganized  the  Bu- 
cyrus  Manufacturing  Company,  which  became  large  producers  of  mining 
and  railway  equipments,  steam  shovels  and  dredges.  In  1881  he  built  an 
extension  to  the  Ohio  Central  Railroad  from  Corning  to  the  Ohio  river,  a 
distance  of  fifty-one  miles.  He  also  successfully  operated  extensive  draft- 
horse  ranches  in  Iowa  and  Colorado  for  ten  years.  He  was  appointed  chief 
engineer  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Foster.  In  1882  he  built  the  St.  Louis  & 
Emporia  Railroad,  afterward  a  part  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  system,  and  in 
1883  began  the  construction  of  a  railroad  from  Findlay,  Ohio,  to  Columbus, 
which  was  sold  to  the  Ohio  Central  Railroad  Company.  He  was  also  in- 
terested in  the  Nickel  Plate  enterprise,  which  was  sold  at  a  good  profit  to  the 
Vanderbilts. 

Colonel  Lemert  organized  the  Northwestern  Natural  Gas  Company, 
which  supplied  Toledo,  Sandusky,  Tiffin,  Fostoria,  Fremont,  Clyde.  P>ellville 
and  Detroit  with  natural  gas.  Colonel  Lemert  then  assumed  the  general 
supervision  of  the  Price  &  Thomas  natural  gas  plants  in  Ohio  and  Indiana, 
— at  Springfield,  Dayton,  Piqua,  Sidney.  Troy  and  Lima,  Ohio,  and  Fort 
Wayne,  Logansport  and  Lafayette,  Indiana.  In  1887  he  purchased,  rebuilt 
and  consolidated  the  gas  and  electric  light  properties  at  Bucyrus  and  in  1889 
purchased  the  brick  machinery  factory  of  Frey,  Sheckler  &  Hoover,  organiz- 
ing the  Frey-Sheckler  Company,  which  he  later  consolidated  with  the  Pen- 
field  &  Son  plant,  at  Willoughby,  Ohio,  the  new  organization  being  known 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  571 

as  the  American  Clay  Working  Machinery  Company.  This  company  has 
enlarged  its  business  until  it  now  has  the  most  extensive  plant  in  the  world 
in  the  manufacture  of  clay-working  machinery.  In  1894  Mr.  Lemert  pur- 
chased, combined  and  rebuilt  the  gas  and  electric  light  plant  and  the  electric 
railroad  at  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas,  so  that  the  different  concerns  are  now  un- 
der one  management.  In  addition  to  all  his  other  interests  the  Colonel  is  a 
director  in  the  First  National  Bank  at  Bucyrus.  In  his  manifold  under- 
takings he  has  prospered  and  is  now  able  to  retire  with  a  comfortable 
fortune  acquired  through  good  management,  close  attention  to  business 
and  careful  economy.  His  relations  with  his  employes  have  ever  been 
of  the  most  desirable  character.  His  bearing  is  entirely  free  from  os- 
tentation and  there  is  a  kindly  interest  manifest  in  his  intercourse  with 
those  who  serve  him.  He  is  generous  in  helping  the  needy  and  distressed,  is 
quick  to  reward  merit  and  is  ever  prompt  in  payment. 

Colonel  Lemert  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Jones,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  A.  M.  and  Elizabeth  Jones,  of  Bucyrus,  and  unto  them  were  born 
two  daughters,  Katie  E.  and  Blanche,  but  the  former  died  on  the  11th  of 
March,  1896.  The  Colonel  has  traveled  extensively,  visiting  many  points 
of  interest  in  Europe,  continuing  his  travels  to  Palestine  and  looking  upon 
the  evidences  of  the  ancient  civilization  of  Africa.  He  has  always  preferred 
to  control  gigantic  business  enterprises  rather  than  to  enter  politics  and  has 
declined  many  responsible  positions  of  honor  and  trust.  He  has  never  held 
office,  save  when  in  1866-7  he  was  postmaster  of  Bucyrus.  The  career  of 
Colonel  W.  C.  Lemert  has  ever  been  such  as  to  warrant  the  trust  and  confidence 
of  the  business  world,  for  he  has  ever  conducted  all  transactions  on  the  strict- 
est principles  of  honor  and  integrity.  His  devotion  to  the  public  good  is  un- 
questioned and  arises  from  a  sincere  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  fellow  men. 
What  the  world  needs  is  such  men — men  capable  of  managing  extensive,  gi- 
gantic mercantile  concerns,  and  conducting  business  on  terms  that  are  fair 
alike  to  employer  and  employe — men  of  genuine  worth,  of  unquestioned  in- 
tegrity and  honor, — and  then  the  questions  of  oppression  by  capitalists  and  re- 
sistance and  violence  by  laborers  will  be  forever  at  rest. 

HENRY  D.  MILLER. 

Henry  D.  Miller,  who  is  engaged  in  general  farming,  was  born  May 
25,  1869,  on  the  farm  in  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  upon  which  he 
now  resides.     He  is  a  son  of  Christian  Miller,  deceased.     He  attended  the 


572  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

common  schools  in  his  youth  and  also  assisted  in  the  cultivation  of  the  fields 
upon  the  old  homestead,  thus  early  becoming  familiar  with  farm  work  in  its 
various  branches.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  took  charge  of  the  old 
homestead,  practical  experience  having  well  qualified  him  for  the  work.  Since 
that  time  he  has  managed  the  farm,  and  its  well  cultivated  fields  and  neat 
appearance  indicate  his  careful  supervision.  He  is  an  industrious,  progress- 
ive farmer,  and  he  annually  harvests  good  crops.  He  now  owns  one  hundred 
and  seventeen  acres  of  the  old  home  place  in  Lykens  township  and  is  therefore 
numbered  among  the  substantial  young  farmers  of  the  community. 

On  the  28th  of  November,  1895,  Mr.  Miller  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Ida  Margraff,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Leah  (Miller)  Margraff, 
and  they  now  have  one  child,  Donna  Blanche,  who  is  a  most  interesting  mem- 
ber of  the  household.  Mr.  Miller  is  well  known  in  Crawford  county  and  his 
fellow  citizens  of  Lykens  township  have  honored  him  with  office.  He  served 
as  assessor  in  1894  and  1895,  and  in  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Democrat. 
His  religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  Reformed  church,, 
and  he  holds  social  relations  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  of  Lykens. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  organization  and  has  filled  all  of  its  offices. 
A  wide-awake  and  progressive  fanner,  he  well  deserves  mention  in  the  his- 
tory  of  his  native  county. 


ABRAHAM  MONNETT. 

Abraham  Monnett  was  for  many  veai's  a  prominent  resident  of  Craw- 
ford county,  but  the  boundaries  of  the  locality  in  which  he  made  his  home 
were  too  limited  for  the  capabilities  of  such  a  man.  He  was  a  typical  repre- 
sentative of  the  Aemrican  spirit,  which  within  the  past  century  has  achieved 
a  work  which  arouses  at  once  the  astonishment  and  admiration  of  the  world. 
Crawford  county  was  fortunate  in  that  he  allied  his  interests  with  hers,  for 
his  labors  proved  of  benefit  to  the  entire  community,  as  well  as  resulting  to- 
his  individual  prosperity.  The  marvelous  development  of  the  middle  west  is 
due  to  such  men,  whose  indomitable  energy  and  progressive  spirit  have 
overcome  all  obstacles  and  reached  the  goal  of  success.  He  was  not  so  ab- 
normally developed  as  to  be  called  a  genius,  but  was  one  of  the  strongest  be- 
cause one  of  the  best  balanced,  the  most  even  and  self-masterful  of  men,  and  he 
acted  so  well  his  part  in  both  public  and  private  life  that  Ohio  as  well  as  Bucy- 
rus  has  been  enriched  by  his  example,  his  character  and  his  labor.   When  he  was 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  573 

called  from  this  life  the  community  mourned  the  loss  of  one  of  its  most  valued 
and  honored  citizens. 

Abraham  Monnett  was  born  October  12,  181 1,  in  Virginia,  near  the 
Maryland  line,  and  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  and  Aley  (  Slagle)  Mon- 
nett, who,  in  1 8 14,  left  the  south  and  with  their  family  came  to  Ohio,  locat- 
ing in  Pickaway  county,  where  Abraham  Monnett  grew  to  manhood,  early 
displaying  his  active  and  energetic  disposition,  his  strong  will  and  decisive 
character.  'With  few  local  advantages  he  yet  obtained  a  good  education, 
reading,  observation  and  experience  continually  supplementing  his  knowledge 
until  he  became  a  well  informed  man.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  local 
affairs  and  was  made  first  lieutenant  of  a  militia  company  commanded  by 
Captain  Berkley.  He  aided  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  public  progress 
and  development,  and  his  worth  to  the  community  was  widely  acknowledged. 
In  earl)-  life  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  in  Scott  township,  Marion  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  where  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  On  the  9th  of  June, 
1830,  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Catherine 
Braucher,  who  in  her  fourth  year  was  left  an  orphan  and  inherited  three  thou- 
sand dollars,  which  helped  to  lay  the  foundation  of  his  financial  success. 
This,  together  with  a  small  sum  received  from  his  father,  was  the  only  part 
of  his  large  fortune  which  Air.  Monnett  did  not  accumulate  through  his  own 
industry,  energy  and  economy.  In  1838  he  began  buying  stock  in  Illinois 
and  driving  the  cattle  to  his  farm  in  Crawford  and  Marion  counties,  Ohio. 
His  operations  in  this  line  of  business  proved  very  successful  and  he  contin- 
ually added  to  his  income  until  he  became  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  this 
portion  of  the  state.  He  assisted  in  organizing  the  Marion  County  Bank,  and 
was  its  president  from  1864  until  1881.  In  1879,  in  connectionn  with  Mr. 
Hall,  he  organized  the  Crawford  County  Bank,  of  Bucyrus,  was  made  its  chief 
officer  and  acted  in  that  capacity  until  his  death.  The  successful  conduct  of 
the  enterprise  was  due  to  his  efforts,  his  capable  management  and  his  keen 
business  discernment,  and  he  made  the  institution  one  of  the  most  reliable 
financial  concerns  in  this  part  of  the  state.  As  the  years  passed  he  also  in- 
creased his  landed  possessions  by  making  judicious  investments  in  farm 
property  and  became  the  owner  of  over  eight  thousand  acres  of  land  in 
Marion  and  Crawford  counties. 

By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Monnett  became  the  father  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, namely:  Ephraim  B.,  who  is  now  living  in  Bucyrus,  Crawford  county; 
Martha,  wife  of  G.  H.  Wright,  a  resident  of  Marion,  Ohio ;  Oliver,  who  also 
is  living  in  Marion;  John  T.,  who  makes  his  home  in  Marion  county;  Elsie, 


574  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

widow  of  James  H  Malcolm,  of  Bucyrus;  Augustus  E.,  who  is  living-  in 
Colorado;  Mervin  ].,  who  makes  his  home  near  Central  City,  Nebraska;  Mary 
J.,  wife  of  J.  G.  Hull,  of  Findlay,  Ohio;  Madison  W.,  of  Michigan;  Melvin 
H.,  who  resides  in  Marion  county;  Amina  J.,  wife  of  Judge  J.  C.  Tobias,  of 
Bucyrus ;  and  Kate,  wife  of  Linus  H.  Ross,  of  Delaware,  Ohio.  The  mother  of 
this  family  was  called  to  her  final  rest  February  8,  1875.  She  was  a  woman 
of  sterling  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  a  worthy  and  faithful  wife,  and  a  most 
kind,  just  and  affectionate  mother.  On  the  30th  of  May,  1877,  Mr.  Mon- 
nett  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Johnston, 
a  most  estimable  lady,  whose  family  history  is  given  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Mr.  Monnett  was  a  supporter  of  the  Republican  party,  but  the  honors  and 
emoluments  of  office  had  no  attraction  for  him.  He  belonged  to  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church,  and  his  life  was  ever  in  harmony  with  its  teaching's  and 
principles.  His  history  contains  man)-  valuable  lessons.  It  is  impossible  to 
keep  a  man  of  merit  in  the  background,  although  his  early  surroundings  were 
not  such  as  to  win  him  prominence.  A  progressive  spirit  knows  no  bounds, 
and  ability  has  no  limitations  of  time,  place  or  space.  The  man  who  has  no 
opportunities  makes  them  and  molds  adverse  conditions  to  his  own  ends. 
Such  characterictics  won  for  Mr.  Monnett  a  place  among  the  most  prominent, 
successful  and  reliable  business  men  of  his  portion  of  the  state.  As  a  man 
his  lousiness  ability  was  constantly  manifest,  and  his  operations  in  land  as 
well  as  the  banking  business  became  extensive.  His  advancement  resulted 
from  determined  purpose,  resolute  will  and  keen  sagacity,  combined  with  un- 
faltering industry,  and  he  won  a  place  among  the  most  prosperous  residents  of 
Crawford  county.  His  affairs  were  ever  conducted  along'  the  line  of  legiti- 
mate trade,  and  over  the  record  of  his  career  there  falls  no  shadow  of  wrong 
or  suspicion  of  evil.  He  passed  away  March  19,  1881,  and  the  community 
mourned  the  loss  of  one  whom  they  had  learned  to  respect  and  honor. 

JAMES  H.  ROBINSON. 

There  are  no  rules  for  building  character;  there  is  no  rule  for  achieving 
success.  A  man  who  can  rise  to  a  position  of  eminence  is  he  who  can  see  and 
utilize  the  opportunities  that  surround  his  path.  The  essential  conditions  of 
human  life  are  ever  the  same  and  the  surroundings  of  individuals  differ  but 
little,  so  that  when  one  man  passes  another  on  the  highway  of  life,  reaching  the 
goal  of  prosperity  before  those  who,  perhaps,  started  out  ahead  of  him,  it  is 
because  he  has  the  power  to  use  advantages  which  probably  encompass  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  57 S 

whole  human  race.  To-day  among  the  most  prominent  business  men  of 
Crawford  county  stands  James  Henry  Robinson,  the  vice-president  of  the 
Bucyrus  State  Bank  and  a  man  whose  influence  in  business  and  political  circles 
has  been  far-reaching".  The  history  of  such  a  man  cannot  fail  to  be  of  wide- 
spread interest,  for  he  ranks  high  among  the  representative  citizens  of  this 
portion  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  born  on  the  home  farm  in  Chatfield  township,  Crawfi  »rcl 
county,  February  22,  1839,  and  manifests  in  his  life  many  of  the  sterling 
characteristics  of  his  Scotch  ancestry, — for  the  family  is  of  Scotch  lineage. 
The  great-grandfather,  John  Robinson,  was  born  in  the  land  of  hills  and 
heather,  and  when  a  young  man  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America,  locating  in 
Virginia,  where  he  met  and  married  Miss  Stout,  whose  parents  came  to  the 
new  world  from  the  Emerald  isle.  Mr.  Robinson  was  at  one  time  captured 
by  the  Indians  in  Virginia  and  brought  by  them  to  Ohio.  They  intended  to 
burn  him  at  the  stake,  but  for  some  reason  changed  this  decision,  and  he  finally 
escaped,  but  four  of  his  companions  were  killed.  John  Robinson,  Jr.,  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  on  leaving  the  Old 
Dominion  emigrated  westward  to  Coshocton  count}-,  Ohio,  casting  in  his  lot 
among  its  early  settlers.  In  1825  he  came  to  Crawford  county,  bringing  with 
him  his  family.  James  M.  Robinson,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
1807,  near  Wheeling,  West  Virginia.  He  wedded  Alary  E.  Cooper,  and  In 
1825  came  to  Crawford  county,  taking  up  his  abode  on  a  farm  in  Chatfield 
township,  where  the  birth  of  our  subject  afterward  occurred.  He  died  in  1874, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  May  15,  1852,  at  the 
age  of  forty-two  years.  They  had  two  sons  who  served  in  the  Civil  war,  both 
having  been  members  of  the  Third  Ohio  Cavalry.  They  are  now  deceased, 
having  passed  away  in  Michigan  in  1883.  One  daughter  of  the  family.  Mel- 
vina  J.,  became  the  wife  of  E.  Clady,  of  Chatfield  township,  and  died  in  1872  : 
Nathan  J.  died  in  Crawford  county  in  1874;  and  Alpheus  D.  is  now  living  in 
Paulding  county,  Ohic. 

James  Henry  Robinson,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  was  the 
second  of  the  family.  He  pursued  his  education  in  Chatfield  and  in  the 
Otterbein  University  at  Westerville.  He  was  a  student  for  two  years.  Sub- 
sequently he  engaged  in  teaching  eight  terms  of  school  in  Chatfield,  giving  ex- 
cellent satisfaction  through  his  ability  to  maintain  discipline  and  to  impart 
with  readiness  and  clearness  to  others  the  know  ledge  he  had  acquired.  He  has 
many  times  been  called  to  public  office,  where  he  has  served  with  ability  and 
fidelity.     He  was  township  clerk  of  Chatfield  township,  and  for  two  terms  held 


576  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  office  of  county  surveyor.  In  the  meantime  he  had  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising at  Chatfield  for  ten  years,  and  in  1876  he  became  identified  with  indus- 
trial interests  in  Bucyrus  as  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Franz  &  Pope 
Knitting  Machine  Company,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  one  year.  In 
1876  he  also  became  county  auditor,  and  filled  that  position  for  six  consecutive 
years,  or  until  1882.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1886,  he  became  cashier  of  the 
Bucyrus  City  Bank,  acting  in  that  capacity  for  fifteen  years,  or  until  the  1st 
of  January,  1900,  when  he  was  elected  vice-president.  The  success  and  growth 
of  this  institution  is  largely  due  to  his  efforts.  He  has  been  untiring  in  pro- 
moting its  welfare,  and  his  genial  manner  and  unfailing  courtesy  have  made 
him  a  popular  officer  of  the  institution,  while  his  well-known  reliability  has 
added  to  its  high  standing  in  financial  circles. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  married  in  Craw  ford  count)',  to  Miss  Louisa  Hipp,  a 
daughter  of  Frederick  and  Catherine  (  Kunzi )  Hipp,  of  Bucyrus.  Her  father 
is  a  director  of  the  Bucyrus  City  Bank  and  ex-probate  judge  of  the  county. 
Their  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  two  children :  Francis  Marion,  who 
died  in  1871,  at  the  age  of  five  years,  and  Minnie  M.,  now  the  wife  of  F.  B. 
Lauck,  of  Bucyrus.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Robinson  is  a  Democrat, 
and  socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to  the  blue 
lodge,  chapter  and  commandery.  lie  also  has  membership  relations  with  the 
Odd  Fellows  society,  in  which  he  has  passed  all  the  chairs,  and  in  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  lodge,  of  Bucyrus,  he  was  the  first  past  chancellor.  He  holds  mem- 
bership relations  in  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  also  the 
English  Lutheran  church.  In  all  life's  relations  he  has  commanded  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  those  with  whom  he  has  been  associated.  Regarded  as  a 
citizen,  he  belongs  to  that  public-spirited,  useful  and  helpful  type  of  men  whose 
ambitions  and  desires  are  directed  in  those  channels  through  which  flow  the 
greatest  and  most  permanent  good  to  the  greatest  number,  and  it  is,  therefore, 
consistent* with  the  purpose  and  plan  of  this  work  that  his  record  be  given 
among  those  of  the  representative  men  of  the  state. 

CHARLES  R.  SHECKLER,  M.  D. 

The  family  physician  sustains  a  peculiarly  confidential  relation  to  his  fel- 
low citizens,  and  if  he  be  a  man  of  tact  and  honor  comes  in  time  to  lie  their 
confidant  and  adviser  in  many  matters  of  importance.  Such  a  well-established, 
useful  citizen  is  Dr.  Charles  R.  Sheckler,  of  Brokensword,  Crawford  county, 
Ohio. 


.       CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  577 

Dr.  Sheckler  was  born  at  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  March  7,  1856,  a  son  of  Edward 
Scheckler,  a  native  of  Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  tailor  by  trade, 
who  located  early  at  Bucyrus  and  there  married  Adaline  G.  Shawk,  who  bore 
him  four  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first  born. 
Their  daughter  Nettie  became  the  wife  of  E.  J.  Williams,  of  Holmes  township, 
Crawford  county.  Their  sons  Thompson  and  Edward  became  farmers.  Their 
son  Charles  R.  received  his  primary  education  in  the  public  schools  at  Bucyrus, 
and  when  about  fifteen  years  of  age  began  reading  medicine  under  the  precep- 
torship  of  Dr.  A.  Cuykendall,  of  that  town.  He  was  graduated  in  the  Colum- 
bus Medical  College  in  1877,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  After  practicing 
his  profession  five  years  at  North  Robinson,  Crawford  county,  he  located  at 
Brokensword,  where  he  has  met  with  gratifying  success.  He  affiliates  with 
the  Democratic  party,  but  is  not  a  practical  politician,  preferring  to  give  his 
time  entirely  to  his  profession.  He  was  married  in  1881  to  Miss  Catharine 
Bogan,  and  they  have  three  children,  named  Ralph,  Ada  and  Archibald. 

JOHN  F.  SMITH. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  of  that  sturdy  German  stock  which  in  all 
parts  of  our  country  has  developed  good  citizenship  and  done  its  full  share 
in  bringing  about  general  progress  and  prosperity.  Mr.  Smith  was  born  in 
Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  June  22,  1840,  a  son  of  Frederick 
Smith,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  married  Christina  Lipman,  who  bore  him 
six  children  :  Lewis  lives  in  Lykens  township;  Hiram  is  dead;  John  F.  was  the 
next  in  order  of  birth ;  Adolphus  lives  at  Aurora,  Illinois;  and  Clara  is  the  wife 
of  Joseph  Laipply,  of  Chatfield  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio.  A  sixth 
child  died  in  infancy. 

Frederick  Smith  came  to  America  in  1832  and  located  at  Columbus,  Ohio, 
where  he  worked  as  a  stone  and  brick  mason  until  1840,  when  he  bought  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Lykens  township,  Crawford  count}',  and 
engaged  in  farming.  The  land  had  no  improvements  and  was  practically  wild 
and  cost  him  six  hundred  dollars.  He  lost  no  time  in  erecting  a  hewn-log 
house  and  in  beginning  the  work  of  improvement  and  cultivation.  His  wife 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty-four  years  and  he  married  Lucy  A.  Shupp,  who  bore 
him  the  following  children:  Cornelius,  Frederick  T.,  Henry,  Jefferson,  L.  M., 
Matilda,  Catherine,  Lucy.  Emma  and  Sarepta.  He  became  a  prominent  man 
in  the  township  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  and  reared  on  his  father's  homestead 


578  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

in  Lykens  township  and  was  brought  up  to  farm  work  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  began  a  prac- 
tical apprenticeship  to  the  carpenter's  trade.  After  working  as  a  journeyman 
carpenter  for  eight  years  he  engaged  in  contracting  and  building,  which  he 
followed  successfully  until  1881,  when  he  bought  his  father's  old  home  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on  which  he  lived  until  1895,  when  he  retired  from 
active  life  and  removed  to  Brokensword,  Lykens  township,  where  he  has  made 
his  home  to  the  present  time. 

In  1S65  Air.  Smith  married  Melinda  Shupp,  and  of  their  children  we  ob- 
serve that  Lulu  married  Edward  Pfetcher ;  Laura  married  Wesley  Lust ;  Hor- 
ace J.  married  Ida  Fralick  and  lives  in  Lykens  township ;  Lucy  Edith  and 
Hiram  are  dead ;  Learra  married  George  Lecrove,  a  farmer  of  Lykens  town- 
ship ;  Lottie  L.  and  Lestie  B.  are  members  of  their  father's  household;  and 
Linna  is  dead.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  April  22,  1887,  ac  tne  a§'e 
of  forty  years.  She  was  a  woman  of  many  virtues,  who-  was  dearly  beloved 
by  all  who  knew  her,  and,  like  her  husband,  was  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Evangelical  church.  Mr.  Smith  has  been  prominent  in  township  affairs  and 
has  in  many  ways  shown  his  public  spirit.  At  one  time  he  held  the  office  of 
township  trustee.  In  politics  he  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party.  He 
has  always  been  a  hard-working  man  and  has  achieved  success  by  means  of  in- 
dustry and  a  good  name  by  fair  and  upright  living. 


DAVID  CRUM. 

David  Crum  is  now  living  a  retired  life,  and  his  rest  is  well  merited,  for 
through  a  long  period  he  was  an  active  and  energetic  factor  in  agricultural 
circles  in  Crawford  county.  His  industry,  perseverance  and  energy  were  the 
means  of  bringing  to  him  success,  enabling  him  to>  overcome  many  obstacles 
and  difficulties  in  the  path  to  prosperity.  Over  the  record  of  his  business  and 
private  life  there  falls  no  shadow  of  wrong,  and  thus  he  enjoys  the  warm  re- 
gard of  many  friends. 

Mr.  Crum  is  a  native  of  the  Keystone  state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  8th  of  July,  1829.  The  family  is  of 
German  lineage  and  was  founded  in  America  by  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject. Our  subject's  father,  Leonard  Crum,  was  born  in  the  same  state,  in 
1786,  and  there  grew  to  manhood,  learning  the  wagonmaker's  trade  in  his 
youth.     For  a  short  time  he  followed  that  business  and  also  conducted  a  small 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  579 

distillery,  but  this  covered  a  period  of  only  a  few  years,  after  which  he  retired 
from  the  distillery  businesss  and  located  upon  a  farm  in  Dauphin  county,  where 
he  resided  throughout  the  residue  of  his  days,  his  death  occurring  in  1869. 
He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  having  been  a  Miss  Hain,  by  whom  he 
had  four  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  He  afterward  wedded 
Catherine  Stine,  and  unto  them  were  born  twelve  children,  but  only  five  are 
now  living:  Jonas  L.,  a  retired  farmer  of  Decatur.  Illinois;  David;  Sarah  E., 
wife  of  Samuel  Crum,  of  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania;  Rebecca,  wife  of 
Samuel  Swartz,  also  of  Dauphin  county;  and  Benjamin,  who  is  living  in 
Progress,  that  county.  Air.  Crum  was  enabled  to  provide  comfortably  for  his 
family,  for  in  his  farming  operations  he  prospered,  acquiring  possession  of 
three  hundred  and  nine  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Dauphin  county.  He  was  also 
one  of  the  influential  and  representative  residents  of  his  locality,  and  until  his 
fortieth  year  he  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  but  ab~ut  that  time  he 
became  converted  t<>  the  Evangelical  faith  and  remained  a  consistent  membei 
of  that  denomination  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  serving  through  a  long  period 
as  deacon  and  elder  in  the  church.  His  early  political  views  were  in  harmony 
with  the  principles  of  the  Whig  party,  and  on  its  dissolution  he  joined  the  ranks 
of  the  Republican  party.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Dauphin 
county,  Pennsvlvania,  in  1795,  and,  like  her  husband,  was  of  German  lineage. 
She,  too,  was  an  active  member  of  the  Evangelical  church,  and  died  in  [887, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 

David  Crum  mastered  the  branches  of  English  learning  and  taught  in  the 
common  schools  and  received  his  training  at  farm  labor  on  the  old  homestead. 
He  was  married  October  4,  1849,  tne  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Mary  Crall, 
a  native  of  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of  Christian  and 
Elizabeth  (Hanshew)  Crall.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Dauphin  county, 
Pennsylvania,  born  November  13,  1805.  and  her  mother  was  born  in  Cumber- 
land county.  November  27,  1804.  In  1855  they  emigrated  to  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  purchasing-  the  old  Conkle  farm  in  Liberty  township,  where  Mr. 
Crall  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  until  within  thirteen  years  of  his  death. 
His  wife  died  August  29,  1884,  and  he  then  made  his  home  among  his  chil- 
dren until  his  demise,  on  the  27th  of  September,  1892.  Both  were  members 
of  the  United  Brethren  church  and  were  people  of  the  highest  respectability. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crum  were  born  thirteen  children,  of  whom  eight  yet  sur- 
vive, namely:  Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  William  Caris,  of  Bucyrus ;  Elmira,  wife 
pf  F.  M.  Lash,  a  farmer  of  Auburn  township;  Ellen,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Bu- 
cher,  of  Liberty  township ;  Sarah,  who  married  C.  C.  Heller,  of  Liberty  town- 


58o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

ship;  Willis  A.,  a  practicing  physician  of  Carey,  Ohio;  Myrtle,  wife  of  W.  C. 
.McCullough,  of  Bucyrus;  and  Cora  E.  and  Hayes  C,  at  home. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Crum  took  his  bride  to  a  farm  belonging  to  his 
father  in  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  carried  on  agricultural  pur- 
suits for  six  years.  He  also  engaged  in  the  butchering  business  to  seme  ex- 
tent during  the  winter  months,  erecting  a  stall  in  the  Harrisburg  market  house. 
In  the  spring  of  1856  he  came  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  purchased  the 
Samuel  Smalley  farm  of  ninety-eight  and  a  half  acres  in  Liberty  township. 
This  he  still  owns.  With  the  exception  of  three  years,  during  which  time  he 
was  engaged  in  the  butchering  business  in  Bucyrus.  he  resided  upon  his  farm 
continuously  until  1888,  when  he  purchased  four  lots  in  Sulphur  Springs. 
Upon  this  land  stands  his  present  residence,  and  it  has  been  his  home  continu- 
ously since.  While  living  in  Bucyrus  he  engaged  in  the  live-stock  business, 
continuing  in  that  line  of  trade  for  fifteen  or  twenty  years,  and  thus  he  added 
materially  to  his  income  derived  from  his  farming  operations.  At  the  present 
time,  however,  he  is  living  retired,  having  acquired  a  handsome  competence, 
which  enables  him  to  put  aside  the  more  arduous  duties  of  business  life  and 
spend  his  remaining  days  in  ease  and  quiet.  His  political  support  is  given  the 
Republican  party,  and  on  that  ticket  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  township 
board  of  trustees  for  several  terms.  He  and  his  wife  are  consistent  and  faith- 
ful members  of  the  United  Brethren  church,  of  which  he  served  as  trustee, 
■class-leader  and  superintendent  for  a  number  of  years.  His  life  has  ever  been 
in  harmony  with  his  professions,  being  guided  by  sound  judgment,  honesty 
and  integrity. 

JOHN  MOORE. 

For  more  than  half  a  centurv  John  Moore  has  resided  upon  the  farm  which 
is  now  his  place  of  residence  and  is  therefore  to  be  numbered  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Crawford  county.  Through  many  decades  he  has  been  identified 
with  agricultural  interests  in  the  Buckeye  state  and  is  still  interested  in  farm- 
ling.  giving  his  personal  supervision  to  the  cultivation  of  his  land.  He  was 
born  near  Hagerstown,  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio1,  July  7,  1823,  and  is  a  son 
•of  Morris  Moore,  whose  birth  occurred  in  New  Jersey,  where  he  was  reared 
and  married  Hannah  Davis.  They  became  the  parents  of  thirteen  children, 
of  whom  seven  are  now  living.  The  record  is:  Mary  A.,  now  deceased; 
George,  who  died  in  infancy;  John,  our  subject;  George  Davis,  deceased; 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Kemp,  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio;  Morris,  who 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  5  Si. 

died  in  hospital  while  in  the  Civil  war;  Margaret,  who  married  Finley  Leon- 
ard and  is  living  near  Attica,  Ohio;  Martha  and  Hannah,  both  deceased;. 
Louisa,  the  widow  of  Josiah  Haughman,  of  Attica;  David  Bennett,  of  Frank- 
lin county,  Ohio,  who  served  during  the  Civil  war  with  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-third  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry;  Frank,  who  is  living  in  Kan- 
sas ;  and  Theodore,  who  makes  his  home  in  Indiana. 

In  1823  the  father  moved  from  New  Jersey  to  Ohio  and  entered  a  tract 
of  land  from  the  government  in  Harrison  county,  where  he  remained  until  the 
fall  of  1833,  when  he  went  on  horseback  to  Seneca  comity  and  there  entered 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  government  land,  near  Caroline.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  removed  his  family  to  the  new  place  and  there  he  built  a  double 
log  cabin  of  two  rooms.  The  land  was  covered  with  heavy  timber  and  it  was 
an  arduous  task  to  develop  the  farm.  In  1850  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Attica, 
Ohio,  where  he  lived  retired  until  his  death,  which  ocurred  when  he  was  eighty- 
seven  years  of  age.  He  aided  in  laying  out  roads,  building  school  houses  and 
in  other  work  of  progress  and  improvement  which  resulted  to  the  benefit  of 
the  community,  and  he  was  an  active  member  and  earnest  worker  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church. 

When  eleven  years  of  age  Mr.  Moore,  of  this  review,  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Seneca  county  and  there  he  began  to  assist  in  the  difficult  task  of 
cutting  away  the  timber  and  preparing  the  fields  for  cultivation.  He  remained 
at  home  until  his  marriage,  which  occurred  in  1845,  tne  lady  of  his  choice  be- 
ing Miss  Sarah  R.  McLaughlin,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  McLaughlin,  a  native, 
of  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  son  of  James  McLaughlin, 
who  was  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  as  was  also  Mr.  James 
Fisher,  the  maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Moore.  Her  paternal  grandmother 
was  Mary  Mackey,  and  her  maternal  grandmother  was  Mary  Kiester.  Mr. 
Fisher  spent  the  winter  at  Valley  Forge  and  participated  in  many  important 
battles,  and,  coming  to  this  state,  he  ran  the  first  boat  on  the  Ohio  river.  Jo- 
seph McLaughlin  served  in  the  war  of  1812.  Mrs.  Moore  became  a  resident 
of  Seneca  count}-  when  seventeen  years  of  age  and  attended  a  subscription 
school,  held  in  a  log  school-house  in  Columbiana  county,  to  which  she  walked 
a  distance  of  three  and  a  half  miles.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  a  most  estimable  lady,  who  has  been  to  her  husband  a  faithful 
companion  and  helpmate  on  the  journey  of  life.  They  have  become  the  parents 
of  four  children:  Eliza  J.,  deceased,  who  married  Charles  Meeker;  Hannah 
A.,  deceased,  who  married  John  Melroy ;  Sarah,  who  became  the  wife  of  John 
P.  Yingling;  and  Delia,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nine  years. 


582  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Moore  rented  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Bucyrus  for 
two  years  and  in  1848  purchased  the  farm  which  he  now  owns  and  operates 
and  which  has  been  his  place  of  abode  since  1849.  He  paid  four  hundred  dol- 
lars for  eighty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  erected  a  hewed-log  house  of  one 
room  in  the  yard  where  his  present  residence  is  located.  Oak.  beech,  basswood 
and  maple  trees  stood  upon  the  place,  which  was  heavily  timbered.  Mr.  Moore 
has  cleared  sixty  acres  of  his  land  and  has  made  excellent  improvements.  When 
he  came  here  he  owned  no  horses  and  worked  out  for  others  until  he  could  get 
the  money  with  which  to  purchase  a  team.  He  has  since  carried  on  general 
farming  and  all  that  he  possesses  has  come  to  him  as  the  direct  result  of  his 
own  labor.  His  life  has  indeed  been  a  busy  and  useful  one  and  prosperity  has 
rewarded  his  efforts. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Moore  is  a  Republican  and  he  has  served  as 
schoool  director  and  supervisor.  As  a  citizen  he  has  ever  been  public-spirited 
and  progressive,  manifesting  an  earnest  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the 
welfare  of  the  community  and  to  progress  along  material,  social,  educational 
and  moral  lines.     His  has  been  an  upright  life,  worthy  of  emulation. 

EDWARD  FRALICK. 

Among  the  pioneer  families  who  came  to  Crawford  county  when  this  por- 
tion of  the  state  was  largely  an  undeveloped  region  and  aided  in  laying  broad 
and  deep  the  foundations  for  the  present  prosperity  and  progress  of  the  county 
were  the  Fralicks,  and  since  1839  the  name  has  been  honorably  and  inseparably 
interwoven  with  the  history  of  the  community.  The  subject  of  this  review 
was  born  in  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania,  December  22,  1834.  His  father, 
David  Fralick,  also  a  native  of  that  state,  was  there  married  to1  Elizabeth  Gar- 
rett and  they  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  Edward  is  the 
eldest.  David,  the  second,  is  now  a  farmer  of  Lykens  township.  Levina,  the 
third,  married  Joseph  Rank,  and  after  his  death  became  the  wife  of  Benjamin 
Witmire,  her  death  occurring  in  1897.  Henry,  the  youngest  of  the  family, 
is  living  in  Lykens  township.  It  was  in  1839  that  the  father,  with  his  wife 
and  children,  left  his  old  home  in  the  Keystone  state  and  with  a  one-horse 
wagon  traveled  to  Ohio,  settling  first  in  Richland  county,  where  he  purchased 
four  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  weaver  by  trade  and  followed  that  pursuit  in 
Richland  county  for  a  few  years,  after  which  he  came  to  Crawford  county  and 
bought  a  forty-acre  tract  of  wild  land  in  Holmes  township.  Upon  the  place 
he  erected  a  log  cabin,  and  into  this  the  family  moved  before  there  were  doors 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  5«3 

or  windows  in  the  structure.  After  three  years,  however,  David  Fralick,  Sr., 
returned  to  Richland  county,  where  he  rented  land  for  a  time  and  then  re- 
turned to  Crawford  county  and  purchased  one  hundred  acres  in  Lykens  town- 
ship. The  home  here  was  also  a  log  house,  in  poor  condition,  but  soon  he 
erected  a  substantial  log  house,  which  is  still  standing,  and  in  which  he  made 
his  home  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1876,  when  he  was  seventy-eight 
years  of  age.  His  wife,  surviving  him  several  years,  died  in  1888,  past  the 
age  of  seventv.  She  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Reformed  church  and 
a  most  estimable  lady,  sharing  with  her  husband  in  the  high  regard  in  which 
he  was  uniformly  held. 

Reared  to  farm  life,  Edward  Fralick  soon  became  familiar  with  the 
work  of  clearing  and  cultivating  the  fields  and  harvesting  the  crops,  and  on  the 
old  homestead  he  remained  until  his  marriage,  which  occurred  March  19,  1861, 
the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Sarah  Porter,  a  native  of  Lykens  township 
and  a  daughter  of  Edward  and  Rachel  (  Shupp )  Porter.  Her  father  was  a 
school  teacher  in  Crawford  county  in  an  early  clay  and  also  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace.  He  came  to  Crawford  county  at  a  period  of  its  primitive  de- 
velopment and  from  the  government  entered  eighty  acres  of  wild  land,  upon 
which  Henry  Fralick  now  resides.  There  he  developed  his  farm,  reared  his 
family  of  nine  children  and  made  his  home  until  his  death,  in  1849.  His 
wife  died  in  June,  1897,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  and  thus  passed  away 
one  of  the  honored  pioneer  couples.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fralick 
has  been  blessed  with  four  children:  Jerome  E.,  who  resides  in  Fremont, 
Indiana;  Clara;  William  Porter,  a  farmer  of  Holmes  township;  and  Hattie 
A.      The  daughters  are  unmarried  and  at  home. 

The  first  year  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Fralick  resided  upon  his  father's 
farm,  and  on  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  and  his  brother  David  pur- 
chased ninety-three  acres  of  land  in  Holmes  township,  where  they  made  many 
improvements,  developing  an  excellent  farm,  upon  which  our  subject  resided 
until  1896,  when  he  came  to  his  present  home  in  Lykens  township.  He  owns 
thirty-eight  acres  of  land  here  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  acres  in 
Holmes  township,  and  his  property  has  all  been  acquired  through  his  own 
exertions.  It  is  fertile  land,  highly  cultivated,  and  the  fields  return  to  him  a 
golden  harvest.  His  business  ability  and  untiring  energy  are  the  foundation 
stones  upon  which  he  has  reared  the  structure  o>f  his  success,  and  his  example 
in  this  regard,  as  well  as  in  many  other  ways,  is  well  worth}'  of  emulation. 

In  his  political  preference  Mr.  Fralick  is  a  Democrat,  and  keeps  well  in- 
formed regarding  the  political  questions  of  the  time,  but  has  never  sought  or 


584  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

desired  public  office.  His  wife  and  family  are  identified  with  the  Protestant 
faith,  and  in  the  community  they  are  well  known  and  highly  esteemed,  the 
possession  of  many  admirable  characteristics  winning  for  Mr.  Fralick  the  envi- 
able regard  of  those  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact  through  the  long  resi- 
dence in  Crawford  county,  which  classes  him  among  its  early  settlers. 

THOMAS  J.  MONNETT. 

The  influence  which  Thomas  J.  Monnett  had  upon  the  material  and  moral 
development  of  Crawford  county  was  very  great.  As  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  he  labored  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people,  and  at  the  same  time 
he  was  an  active  factor  in  many  movements  and  enterprises  which  contributed 
to  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  the  people  among  whom  he  lived  and  by 
whom  he  was  ever  held  in  the  highest  esteem.  He  departed  this  life  in 
Crawford  county,  in  May,  1901,  and  the  community  thereby  lost  one  of  its 
.most  valued  citizens. 

"His  life  was  noble  and  the  elements 
So  mixed  in  him  that  Nature  might  stand  up 
And  say  to  all  the  world  'This  was  a  man.'  " 

Thomas  J.  Monnett  wras  born  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  January  26, 
1826,  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  and  Alcy  (  Slagle)  Monnett.  When  he  was 
nine  years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to  Crawford  county  and  settled  on  "the 
plains"  south  of  Bucyrus.  The}'  were  among*  the  pioneers  of  the  county  and 
aided  in  its  primitive  development,  assisting  to  lay  broad  and  deep  the  founda- 
tion upon  which  its  present  prosperity  and  progress  rests.  In  the  country 
schools  such  as  were  common  at  that  time  the  son  Thomas  pursued  his  studies, 
mastering  the  branches  of  learning  which  were  taught  in  such  institutions. 
He  afterward  attended  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  at  Delaware,  in  1845, 
and  subsequent  to  his  return  home  engaged  in  teaching  school.  He  studied 
medicine  to  some  extent,  but  under  the  direction  of  his  father,  who  was  a 
Methodist  minister,  he  prepared  for  that  holy  calling  and  was  at  length 
licensed  to  preach  for  the  same  denomination.  For  many  years  he  pro- 
claimed the  "glad  tidings  of  great  joy"  among  the  people  of  Ohio,  acting  as 
pastor  of  the  Methodist  churches  at  Fostoria,  Kenton,  Upper  Sandusky  and 
other  places.  At  Fostoria  he  was  associated  with  G.  W.  Collier,  now  chap- 
lain in  the  United  States  army,  located  at  Columbus,  Ohio.     In  1861  he  be- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  5§S 

came  superanuated  and  thereafter,  not  being  in  good  health,  his  ministerial 
labors  were  not  consecutive,  although  he  never  lost  his  deep  interest  in 
Christian  work  and  did  much  to  advance  the  cause  of  the  church. 

In  1 86 1  Mr.  Monnett  located  upon  his  farm  in  Bucyrus  township  and 
became  a  successful  ami  extensive  agriculturist  and  stock-raiser,  but  his  efforts 
were  not  confined  alone  to  this  line.  He  was  interested  in  the  Bucyrus 
Woolen  Mills,  the  Bucyrus  Gas  works,  together  with  other  enterprises,  and 
his  business  and  executive  ability  made  his  advice  and  management  of  value 
in  the  successful  control  of  such  industrial  concerns. 

Mr.  Monnett  was  married,  in  1848,  to  Miss  Henrietta  Johnston,  of 
Crawford  county,  and  unto  them  were  born  the  following  named  children: 
Webster,  who  died  in  childhood ;  Orwin  Bruce ;  William  A. ;  Francis  S. ;  John 
G.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  ;  Efhe.  who  was  the  wife  of  Hon.  S. 
W.  Bemalt  and  died  November  20,  1898;  and  Agnes,  who  died  in  childhood. 
The  mother  departed  this  life  November  22,  1871.  at  the  age  of  forty-two 
years,  and  on  the  4th  of  September,  1873.  Mr.  Monnett  was  joined  in  wed- 
lock to  Sarah  Rexroth,  who  was  one  of  the  early  school  teachers  of  the 
county.  In  politics  he  was  always  a  stalwart  Republican  and  supported  his 
position  by  intelligent  argument,  always  keeping  well  informed  on  the  issues 
of  the  day.  During  his  work  in  the  ministry  he  was  an  earnest,  forceful  and 
convincing  speaker  and  his  influence  was  widely  felt.  In  business  he  was 
industrious,  determined  and  straightforward  and  thereby  won  prosperity. 
During  the  last  few  years  of  his  life  he  lived  retired  in  Bucyrus.  He  was  a 
man  whom  to  know  was  to  respect  and  honor,  and  his  career  furnishes  an 
example  well  worthy  of  emulation. 

WILLIAM  M.  GEIGER. 

William  M.  Geiger  was  born  in  Bloom  township,  Seneca  county.  Ohio, 
February  1,  1846,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Christina  (  Zuderoem)  Geiger.  Henry 
Geiger,  a  native  of  Germany,  was  brought#to  America  by  his  father,  Jacob 
Geiger,  when  he  was  thirteen  years  old.  The  family  located  in  Stark  county, 
Ohio,  where  Jacob  Geiger  lived  out  his  days  and  died.  Henry  Geiger  began 
his  active  life  in  Stark  county  as  a  farm  hand,  doing  work  by  the  month.  In 
1835  he  located  in  Bloom  township,  Seneca  county,  where,  after  filing  his  claim 
to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  government  land,  he  began  a  fight  for  for- 
tune with  one  dollar  in  money  and  an  ax.  and  little  else, — without  a  team, 
which  would  have  made  his  labors  easier.     He  managed  to  erect  a  log  cabin, 

32 


586  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

but  having  no  stove  was  obliged  during  the  first  two  years  of  his  residence 
there  to  cook  beside  a  convenient  stump.  For  a  time  he  had  no  neighbors  ex- 
cept George  Weickley  and  Jacob  Hosier  and  a  Mr.  Troxel.  The  three  were 
the  first  settlers  in  Bloom  township.  At  his  death  Mr.  Geiger  owned  two  hun- 
dred and  forty-seven  acres  of  improved  land,  which  was  regarded  as  one  of 
the  best  farms  in  Seneca  county  He  died  in  1882,  in  his  seventieth  year.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church  and  was  influential  in  all  public 
affairs.  The  following  brief  mention  of  each  of  his  eight  children  will  be  found 
interesting  in  this  connection  :  Conrad  lives  in  Fulton  county,  Ohio.  Catharine 
is  dead.  Jacob  lives  in  Bloomville,  Ohio.  Maria  is  the  wife  of  Nelson  Shaff- 
ner,  of  Bloom  township.  Seneca  county,  Ohio.  Of  William  M.,  who  is  the  im- 
mediate subject  of  this  sketch,  mure  will  be  said  hereafter.  Henry  lives  in 
Indiana.  Madison  is  a  resident  of  Wyandot  county,  Ohio.  Jacob,  who  is  the 
owner  of  his  father's  homestead,  is  one  of  the  prominent  men  in  Seneca  coun- 
ty and  is  president  of  the  Sycamore  Bank  and  of  the  Bloomville  Bank. 

Wiliam  M.  Geiger  was  reared  on  his  father's  homestead  in  Seneca  county, 
Ohio,  and  remained  there  until  1869,  when,  at  the  age  of  about  twenty-five 
years,  he  married  Miss  Maria  Lebold,  and  moved  upon  an  eighty-acre  farm  in 
Bloom  township.  He  remained  there  a  year  and  then  he  removed  to  his  pres- 
ent home  farm  in  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  which  he  purchased  of 
William  Hanks,  and  which  contains  one  hundred  and  fort}'  acres;  and  this, 
added  to  fifty  acres  which  is  comprised  in  another  farm  that  he  owns,  gives 
him  an  aggregate  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres.  He  carries  on  general 
farming  and  stock-raising  on  a  large  scale  and  with  a  satisfactory  percentage 
of  profit. 

Though  he  has  persistently  refused  to  accept  any  public  office,  he  is,  as  a 
Democrat,  interested  in  all  public"  questions  and  his  public  spirit  is  such  that  he 
is  at  all  times  ready  to  assist  to  the  extent  of  his  ability  any  movement  for  the 
general  good.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  Wren  Lodge,  No.  530,  Knights 
of  Pythias,  of  Lykens  Ohio,  has  helled  every  chair  in  that  body  and  has  been 
a  representative  of  the  order  in  th.e  grand,  lodge. 

Mr.  Geiger  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  in  Vogue  during  his  boy- 
hood and  has  many  interesting  reminiscences  of  days  spent  beneath  the  low 
roof  of  the  log  school-house.  For  some  time  after  his  father  came  into  the 
neighborhood  wild  game  was  plenty  and  at  times  wild  turkeys  roosted  on  the 
roof  of  his  cabin.  Mr.  Geiger  still  owns  two  of  the  first  set  of  chairs  in  use 
in  his  father's  house.  His  father  was  a  man  of  good  character  and  good  busi- 
ness ability  and  expert  knowledge,  and  these  qualities  constituted  the  founda- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  587 

tion  stone  upon  which  William  M.  Geiger,  our  subject,  built  the  success  which 
has  made  him  well  known  in  his  part  of  the  state. 

Air.  and  Mrs.  Geiger  have  had  four  children.  Their  daughter  Bertha  D. 
is  a  member  of  their  household.  Their  sen  Nelson  E.  was  graduated  at  the 
Ada  Commercial  College,  at  Ada,  Hardin  county,  Ohio,  and  married  Margaret 
Johnston  and  lives  on  the  old  Gingling  homestead,  a  line  farm  of  one  hundred 
acres.  Miss  Emma  Geiger  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  :  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Geiger  lost  a  son  named  Edward,  who  died  when  he  was  thirteen  years  old. 

JOHN  A.  SMITH. 

Throughout  his  entire  life  John  A.  Smith  has  resided  in  Crawford  county 
and  therefore  his  record  is  well  known  to  many  of  its  citizens,  by  whom  he  is 
regarded  as  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  his  industry,  energy  and  reliability  hav- 
ing won  for  him  the  merited  regard  of  his  fellow  men.  He  was  born  in  Jack- 
son, now  Jefferson,  township,  Jul}-  24,  1837,  his  parents  being  George  and 
Hannah  (Chisholm)  Smith.  His  paternal  great-grandfather.  John  Joseph 
Smith,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  November  8,  1736,  and  there  resided  un- 
til late  in  life,  when  he  came  to  America,  but  he  was  not  long  permitted  to  en- 
joy his  new  home,  his  death  occurring  soon  afterward,  on  the  16th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1813,  when  he  had  attained  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years  His  wife,  Mrs. 
Catherine  Smith,  was  born  August  8,  1736,  and  died  November  11,  1819. 
Their  son,  John  Joseph  Smith,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Baden, 
Germany,  July  25,  1767.  and  just  before  attaining  his  twenty-first  year  O'f 
was  married.  To  avoid  military  service  he  came  to  America  in  the  spring  )f 
1788  and  purchased  a  small  farm  in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania.  To  this  he 
added  in  later  years  until  his  landed  possessions  were  quite  extensive.  Bv  oc- 
cupation he  was  a  weaver.  PI  is  death  occurred  July  9,  1836.  He  was  an  ardent 
member  and  a  local  preacher  of  the  United  Brethren  church  and  was  a  man 
highly  respected  for  his  many  virtues. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  Janu- 
ary 10,  1803,  and  was  a  son  of  John  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (  Fisher)  Smith.  In 
his  native  county  he  was  reared  and  there  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade,  which 
he  followed  through  the  winter  months  while  in  the  summer  season  he  assisted 
in  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  his  father's  farm.  In  his  native  county 
he  married  Miss  Hannah  Chisholm,  who  was  born  in  that  count}',  September 
28,  1806.  her  parents  being  John  and  Margaret  (McBride)  Chisholm.  Her 
father  was  born  near  Glasgow,  Scotland,  while  her  mother  was  a  native  of 


588  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Perry  county,  Pennsylvania.  Three  children  were  born  unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.. 
Smith  in  Perry  count}',  and  in  the  spring  of  1836  the  family  came  to  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  the  father  entering  from  the  government  forty  acres  of  land  in. 
Jackson,  now  Jefferson  township.  He  soon  afterward  purchased  an  adjoin- 
ing tract  of  ten  acres.  All  was  wild,  his  farm  being  covered  with  a  dense 
growth  of  forest  trees,  in  the  midst  of  which  he  erected  a  log  cabin.  When  he 
had  thus  provided  shelter  for  his  family  he  at  once  began  clearing  away  the 
trees,  the  woodman's  ax  awakening  the  echos  in  the  forest.  His  labors  in  this 
direction  were  followed  by  the  track  of  the  shining  plow,  and  he  continued  the 
work  of  developing  the  fields  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  April 
23,  ICS52.  In  the  winter  months  he  also  worked  at  the  shoemaker's  trade  un- 
til about  1850.  He  was  a  Whig  in  his  political  affiliations  and  served  for  a 
number  of  years  as  township  trustee,  while  for  a  considerable  period  he  rilled 
the  office  of  a  member  of  the  school  beard  and  did  all  in  his  power  to  promote 
the  cause  of  education  in  the  community.  He  was  an  ardent  worker  and  con- 
sistent member  of  the  United  Brethren  church,  taking  a  leading  part  in  its 
work,  was  one  of  its  officers  and  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  all  charitable  and 
benevolent  purposes.  His  wife  died  in  February,  1864.  Her  many  excellent 
qualities  and  true  womanly  character  had  won  her  the  esteem  and  friendship 
of  all  with  whom  she  had  been  associated.  She  had  seven  children,  but  only 
two  are  living,  John  A.  and  George  B.,  the  latter  a  resident  of  North  Baltimore. 
Wood  county,  Ohio. 

John  A.  Smith  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  home  farm  and  in  the  com- 
mon schools  he  mastered  the  English  branches  of  learning  usually  taught  in 
such  institutions.  He  was  only  fifteen  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  father's 
death  and  three  years  later  took  charge  of  the  home  farm,  which  he  operated 
for  his  mother  until  the  spring  of  1864.  On  the  28th  of  May,  1863,  he  won 
as  a  companion  on  life's  journey  Miss  Jemima  Modderwell,  a  native  of  Liberty 
township,  Crawford  county,  who  was  born  on  the  farm  which  is  now  her  home 
and  where  she  has  resided  continuously  since  her  birth,  with  the  exception  of 
one  year.  Her  parents  were  James  W.  and  Alary  ( Peterman )  Modderwell, 
the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of  Cumberland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. With  their  respective  families  they  came  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
becoming  its  first  settlers.  In  the  spring  of  1864  Air.  Smith  removed  to  his 
father-in-law's  farm,  which  he  operated  as  a  renter  until  1875.  He  then  pur- 
chased the  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Liberty  township  and  twenty  acres  in  San- 
dusky township  and  in  later  years  he  has  added  twenty-one  acres  to  the  tract 
in  Sandusky  township.     Pie  is  diligent,  persevering  and  energetic  in  his  farm 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  589 

work  and  the  well  tilled  fields  return  to  him  abundant  harvests  for  his  labor. 
In  1864  he  purchased  a  thresher  and  for  twenty-four  consecutive  years  he  car- 
ried on  the  threshing  business  and  also  operated  a  wood-saw.  He  became  one 
of  the  expert  threshers  of  the  county  and  secured  a  very  liberal  patronage,  his 
services  being  in  demand  throughout  the  harvest  season. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  been  born  two  children:  Anna  W.,  now 
the  wife  of  J.  S.  Keller,  a  hardware  merchant  of  Sulphur  Springs;  and  Nessie 
F.  S.,  who  married  \Y.  C.  Charlton,  who  operates  her  father's  farm.  The 
parents  have  a  wide  acquaintance  in  the  county  and  the  hospitality  of  many  of 
the  best  homes  is  extended  to  them.  In  political  views  Mr.  Smith  is  a  stalwart 
Republican.  For  thirteen  consecutive  years  he  served  on  the  school  board  and 
is  at  present  acting  in  that  capacity.'  He  has  also*  served  repeatedly  as  super- 
visor and  in  1900  he  was  appointed  census  enumerator.  Fie  is  now  secretary 
of  the  Crawford  County  Pioneers'  Society,  and  is  one  of  the  most  highly  re- 
spected men  of  the  count}'.  For  more  than  sixty-three  years  he  has  resided  in 
Crawford  count}-,  and  his  memory  forms  the  connecting  link  between  the 
primitive  past  and  the  progressive  present.  Where  are  now  seen  richly  cul- 
tivated fields  once  stood  the  forest  trees  and  the  intersecting  roads  had  not 
been  laid  out.  The  pioneer  homes  were  widely  scattered  and  the  work  of  pro- 
gress and  improvement  was  in  its  primitive  condition.  He  belongs  to  that  class 
of  substantial  citizens  who  have  aided  in  the  work  of  improvement,  and  well 
does  he  deserve  mention  among  the  honored  pioneers. 


MATTHIAS  SHEIBLEY. 

Matthias  Sheibley,  who  carries  on  general  farming  in  Cranberry  town- 
ship and  has  served  as  township  trustee,  is  a  native  resident  of  Ohio,  for  his 
birth  occurred  in  Shelby.  Richland  county,  January  25,  1863,  his  parents  be- 
ing" Albert  and  Elizabeth  (Karl)  Sheibley.  Their  children  were  provided  with 
loving  care  and  attention  in  youth  and  were  afforded  good  education  privi- 
leges that  they  might  be  fitted  for  the  arduous  duties  and  the  responsibilities 
of  life.  Our  subject  acquired  his  elementary  education  in  the  district  schools, 
which  was  supplemented  by  study  in  the  high  school  of  Xew  "Washington.  He 
was  trained  to  farm  work  on  the  old  homestead  and  remained  with  his  father 
until  he  had  attained  his  majority,  when  he  started  out  upon  an  independent 
business  career.  During  the  following  year  he  was  an  employe  of  the  Craw- 
ford county  infirmary  and  in  the  succeeding  year  was  employed  by  a  Mr. 


59Q  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Gibson,  a  prominent  farmer  living  east  of  Bucyrus.  He  then  returned  to  the 
infirmary,  where  he  remained  for  two  years  and  afterward  he  was  engaged  in 
tile  ditching  and  threshing.  He  also  followed  various  other  occupations 
through  a  period  of  four  years  and  then  rented  land  of  a  Mrs.  Hamilton — a 
tract  of  sixty  acres  in  Cranberry  township.  Thereon  he  began  farming  for 
himself,  and  during  five  years  cultivated  that  land.  Mrs.  Hamilton  then  died 
and  the  farm  passed  into  the  possession  of  her  sister,  Mrs.  William  jolly,  but 
during  these  years  Mr.  Sheibley  had  displayed  business  ability  of  such  an 
order  that  he  Was  retained  to  manage  the  property,  which  he  has  since  culti- 
vated. The  farm  now  comprises  eighty-six  acres.  In  1892  he  increased 
his  responsibilities  by  taking  charge  of  his  father's  farm  of  eighty  acres,  and 
on  the  old  homestead  he  now  resides. 

On  the  10th  of  April,  1894,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Sheibley  and 
Miss  Catherine  McMahon,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  McMahon,  a  prominent 
agriculturist  of  Vernon  township.  The  young  couple  began  their  domestic 
life  in  the  old  Sheibley  residence,  where  he  had  resided  for  two  years  prior 
to  his  marriage.  Unto  them  have  been  born  three  lovely  children,  but  Frank 
J.,  the  eldest  is  now  deceased.     The  others  are  Edward  W.  and  Gertrude  E. 

Mr.  Sheibley  is  a  very  energetic  man,  indolence  and  idleness  being  utterly 
foreign  to  his  nature.  During  the  year  1896-7  he  had  the  management  of 
the  farm  belonging  to  Mrs.  Bloom,  formerly  a  portion  of  the  Volney  Powers 
farm,  and  in  1900  he  also  assumed  the  responsibility  of  cultivating  his  fa- 
ther's land,  comprising  forty  acres,  one  mile  east  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south 
of  Xew  Washington.  He  is  operating  altogether  two  hundred  and  six  acres 
of  land  and  is  one  of  the  prosperous  and  progressive  agriculturists  of  the 
community.  He  carries  on  his  work  along  advanced  lines,  basing  his  labor 
upon  scientific  principles,  close  observation  and  practical  experience.  He  is 
a  recognized  factor  in  political  circles,  being  a  leader  in  Democratic  ranks. 
In  1892  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  filling  the  office  for  three  years, 
and  in  1899  ^ie  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  board  of  township  trustees,  in 
which  capacity  he  is  now  serving  in  a  most  commendable  manner.  He  and 
his  wife  are  consistent  members  of  the  Catholic  church  and  for  four  years 
he  served  as  one  of  its  trustees.  Mrs.  Sheibley  is  a  charming  and  accom- 
plished wife,  who  presides  with  gracious  hospitality  over  their  pleasant  home. 
They  contribute  to  the  support  of  all  charitable  work  and  public  interests 
calculated  to  promote  the  general  welfare,  and  the  circle  of  their  friends  is  al- 
most co-extensive  with  the  circle  of  their  acquaintances. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  591 

NICHOLAS  SCHEERER. 

Mr.  Scheerer  was  born  in  the  village  of  Kleinbnndenbach,  county  of 
Homburg,  Rhine  province,  Bavaria,  Germany  May  7.  1825,  and  his  early 
childhood  was  spent  upon  a  farm  in  the  fatherland,  but  when  a  youth  of 
fourteen  he  'began  learning  the  carpenter's  trade,  depending  entirely  upon 
his  own  resources  for  advancement  in  life,  and  well  may  he  be  proud  oi  his 
success,  as  his  close  application  and  industry  made  him  a  good  workman,  and 
his  unaided  labor  brought  to  him  a  comfortable  competence.  He  followed 
this  pursuit  in  the  land  of  his  birth  until  1847.  when,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two,  he  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  in  America,  and  upon  a  sailing"  vessel  em- 
barked for  the  new  world.  After  fifty-two  days  spent  upon  the  water  anchor 
was  dropped  in  the  harbor  of  Xew  York  and  he  found  himself  a  stranger 
in  a  strange  country,  unfamiliar  with  the  language  and  customs  of  the  people. 
He  started  out  upon  his  new  life  with  determined  heart,  however,  resolved  to 
make  the  most  of  his  opportunities. 

Coming  to  Chatfield  township.  Crawford  county.  Air.  Scheerer  was  em- 
ployed as  a  journeyman  carpenter  for  four  years  and  then  began  contracting 
and  building  on  his  own  account,  which  pursuit  he  followed  with  good  suc- 
cess for  seven  years.  The  money  he  saved  enabled  him.  in  1853,  to  pur- 
chase sixty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  located,  giving  his  time  to  the  de- 
velopment of  his  farm  and  his  building  operations,  lie  had  cleared  aln 
the  entire  tract,  when,  in  1863,  he  removed  to  the  farm  upon  which  he  now 
resides,  and  which  has  been  his  home  for  thirty-eight  years.  Today  he 
owns  a  quarter  section  of  rich  land,  well  improved,  and  his  valuable  farm 
is  attractive  with  its  many  improvements,  including  a  line  residence,  which 
he  planned  and  erected. 

In  1850  Mr.  Scheerer  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Schaack.  who  was 
born  November  8,  1828,  in  Schmittshausen,  county  of  Zweibruecken.  Rhine 
province,  Bavaria,  Germany.  She  came  to  America  in  1849  anc^  m  I(^5°  was 
married  to  Mr.  Scheerer.  This  union  was  blessed  with  seven  children,  oi 
whom  six  are  living,  their  names  being  as  follows  :  Henry,  of  Seneca  count)- ; 
Jacob  and  John,  farmers  of  Chatfield  township.  Crawford  county:  Sarah,  the 
wife  of  Solomon  Klink,  of  Liberty  township;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Emanuel 
Pfleiderer;  and  Louisa,  the  wife  of  George  Pfleiderer,  also  of  the  same  town- 
ship.    These  are  residing  on  farms  near  Ridgeton  and  Sulphur  Springs. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scheerer  are  members  of  the  German  Reformed  church, 
and  in  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.     He  has  never  had  occasion  to  regret  his 


592  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

determination  to  make  America  his  home,  for  in  this  land,  where  ambition 
and  energy  are  not  hampered  by  caste  or  class,  he  has  worked  his  way  stead- 
ily upward  and  has  not  only  gained  prosperity,  but  has  also  made  many  warm 

friends. 

WILLIAM  H.  MILLER. 

William  II.  Miller  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  Bucyrus,  after  long 
connection  with  stock  dealing  interests,  whereby  he  won  a  handsome  com- 
petence that  now  enables  him  to  put  aside  the  more  arduous  duties  of  busi- 
ness. He  was  born  September  4.  1844.  ni  Winchester,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  Miller,  who  died  during  the  early  boyhood  of  our  subject.  The  fa- 
ther was  a  native  of  Germany  and  emigrated  to  this  country  about  1830, 
settling  at  Winchester,  Crawford  county,  about  1837.  The  mother,  Mrs. 
Catherine  Miller,  is  still  living. 

William  Henry  Miller  acquired  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  county  and  subsequently  resided  with  his  brother-in-law,  Jacob 
Yeaaglv.  whom  he  assisted  in  farm  work,  receiving  as  compensation  for  his 
sei  vices  his  board  and  clothing.  He  was  thus  employed  until  about  seven- 
teen or  eighteen  years  of  age.  after  which  he  worked  for  Ephraim  Monnett 
and  G.  H.  Wright.  He  afterward  entered  the  service  of  William  Kinear, 
with  whom  he  remained  until  February,  1864,  when  he  responded  to  the 
country's  call  for  aid,  enlisting  as  a  member  of  Company  E,  Thirty-fourth 
Ohio  Mounted  Infantry.  He  was  then  only  nineteen  years  of  age.  His 
command  was  known  as  Captain  Shaw's  Company,  and  after  the  promotion 
of  Captain  Shaw,  Captain  Helwig  was  in  charge.  Mr.  Miller  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Lynchburg  and  of  Staunton  and  in  the  movement  in  western 
Virginia.  He  was  wounded  on  the  24th  ^X  July,  at  the  battle  of  Winchester, 
being  shot  through  the  hips.  He  was  then  taken  from  the  field  by  two  com- 
rades, being  supported  by  placing  his  arms  around  their  necks,  and  in  this 
way  he  was  dragged  along  until  late  in  the  evening,  when  he  was  placed 
on  a  horse  and  rode  until  about  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  He  was  then 
put  in  an  ambulance,  in  which  he  remained  until  the  next  afternoon,  when  he 
was  transferred  to  a  freight  car  with  mam-  other  wounded  comrades  and 
thus  taken  to  Sandy  Hook,  Maryland,  where  his  wounds  were  dressed  in 
the  field  hospital.  He  there  remained  for  several  days,  and  he  and  his  com- 
rades were  again  placed  in  box  cars  and  sent  to  Baltimore.  While  in  the 
hospital  in  that  city  gangrene  set  in  and  he  also  suffered  from  fever.     Many 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  593 

of  his  comrades  died  of  flesh  wounds,  from  the  effects  of  gangrene  and  blood 
poisoning,  but  the  best  possible  care  and 'attention  was  given  the  wounded 
soldiers.  From  Baltimore  Mr.  Miller  was  afterward  transferred  to  Chestnut 
Hill,  Philadelphia,  where  he  remained  until  the  surrender  of  General  Lee, 
when  he  received  an  honorable  discharge  and  returned  to  Bucyrus. 

Here  Mr.  Miller  worked  at  various  employments  for  a  time,  after  which 
he  returned  to  the  service  of  Mr.  Monnett.  After  a  time  he  was  married 
and  began  farming  upon  rented  land  in  Marion  county,  Ohio,  which  he  op< 
erated  on  the  shares,  continuing  to  make  that  place  his  home  for  five  years. 
He  then  rented  a  farm  in  Crawford  county,  of  Robert  Kerr,  giving  part  cash 
for  the  use  of  the  land,  and  paying  the  remainder  of  the  rental  in  farm  prod- 
ucts. In  a  few  years  he  was  able  to  rent  the  entire  farm  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  for  which  he  gave  fifteen  hundred  dollars  a  year.  He  then  began 
dealing  in  stock-buying,  feeding  and  selling  cattle,  and  for  about  thirteen 
years  he  remained  upon  the  Kerr  farm.  He  then  purchased  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  south  of  Bucyrus,  for  which  he  paid  nine  thou- 
sand dollars.  After  a  year  or  two  there  passed  he  engaged  in  buying  and 
shipping  stock,  in  partnership  with  Samuel  Shriber.  After  leaving  the  farm 
he  continued  in  that  business  for  three  years.  He  rented  the  place  and  took 
up  his  abode  in  Bucyrus,  however,  continuing  the  stock  business  until  the 
spring  of  1900,  when  he  retired  to  private  life.  In  1887  he  purchased  of 
Charles  Raymer  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  for  the  sum  of  three  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  and  in  1896  he  purchased  another  tract  of  eighty 
acres  on  the  east,  known  as  the  Morris  farm,  for  which  he  gave  thirty-four 
hundred  dollars.  His  business  affairs  as  a  stock  dealer  were  prosecuted  so 
diligently  and  managed  with  such  keen  discrimination  that  he  was  annually 
enabled  to  add  to  his  income  and  is  now  the  possessor  of  a  handsome  com- 
petence. 

In  August,  1866,  Mr.  Miller  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lucinda 
Weirick,  a  daughter  of  Aaron  and  Margaret  Weirick.  Her  father  was  born 
in  Weiricktown,  Pennsylvania,  June  6,  1814,  and  about  1834  emigrated  to 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  where  he  purchased  and  operated  a  farm.  His  wife 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Margaret  A.  Clark,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Archi- 
bald and  Ann  Clark.  Her  birth  occurred  April  5,  1819.  The  mother  of 
Mrs.  Weirick's  paternal  grandmother  lived  to  the  very  advanced  age  of  one 
hundred  and  three  years.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  been  born  four 
daughters  and  a  son,  namely:  Josephine,  born  April  29,  1867,  Ellamina, 
born  March  6,   1869;  Margaret,  born  February  6,    1871,   and  died  on  the 


594  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

same  clay;  Florence,  born  February  u,  1872;  and  Sanford  Aaron,  who  was 
born  April  22,  1874,  and  died  August  9,  1882.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  Bucyrus,  contributes  liberally 
to  its  support  and  is  deeply  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  its  upbuilding 
and  advancement. 

GEORGE  WECHTER. 

George  Wechter  was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Xew  York,  October  1, 
1829.  and  is  to-day  one  of  the  wide-awake  and  progressive  farmers  of  Cran- 
berry township,  Crawford  county.  He  is  the  eldest  child  of  George  and 
Frances  (  Hertrich )  Wechter,  and  the  family  is  of  French  lineage.  His  fa- 
ther was  born  in  France,  in  1806,  and  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  after 
which  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world,  making  the  voyage  in  1828. 
He  was  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  one  child.  Locating  in  Rochester,  New 
York,  he  there  followed  various  occupations  until  he  had  acquired  a  few 
hundred  dollars,  when  he  purchased  a  small  place  of  seven  acres  near  the 
city,  residing  thereon  until  1853,  when  he  came  to  Ohio.  Here  he  purchased 
eight}-  acres  of  land  in  Chatfield  township,  Crawford  county,  and  success- 
fully carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  for  some  time,  when  he  sold  that  prop- 
erty and  bought  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Cranberry  township,  upoon  which 
his  son  Frank  now  resides.  Throughout  his  remaining  days  he  carried  on 
farming,  his  life's  labors  being  ended  in  death  in  1884.  His  study  of  Ameri- 
can politics  led  to  his  support  of  Democratic  principles.  In  religious  faith  he 
was  a  Catholic,  and  in  the  community  where  he  took  up  his  abode  he  was 
well  known  and  highly  respected  for  his  possession  of  many  sterling  char- 
acteristics. His  children  were  George;  Alar)'  A.,  the  wife  of  Peter  Miller,  of 
Grand  Rapids,  Michigan;  Jacob,  of  Allen  county,  Indiana;  Joseph,  a  florist  of 
Rochester,  New  York;  and  Franklin,  who  is  living  in  Cranberry  township. 

George  Wechter  had  the  usual  experiences  of  farmer  boys  in  youth,  en- 
joying the  pleasures  of  the  play-ground,  attending  to  the  duties  of  the  school- 
room and  assisting  in  the  work  of  the  home  farm.  In  1850  he  was  united  i-i 
wedlock  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Brinderman,  of  Rochester,  New  York,  but  a  native 
of  Prussia,  having  come  to  the  United  States  with  her  parents  when  a  young 
lady  of  eighteen  years.  Mr.  Wechter  and  his  bride  began  their  domestic 
life  in  the  suburbs  of  Rochester  and  during  the  four  succeeding  years  he 
was  employed  in  a  nursery  or  along  other  lines  of  labor  that  would  yield 
him  an   honest   living.      Thinking  to  better   his   financial   condition    further 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  595 

west,  he  came  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  in  1854,  and  was  employed  as  a 
farm  hand  in  Cranberry  township  until  i860,  when,  with  the  capital  he  had 
acquired  through  his  industry  and  economy,  he  purchased  his  present  home 
place,  comprising  twenty-six  and  three-fourths  acres.  It  has  been  his  residence 
for  forty-one  years,  and  his  labors  have  been  given  to  its  cultivation  and  im- 
provement. 

On  the  1  st  of  October,  1862,  Air.  Wechter  was  drafted  into  the  service 
of  his  country,  and  leaving  his  wife  to  care  for  the  family  of  five  children  in 
their  forest  home,  he  shouldered  his  musket  and  started  with  his  comrades 
for  the  front.  He  was  mustered  in  as  a  member  of  Company  F.  Sixty-fourth 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to>  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland,  under  General  Rosecrans,  and  was  stationed  for  some  time  at 
Bowling  Green,  Kentucky,  and  at  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee.  The  troops 
were  also  ordered  to  Chattanooga,  but  the  order  was  countermanded.  They 
reached  Stone  River  three  days  after  the  battle  at  that  point,  and  after  doing- 
guard  duty  at  the  places  mentioned  Mr.  Wechter  was  mustered  out  of  the 
service  at  Hillsboro,  Tennessee,  on  the  1st  of  August,  1863.  He  then  re- 
turned to  his  family  and  resumed  the  responsibilities  and  burden  of  their  sup- 
port, having  since  devoted  his  attention  assiduously  to  farm  work. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wechter  have  been  born  five  children :  George  and 
David,  who  are  residents  of  Cranberry  township;  Jacob,  who  operates  the 
home  place ;  Agnes,  the  wife  of  Peter  Maas,  a  resident  farmer  of  Cranberry 
township;  and  Mar}",  deceased.  The  family  hold  membership  in  the  Cath- 
olic church,  and  in  his  political  views  Mr.  Wechter  is  a  Democrat,  but  has 
never  sought  or  desired  the  emoluments  of  public  office,  his  time  being  fully 
occupied  by  his  business  duties. 

BERNARD  YOUNG. 

Bernard  Young-  owns  and  operates  one  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Cran- 
berry township  and  the  well  developed  farm  gives  every  evidence  of  the 
careful  supervision  of  an  owner  at  once  practical  and  progressive.  He  was 
born  on  the  1st  of  January,  1S55,  in  Crawford  county,  his  parents  being  Peter 
and  Mary  (Stein)  Young.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Alsace,  France,  now 
a  part  of  Germany.  His  birth  occurred  in  181 5  and  when  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world  with  his  parents.  His 
father  was  Louis  Young,  who  came  to  this  country  in  1833  and  on  his  ar- 
rival here  took  up  his  abode  in  Crawford  county  and  entered  land  in  both 


596  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Auburn  and  Cranberry  townships,  the  former  then  a  part  of  Richland  county. 
Subsequently  he  became  an  extensive  land  owner,  his  poossessions  aggregat- 
ing several  hundred  acres.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  he  returned  to  the 
fatherland  on  a  visit  and  while  there  was  taken  ill  and  died. 

Peter  Young,  the  father  of  our  subject,  lived  with  his  parents  until  his 
marriage,  which  occurred  in  1839,  Miss  Mary  Stein  becoming  his  wife.  He 
then  located  on  a  tract  of  land  in  Auburn  township,  belonging  to  his  father, 
and  then  cultivated  the  same  on  the  shares  for  a  number  of  years.  Later  he 
acquired  a  farm  of  his  own,  where  his  son  Bernard  now  resides.  It  then 
comprised  two  hundred  acres,  and  upon  the  place  he  remained  until  called  to 
the  home  beyond.  In  1865  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
two  acres  on  the  corporation  line  of  New  Washington,  now  owned  by 
Thomas  Nedolus.  In  his  political  views  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat.  For 
some  years  he  served  as  trustee  of  Cranberry  township,  called  to  that  office 
by  the  vote  of  his  neighbors,  who  recognized  his  worth  and  ability.  Of  the 
Catholic  church  he  is  an  ardent  and  zealous  member  and  through  a  long  period 
served  as  church  trustee  and  in  other  ecclesiastical  offices.  His  wife  was 
born  in  Lutering,  Alsace,  about  1819,  and  made  the  journey  across  the  At- 
lantic about  the  time  of  the  emigration  of  the  Young  family,  taking  up  their 
abode  in  that  portion  of  Crawford  county  which  was  then  included  in  Rich- 
land county.  Her  death  occurred  in  the  year  1886.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  but  only  four  are  now  living,  namely  :  Cath- 
erine, wife  of  Bernard  Alt,  of  Auburn  township;  Margaret,  who  is  engaged 
in  teaching  school  in  Buffalo,  Xew  York;  Barbara,  who  resides  in  Putnam 
•county,  Ohio;  and  Bernard,  of  this  review. 

At  the  usual  age  our  subject  entered  the  school-room  and  therein  mas- 
tered the  principles  of  English  learning.  He  was  married  June  24,  1884,  to 
Miss  Catherine  Kastner,  a  native  of  Crawford  count}'  and  a  daughter  of 
Andrew  and  Cecelia  (Horning)  Kastner,  both  natives  of  Baden,  Germany. 
In  early  manhood  the  father  came  to  the  United  States  and  the  mother  was 
brought  to  America  by  her  parents  when  a  little  maiden  of  only  three  years. 
Both  became  residents  of  Crawford  county.  Unto  our  subject  and  his  wife 
were  born  four  children:     Charles,  Frank,  Cecelia  and  Joseph. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  began  their  domestic  life  on  the  farm  where  they 
yet  reside,  our  subject  there  owning  one  hundred  acres  of  land,  which  had 
been  given  him  by  his  father.  The  place  is  divided  into  fields  of  convenient 
size  by  well-kept  fences.  The  cereals  best  adapted  to  the  climate  are  raised, 
the  buildings  are  kept  in  good  repair  and  the  farm  in  all  its  appointments  is 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  S97 

modern  and  well  improved.  Mr.  Young  votes  with  the  Democracy  and  in 
religious  belief  is  a  Catholic.  He  now  serves  as  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
church  and  contributes  in  large  measure  to  the  promotion  of  the  cause.  His 
entire  life  has  been  passed  in  Crawford  county  and  the  fact  that  many  of 
his  best  friends  are  numbered  among  those  who  have  known  him  from  boy- 
hood, is  an  indication  of  an  honorable  career. 

J.  P.  SHEEHAND. 

J.  P.  Sheehand,  who  is  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Crawford  county 
and  for  many  years  was  a  well-known  railroad  engineer,  was  born  on  a  canal 
boat  near  Cincinnati,  November  20,  1834,  his  parents  being  William  and 
Mary  (  Patten)  Sheehand.  Plis  father  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  on  coming 
to  this  country  became  a  canal  boat  captain  on  the  Dayton  &  Pickaway  canal. 
His  wife  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  is  now  living,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years,  in  Loudonville,  Ashland  county,  Ohio.  This  worthy  couple  be- 
came the  parents  of  nine  children,  but  only  three  are  now  living,  namely: 
William  P.,  who  is  a  passenger  conductor  on  the  St.  Louis  &  Alton  Railroad; 
Margaret,  the  wife  of  John  Davis,  of  Loudonville,  Ohio;  and  J.  P.,  of  this 
review. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  of  the  surviving  children.  His  parents  re- 
moved to  Ashland  county,  locating  on  a  farm,  where  he  was  reared,  early 
becoming  familiar  with  the  duties  and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agri- 
culturist. In  his  youth  he  attended  the  district  schools  of  the  neighborhood 
and  afterward  began  working  on  the  railroad,  driving  a  cart  at  the  time 
of  the  building  of  the  Pennsylvania  road  through  Ashland  county.  He  was 
afterward  employed  on  a  construction  train,  carrying  water  and  oiling  cars. 
His  next  service  was  in  the  capacity  of  brakeman.  He  worked  in  that  way 
on  the  first  local  freight  train  on  the  Pennsylvania  road,  running  between 
Crestline  and  Alliance,  Ohio,  and  for  three  years  he  acted  in  that  capacity, 
after  which  he  was  employed  as  fireman  for  two  years  and  eight  months  on 
the  same  line.  He 'was  next  promoted  to  the  position  of  engineer  and  for 
thirty-eight  vears  he  acted  in  that  capacity  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad, 
running  most  of  the  time  between  Crestline  and  Alliance.  For  eighteen  years 
he  was  passenger  engineer  on  one  of  the  fast  trains.  He  is  the  oldest  em- 
ploye of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  at  this  place,  being  continuously  in  their 
service  since  1S53,  during  which  time  he  was  never  suspended  from  duty. 
He  has,  however,  suffered  from  injuries  from  railroad  wrecks,,  having  at  one 


593  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

time  been  incapacitated  for  work  for  three  months.  The  company,  however, 
recognize  him  as  a  most  careful  expert  and  reliable  engineer,  and  no  higher 
testimonial  of  faithful  service  can  be  given  than  the  statement  of  the  fact  of 
his  long  continuance  with  one  occupation. 

In  the  year  1856,  Mr.  Sheehand  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sidna 
Van  Gill,  and  unto  them  have  been  born  four  children  who  are  yet  living, 
namely:  Frank,  who  is  a  passenger  engineer  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad; 
William  L.,  a  master  mechanic  at  Massillon,  Ohio;  Clyde,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  telephone  business  in  Crestline ;  and  Laura,  the  wife  of  W.  K.  Scott,  of 
Galion.  Mr.  Sheehand  belongs  to  the  Masonic  lodge  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Crestline,  and  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  place, 
having  long  been  identified  with  its  interests,  and  his  co-operation  is  heartily 
given  to  every  movement  and  measure  for  the  general  good.  He  has  a  very 
wide  acquaintance  here,  the  circle  constantly  increasing  with  the  passing-  years 
and  the  number  of  his  friends  is  almost  co-extensive  with  the  number  of  his 
acquaintances. 

JACOB  J.  PFLEIDERER. 

Prominently  identified  with  the  farming  and  stock  interests  of  Craw- 
ford county  is  Jacob  J.  Pfleiderer,  a  resident  of  Liberty  township.  The  birth 
of  Mr.  Pfleiderer  was  in  this  township,  on  August  4,  i860,  and  he  was  the 
son  of  David  and  Mary  (Heckenlively)   Pfleiderer. 

In  1 83 1  the  grandparents  of  Jacob  J.  Pfleiderer,  who  were  Christian  and 
Barbara  (Auberly)  Pfleiderer,  emigrated  from  their  native  country,  Ger- 
many, to  America,  and  stopped  for  a  few  months  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio, 
en  route  to  Crawford  county,  arriving  in  the  latter  in  the  spring  of  1831. 
Christian  Pfleiderer  located  on  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Liberty 
township,  which  at  that  time  was  still  virgin  forest.  After  entering  this  tract 
of  land  from  the  government.  Christian  here  built  a  pioneer  cabin  of  logs,  a 
part  of  which  still  stands.  Those  were  busy  clays,  but  gradually  the  land 
was  cleared  and  from  time  to  time  other  tracts  were  added  to  it,  until  finally 
it  became  one  of  the  largest,  as  well  as  the  best,  farms  in  Crawford  county. 

David  Pfleiderer,  the  son  of  Christian  and  Barbara  Pfleiderer,  came  to 
this  countrv  and  to  this  county  with  his  parents  when  they  emigrated  from 
Germany.  He  grew  to  manhood  here  and  on  November  13,  1842,  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Heckenlively,  of  Chatfield  township.  She  was 
born  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  on  September  15,  1826,  and  was  a  daugh- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  599 

ter  of  John  and  Margaret  (Lefler)  Heckenlively,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  the  same  vessel, 
and  were  married  in  Baltimore  three  weeks  after  landing,  and  went  then 
to  Columbiana  comity,  Ohio.  In  1832.  with  friends,  they  went  to  Phillips- 
bnrg,  Ohio,  where  they  remained  some  eighteen  months,  and  in  1833  they 
emigrated  to  Crawford  county,  where  the  grandfather  entered  eighty  acres 
of  land  in  Chatfield  township,  a  mile  west  of  the  town  of  Chatfield,  built  a  log 
cabin  in  the  big  woods,  and  began  the  clearing  of  the  land.  Here  he  lived  until 
about  1843.  His  first  wife  died  in  1839,  and  in  1843  ne  married  a  second  time 
and  removed  to  Liberty  township.  After  coming  to  Crawford  county  he  began 
his  gospel  ministry,  in  the  English  Lutheran  church,  and  for  several  years 
traveled  in  Iowa  as  one  of  its  efficient  missionaries.  To  the  marriage  of 
David  and  Mary  Prleiderer  fourteen  children  were  born,  and  eleven  of  these 
still  survive,  viz.  :  Magdalena,  the  wife  of  Christian  Harmon,  of  Warsaw, 
Indiana;  Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  Gottleib  Lindharth,  of  Liberty  township;  Ab- 
raham, of  Kosciusko  county,  Indiana;  Margaret,  at  home;  Barbara,  the  wife 
of  Reuben  Crall,  of  Liberty  township;  Lvdia,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Ulmer,  who 
conducts  a  sawmill  at  Sulphur  Springs ;  Isaac,  of  Liberty  township ;  Jacob, 
of  this  sketch,  a  twin  brother  of  Isaac;  Leonora,  the  wife  of  Jacob  Ulmer,  of 
Liberty  township;  Caroline,  the  wife  of  S.  Light,  of  Liberty  township;  and 
Clara,  the  wife  of  Henry  Sheiber,  of  Liberty  township. 

After  marriage  Mr.  Prleiderer  located  on  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  ad- 
joining the  home  place  and  still  later,  when  given  the  opportunity,  pur- 
chased the  home  farm  from  the  other  heirs,  and  thus  became  one  of  the  large 
landholders  of  the  county.  He  took  an  intelligent  interest  in  public  affairs  and 
was  particularly  prominent  in  the  Evangelical  church,  where  for  twenty-five 
years  he  did  all  he  could  to  advance  the  cause  of  religion.  He  was  very 
liberal  and  assisted  in  the  building"  of  two  churches  and  was  a  man  who  pos- 
sessed the  confidence  and  esteem  of  every  member  of  the  community.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1898,  he  was  stricken  with  paralysis  of  the  left  side,  this  affliction 
causing  him  to1  grow  very  nervous,  and  the  end  came  on  January  17,  1901, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years,  one  month  and  fifteen  days.  His  widow 
survives  and  resides  on  the  old  homestead. 

Jacob  J.  Prleiderer  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  obtained  his 
education  in  the  common  schools.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  began  the 
business  of  buying  and  selling  stock  and  was  very  successful  in  this  line. 
On  December  11,  1883,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  A.  Cham- 
bers, who  was  a  native  of  this  township,  having  been  born  on  the  farm  which 


600  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

adjoins  her  home.  Her  parents  were  William  and  Elizabeth  (Heller)  Cham- 
bers, the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Crawford  county.  His  father, 
Elias  Chambers,  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Crawford  county,  while  his' 
mother,  Elizabeth  Heller,  was  a  native  of  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
had  been  brought  to  Crawford  county  when  but  seven  years  of  age,  by  her 
parents,  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Hay)  Heller.  To  our  subject  and  wife  six 
children  have  been  born:  V.  Blanche,  Elgar  J.,  Florence  E.,  Mary  Elizabeth, 
Ernest  Merl  and  Lois  M.  The  three  eldest  of  these  children  have  displayed 
unusual  intelligence  and  have  passed  the  Boxwell  examination,  and  all  are 
being-  thoroughly  educated  and  give  ever}'  promise  of  becoming  an  honor  to 
their  estimable  parents,  as  well  as  useful  citizens  of  Crawford  count)'. 

The  first  year  following  our  subject's  marriage  he  spent  in  farming  on 
the  home  farm  and  then  rented  a  farm  belonging  to  his  wife's  grandfather, 
which  was  located  across  the  road  from  his  present  farm,  and  in  1890  he 
purchased  it,  the  tract  containing  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres.  Here  the 
family  resided  until  1895,  when  Mr.  Pfleiderer  bought  forty  acres  of  the 
farm  he  now  occupies  and  removed  to  it.  across  the  road,  and  rented  his  large 
farm  to  a  tenant.  In  1899  he  purchased  an  additional  ten  acres,  which  was 
adjoining  land,  and  now  this  home  place  consists  of  fifty  acres  and  is  one 
of  the  most  attractive  places  in  the  vicinity.  In  1900  he  rebuilt  the  family 
residence,  introducing  all  modern  improvements,  and  he  now  possesses  an 
ideal  country  home.  Since  1893  he  has  done  little  farming,  having  then 
sold  his  agricultural  implements,  and  now  devotes  his  time  to  the  buying  and 
shipping  of  stock,  and  is  known  as  one  of  the  most  successful  dealers  through 
the  state. 

Mr.  Pfleiderer  has  been  a  life-long  Democrat  and  has  been  very  active 
in  party  affairs.  From  1893  to  1899  he  served  most  efficiently  in  the  office 
of  township  trustee  and  has  exerted  considerable  influence  in  this  section. 
Both  he  and  wife  are  leading-  members  of  the  Evangelical  church. 


HENRY  N.  OBERLANDER. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  is  mentioned  above  and  who  is  a  well-known 
farmer  of  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is  descended  from  old 
and  honorable  trans-Atlantic  stock,  which  was  transplanted  to  one  of  our 
eastern  colonies,  whence  his  father,  Emanuel  Oberlander,  emigrated  to  Ohio 
at  a  period  early  enough  to  be  counted  among  the  pioneers  of  this  great  state. 


T/dc^t/^^ 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  603 

All  those  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  all  those  characteristics  which  make 
for  personal  success  and  good  citizenship,  have  been  conspicuous  in  nearly 
every  generation  of  his  family. 

Henry  N.  Oberlander  is  a  native  of  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county, 
and  was  born  on  the  14th  day  of  March,  1863.  He  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  such  crude  public  schools  near  his  home  as  were  in  vogue  at  that 
time  and  was  earl}-  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  practical  farming.  Accord- 
ing to  his  father  what  was  his  father's  due,  he  remained  with  him,  assisting" 
him  in  every  wTay  possible,  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old,  then  with  willing" 
hands  and  active  brain  and  a  clean  record  he  took  up  the  battle  of  life  on  his 
own  account.  He  began  his  independent  business  career  by  renting  the  farm 
which  he  now  owns,  which  became  his  by  purchase  in  1895.  The  farm  con- 
sists of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  well  improved  and  very  productive 
land,  in  connection  with  which  for  the  past  ten  years  he  has  cultivated  the 
Shalter  farm.  He  has  made  many  improvements  on  his  place  and  gives  his  at- 
tention to  general  farming,  in  which  he  has  been  satisfactorily  successful. 
Air.  Oberlander  also  owns  and  operates  the  grain,  elevator  at  Lykens,  and  in 
partnership  with  G.  B.  Ouaintance  owns  and  operates  a  grain  elevator  at 
Ridgeton,  Ohio. 

Jul)-  10,  1884,  Air.  Oberlander  married  Lily  M.  Dillinger,  a  daughter 
of  David  Dillinger,  deceased,  and  they  have  two  children,  named  AVynona- 
and  Chalmers,  who  are  now  gaining  an  education.  The  daughter  is  especially 
promising,  having  obtained  ;i  teacher's  license  at  the  age  of  fifteen. 

Politically  Mr.  Oberlander  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party  and  he 
exerts  a  not  uncertain  influence  on  local  affairs.  AYhile  he  has  never  been 
an  office  seeker,  a  considerable  number  of  responsible  offices  have  sought  him 
and  in  the  interests  of  good  government  he  has  accepted  them.  He  has  twice 
filled  the  office  of  assessor  in  his  township,  and  for  five  years  has  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education.  During  this  time  he  has  done  everything* 
in  his  power  to  improve  the  efficiency  of  the  schools,  and  in  the  fall  of  1900 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  count}'  commissioner,  which  he  is  filling  with  great 
ability  and  credit.  It  may  be  said  of  him  that  he  is  a  man  of  pronounced 
public  spirit,  and  his  admiring  fellow  citizens  bear  testimony  to  the  fact  that 
he  may  safely  be  depended  upon  to  advance  to  the  extent  of  his  ability  any 
movement,  which  in  his  good  judgment  promises  to  benefit  the  people  of  his 
township  or  county.  He  is  a  member  of  Lykens  Lodge,  No.  530,  Knights  <  >f 
Pythias. 

33 


6o4  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

JOHN  PFLEIDERER, 

Prominent  among"  the  public-spirited,  progressive  and  successful  farmers 
of  Liberty  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is  John  Prleiderer,  one  of  the 
most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  this  locality.  He  is  a  product  of  this  town- 
ship, born  here  on  November  14,  1833,  a  son  of  Christian  and  Barbara 
Prleiderer,  who  were  natives  of  Germany  and  became  early  settlers  in  this 
part  of  the  state.  Seven  children  were  born  to  these  worthy  pioneer  parents, 
the  three  survivors  being  Christian,  of  this  township;  John,  of  this  biography, 
and  Daniel,  also  of  this  township. 

John  Prleiderer  grew  up  in  his  father's  house,  a  sturdy,  healthy  lad, 
noted  for  his  strength  and  manliness,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  was  able 
to  take  his  place  with  the  grown  laborers  in  the  harvest  held.  He  has  seen 
the  wonderful  changes  which  have  taken  place  in  Liberty  township,  as  his 
>ervices  were  required  to  assist  in  the  clearing  of  the  fertile  fields  he  now 
owns  of  the  virgin  forest  growth.  AYell  he  remembers  the  hardships  of  those 
early  days  and  recalls  many  interesting  events  of  men  and  localities  of 
which  the  world  never  tires  of  hearing,  because  of  the  prominence  the  Buck- 
eye state  has  so  long  held  in  public  regard. 

After  the  marriage  of  his  brother  David,  young  John  went  to  make  his 
home  with  him,  as  he  was  his  guardian,  and  worked  for  him  until  his  mar- 
riage, on  June  16,  1859,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Kafer,  a  native  of  Liberty  town- 
ship, and  a  daughter  of  Frederick  Kafer,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  was  an 
early  settler  of  the  county.  Previous  to  his  marriage  he  had  made  prepara- 
tions for  it  by  purchasing  sixty  acres  of  land,  which  is  included  in  his  present 
farm.  In  later  years,  as  prosperity  smiled  upon  him,  on  acount  of  his  per- 
severing efforts,  he  gradually  added  until  he  now  owns  one  hundred  and 
sixty-one  and  one-halt  acres  in  the  home  place,  and  also  owns  a  most  de- 
sirable tract  of  eighty  acres,  located  one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Sulphur 
Springs,  and  also  a  section  of  land  in  Texas,  which  promises  to  be  very 
valuable. 

The  eight  surviving  children  of  Mr.  and  Airs.  Prleiderer  are:  Franklin, 
Samuel,  and  Emanuel,  of  this  township;  Joseph,  the  farmer  on  the  home  place; 
Lizzie,  the  wife  of  George  Abendroth,  of  this  township;  Amanda,  the  wife  \i 
Louis  Witter,  of  Bucyrus ;  and  Emma  and  Ida,  at  home. 

Air.  Prleiderer  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  farmers  of  this  localitv. 
His  investments  are  undertaken  with  good  judgment  and  are  universally  re- 
munerative, while  aside  from  his  personal  matters  he  is  interested  in  any- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  605 

thing  which  promises  to  be  of  benefit  to  the  locality.  In  politics  he  has  al- 
ways been  a  Democrat.  For  the  past  fourteen  years  he  has  faithfully  served 
in  the  offices  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  contributes  to  it  largely,  ever  being 
ready  to  promote  its  charitable  and  benevolent  enterprises. 

JOHN  GORDON. 

The  farming  interests  of  Bucyrus  township  are  in  the  hands  of  capable 
agriculturists,  and  one  of  these,  who  has  shown  a  thorough  understanding  of 
the  principles  of  modern  farming,  is  John  Gordon,  a  native  of  South  Wales, 
born  there,  in  county  of  Glamorgan,  on  March  3,  1849,  being  the  only  repre- 
sentative of  his  family  in  America.  The  parents  of  Air.  Gordon  were  Thomas 
and  Catherine  (Morris)  Gordon,  and  they  reared  a  family  of  seven  children: 
Mary,  Thomas,  Eliza,  John,  Ann.  Richard  and  George,  Ann  and  Richard  hav- 
ing passed  away.  Both  parents  have  also  passed  out  oi  life,  while  the  others  of 
the  family  still  reside  in  the  old  home  in  South  Wales. 

John  Gordon  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  received  a  common- 
school  education,  remaining  at  home  until  he  attained  his  majority,  although 
lie  had  long  cherished  a  desire  to  see  the  country  across  the  Atlantic.  On 
the  20th  day  of  May,  1870,  he  set  sail  for  America,  landing  at  Ouebec,  Can- 
ada, from  which  point  he  took  a  train  to  Toronto,  a  schoolmate  living  in  that 
city.  Later  he  made  his  way  to  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  where  he  secured 
lucrative  employment  on  a  dairy  farm,  and  remained  there  for  three  years, 
in  the  employ  of  Xoble  Thompson.  During  the  year  1874  he  worked  in  the 
Pennsylvania  oil  regions,  and  then  another  year  for  Mr.  Thompson,  leaving 
him  when  Air.  Thompson  sold  his  farm,  but  later  again  returned  to  this  kind 
employer  when  he  resided  in  Painesville. 

It  was  during  his  association  witli  Mr.  Thompson  that  he  had  the  good 
fortune  of  meeting"  the  lady  who  later  became  his  wife.  She  was  the  amiable 
daughter  of  Henry  Flock,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Bucyrus  township,  a  vis- 
itor in  the  home  of  Mr.  Thompson.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  Gordon  to  Miss 
Callie  F.  Flock  took  place  February  24,  1875,  following-  which  was  their  re- 
moval to  Crewford  county,  where  the  home  has  ever  since  remained.  For  two 
vears  Mr.  Gordon  remained  with  his  father-in-law  and  then  bought  land  in 
Todd  township,  where  he  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  acres  of  land.  In 
1888  Mr.  Gordon  returned  to  the  farm  of  his  father-in-law,  where  he  now  re- 
sides, the  former,  who  lives  retired,  enjoying  the  care  of  his  children  and  grand- 
children .    The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gordon  were  :    Florence,  Luella, 


606  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Henry,  Elva,  Alice  and  Letty,  of  whom  Lnella,  Henry,  and  Alice  survive.  Mr.. 
Gordon  enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  neighborhood  in  the  highest  de- 
gree, and  is  known  as  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  progressive  farmers  of 
the  township. 

Henry  Flock,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Gordon,  is  the  eldest  son  of  Stephen  and 
Catherine  Flock,  and  was  born  in  the  Rhine  province  of  Bavaria,  Germany, 
December  14,  181 5,  and  there  was  thoroughly  educated.  While  still  a  youth 
he  went  to  work  in  order  to  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  family,  but 
then  wages  were  very  low  and  many  days  he  worked  for  twenty  cents  a  day. 
In  the  localitv  of  his  home  wood  was  scarce  and  it  was  necessary  for  him  to 
haul  fuel,  or  fagots,  a  distance  of  almost  ten  miles,  on  a  wheelbarrow ;  con- 
sequently  the  stoves  were  seldom  very  hot.  The  lawr  did  not  permit  the  peas- 
ants to  cut  green  timber,  and  their  way  of  obtaining  fuel  was  to  break  off  the 
dead  limbs,  it  frequently  being  necessary  for  them  to  climb  the  trees  in  order 
to  secure  these  branches.  Upon  one  occasion  young'  Henry  became  so  be- 
numbed with  the  cold,  while  in  a  tree,  that  he  almost  fell  to  the  ground,  and 
this,  with  other  severe  trials,  led  him  to  a  determination  to  try  his  fortune  in 
America. 

When  he  became  of  military  age  he  was  too  short  to  enter  the  service, 
and  the  officials  put  him  back  one  year,  expecting  him  to  grow,  but  he  failed 
to  do  so,  and  thus  was  rejected  altogether.  Although  his  inclinations  were 
toward  matrimony,  circumstances  were  not  promising,  in  Bavaria,  and  in  1839 
he  put  into  practice  his  resolve  to  leave  the  fatherland.  Settling  in  Bucyrus, 
Ohio,  he  worked  in  a  hotel  for  Abraham  Halm,  remaining  with  him  three 
years,  receiving  for  his  services  seven  dollars  and  fifty  cents  per  month,  and 
during  this  period,  although  sick  for  six  months,  he  managed  to  savfe  one 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  dollars.  Of  this  amount  he  sent  forty-five  dollars 
to  (  iermany  to  pay  the  passage  of  Miss  Catherine  Slicker  to  America.  Some 
two  years  later  she  reached  the  United  States,  and  upon  her  arrival  in  Bucyrus 
she  and   Mr.   Flock  were  married. 

After  severing  his  business  connection  with  Mr.  Hahn,  Mr.  Flock  worked 
for  three  years  for  other  parties,  keeping  continually  bus}-,  finally  entering  the 
employ  of  Dr.  Willis  Merriman,  where  he  remained  as  a  faithful  clerk  for 
seven  years.  In  March,  1853,  he  removed  to  Wyandot  and  formed  a  part- 
nership with  James  H.  Reinicker  in  the  mercantile  business,  and  later  Mr. 
Flock  bought  his  partner's  interest  and  continued  the  business  until  1870,. 
when  he  transferred  it  to  his  son.  While  residing  in  Wyandot,  Mr.  Flock- 
served  the  village  as  postmaster  for  seven  years,  and  while  a  clerk  for  Dr. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  607 

Merriman  he  was  made  treasurer  of  Bucyrus  corporation,  possessing  the  es- 
teem and  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens.  In  1870  he  located  on  his  present 
farm. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Flock  was  on  September  22,  1842,  to  Cath- 
erine Slicker,  born  January  20,  1820,  in  Bavaria,  who  emigrated  to  America 
with  the  family  of  Peter  Geiger.  These  children  were  born  of  this  marriage : 
Mary,  who  married  William  Welsh;  Daniel;  Kate,  who  married  Peter  Bair ; 
Louisa,  who  married  John  B.  Welsh;  Caroline,  who  married  John  Gordon. 
The  mother  died  October  11,  1862,  and  the  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Flock 
was  on  November  6,  1864,  to  Mary  Jane  Clark,  who  was  a  teacher  in  the 
schools  of  Bucyrus  for  several  years.  Her  death  occurred  January  25,  1875. 
On  October  11,  1877,  occurred  his  marriage  to  Lena  Hooker,  who  also  passed 
away,  his  last  wife  having  been  Mary  Stoll,  who  died  in  1901. 

When  but  thirteen  years  of  age,  Mr.  Flock  united  with  the  Evangelical 
church,  in  Germany.  When  he  settled  in  Bucyrus,  he  joined  the  German 
Lutheran  church,  and  later  in  life  the  English  Lutheran  church. 

ELI  MILLER. 

A  thoroughly  representative  citizen  and  successful  farmer  of  Holmes 
township,  Crawford  county,  is  Eli  Miller,  who  was  born  in  Richland  county, 
Ohio,  on  March  13,  1850,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Louisa  (Hacker)  Miller,  and 
belonged  to  a  family  of  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living,  viz. :  Eli,  of 
this  biography;  John  S.,  residing  on  a  part  of  the  home  farm;  Ceno  P.,  resid- 
ing with  his  mother  on  the  home  place;  Alva  M.,  of  Putnam  county;  Josiah, 
of  Putnam  county;  Joseph  F.,  of  Wyandot  county;  Barbara,  the  wife  of 
George  Grau,  of  Whitley  county,  Indiana;  Dora,  the  wife  of  Frank  Much- 
ling,  of  Putnam  county ;  and  Ellen,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Nickler,  of  Liberty 
township.  The  parents  of  Mr.  Miller  were  married  in  1848,  and  they  then 
located  in  Crawford  county,  purchasing  the  eighty  acres  of  land  which  now 
is  included  in  the  Miller  home,  and  as  prosperity  came  the  father  purchased 
much  more  land,  eighty  acres  lying  to  the  north  of  his  farm,  eighty  on  the 
south  and  fifty  a  short  distance  east,  making  a  large  estate  of  two  hundred 
and  ninety  acres  in  all.  The  father  died  January  28,  1897,  and  there  passed 
away  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Holmes  township. 

Eli  Miller,  a  worthy  descendant  of  most  excellent  parents,  was  carefully 
reared  by  them  through  childhood,  and  attended  the  common  schools.  He 
was  taught  to  be  industrious  and  honest  and  those  lessons  have  never  been 


6o8  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

forgotten.  On  February  20.  1873,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Spalir, 
a  native  of  this  township,  a  (laughter  of  George  A.  Spahr  (a  sketch  of  whom  ap- 
pears in  another  part  of  this  volume),  one  of  the  prominent  farmers  of  this 
county.  Following  his  marriage,  Mr.  Miller  purchased  fifty  acres  of  land 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  home  farm,  but  finding  the  payments  too  heavy  for  a 
beginner  he  sold  the  property  to  his  father  and  rented  land  until  the  spring' 
of  1888,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  home  farm,  which  he  had  acquired  in 
the  fall  of  1883.  Here  Mr.  Miller  has  given  his  attention  most  successfully 
to  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  becoming,  as  the  years  have  passed, 
one  of  the  reliable  and  substantial  farmers  of  Holmes  township. 

Five  children  came  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller,  the  survivors  being:  Elmer 
M.,  Dennis  E.,  Harvey  L.,  and  Alfred  E.,  Clarence  J.  being  the  name  of  the 
little  son  that  passed  early  out  of  life.  With  the  exception  of  Dennis,  who  is 
engaged  in  teaming  in  Bucyrus,  these  manly,  intelligent  sons  still  remain  under 
the  parental  roof.  In  politics  Mr.  Miller  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  taken  a 
great  interest  in  public  affairs.  For  the  past  seven  years  he  has  been  a  trustee 
in  the  United  Brethren  church,  of  which  he  has  long  been  a  worthy  member 
and  to  which  his  contributions  are  most  substantial.  Holmes  township  is  for- 
tunate in  having  among  its  citizens  such  honest,  energetic  and  progressive  men 
as  Eli  Miller. 

ORWIN  B.  MOXXETT. 

Agriculture  forms  the  basis  of  all  commercial  and  industrial  prosperity. 
It  is  the  corner  stone  of  the  business  structure  and  has  led  to  the  upbuilding* 
of  many  nations.  The  rich  and  fertile  lands  of  Ohio  have  become  the  place  of 
residence  for  a  prosperous  and  contented  people  who  have  established  a  com- 
mi  inwealth  of  which  they  have  every  reason  to  be  proud.  Among  the  success- 
ful agriculturists  and  stock-raisers  now  identified  with  the  interests  of  Crawford 
county  is  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  review  and  who1  was  born 
on  one  of  the  old  and  valuable  farms  of  this  portion  of  the  state — the  Monnett 
homestead,  in  Bucyrus  township.  The  date  of  his  birth  was  September  29, 
1850.  His  father,  the  Rev.  T.  J.  Monnett,  was  a  Methodist  minister,  and,  in 
accordance  with  the  laws  of  that  denomination,  he  was  removed  from  one 
pastorate  to  another,  so  that  our  subject  spent  his  youth  in  various  places,  in- 
cluding Fostoria,  Kenton  and  Upper  Sandusky.  When  he  was  ten  years  of 
age  his  father  retired  from  the  ministry  and  the  family  took  up  their  abode  on 
the  old  homestead  in  Bucyrus  township  where    his   birth    had    occurred  and 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  609 

where  he  remained  until  nineteen  years  of  age.  In  the  fall  of  1869  he  was 
sent  to  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  at  Delaware,  there  to  supplement  his 
preliminary  scholastic  training  with  more  advanced  education.  After  a  year, 
however,  his  health  failed  him  and  he  had  to  abandon  the  course.  He  next, 
took  a  course  in  J.  W.  Sharp's  Commercial  School,  at  Delaware,  and  was  grad- 
uated with  the  highest  honors  of  his  class.  He  then  became  bookkeeper  E<  ir 
the  Bucyrus  Woolen  Mill  Company,  and  after  a  year  spent  in  that  position  he 
became  a  partner  in  a  grocery  store,  the  connection  being  maintained  for  a 
little  more  than  two  years. 

Mr.  Monnett  then  returned  to  the  farm,  lint  in  a  short  time  became  an 
employe  of  the  American  Express  Company  and  assistant  ticket  agent  for  the 
Big-Four  Railroad  Company  at  Gabon,  which  service  continued  for  about  seven 
months.  In  1876  he  returned  to  the  farm  and  was  engaged  in  its  cultivation 
until  1882,  when  he  removed  to  Bucyrus,  where  he  rilled  the  position  of  super- 
intendent for  the  Bucyrus  Gas  Light  &  Fuel  Company  for  four  and  a  half 
years.  His  father  was  interested  in  the  company,  and  when  he  sold  out  Mr. 
Monnett,  of  this  review,  again  resumed  farming  on  the  old  home  place,  where 
he  has  since  remained,  being  ranked  among  the  leading  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers  of  the  county.  He  has  been  especiallv  interested  in  sheep-growing  for 
a  number  of  years,  and  keeps  on  hand  several  hundred  head  of  sheep.  He  has 
four  hundred  acres  of  rich  land,  divided  into  Highly  cultivated  fields  and  rich 
meadows,  and  the  work  carried  on  within  the  boundaries  of  his  farm  brings 
a  good  financial  return. 

In  1877  Mr.  Monnett  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Annie  Hoffman, 
a  daughter  of  Charles  F.  Hoffman,  who  many  years  ago  was  a  well-known 
business  man  of  Bucyrus,  and  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  Houston,  Texas. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Monnett  have  been  born  two  children,  Ethel  and  Bessie, 
both  of  whom  are  at  home.  The  family  attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Monnett  are  members.  He  has  taken  quite  an 
active  interest  in  politics  as  an  advocate  of  the  Republican  party,  and  was  its 
candidate  for  county  treasurer  in  1899.  He  made  a  good  race,  running  ahead 
of  the  state  ticket,  but  as  his  party  is  in  the  minority  in  the  county  he  was  de- 
feated. He  was  the  candidate  for  county  sheriff  in  1901.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Republican  executive  committee  of  Crawford  county,  and  belongs  to  tho 
Farmers'  Institute.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been  a  correspondent  for 
the  home  papers  and  for  the  Ohio  State  Journal,  also'  the  Pittsburg  National 
Stockman  and  Farmers'  Journal.  Under  the  nom  de  plume  of  Tim  Frinx 
he  has  written  much  of  a  humorous  character  for  the  Forum.     His  articles  are 


610  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

entertaining,  fluently  written  and  many  of  them  are  of  great  value,  especially 
those  pertaining  to  agricultural  and  stock-raising  subjects,  for  his  wide  experi- 
ence in  these  departments  of  labor  and  his  excellent  success  have  made  his 
.opinions  worthy  of  adoption'.  Well  known  in  his  native  county  as  a  citizen  of 
worth,  as  a  reliable  business  man,  as  a  trustworthy  friend  and  as  a  considerate 
husband  and  father,  these  qualities  have  gaijied  him  admiration  and  esteem. 


JOHN    HOFFMANN. 

Nature  has  certainly  intended  that  the  last  years  of  man  shall  be  spent  in 
retirement.  He  loses  the  vigor  and  strength  of  former  years,  and  the  fitting 
crown  of  an  active  career  is  rest  from  labor.  This  has  been  vouchsafed  to  Mr. 
Hoffmann  as  the  reward  of  a  busy  and  useful  life.  He  was  born  in  Hesse- 
Darmstadt,  Germany,  September  13,  1842.  His  father,  Andrew  Hoffmann, 
was  a  native  of  the  same  locality,  and  the  grandfather  was  born,  lived  and  died 
in  that  portion  of  Germany.  Andrew  Hoffmann  was  born  in  1817,  and  in 
1854  came  to  America,  bringing  with  him  his  family.  He  had  married  Mar- 
garet Schaeffer,  also  a  native  of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  born  in  the  year  1822. 
They  became  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  six  are  yet  living: 
Adam,  who  married  Lovina  Coyer  and  is  now  deceased;  George,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  resides  in  California;  John,  of  this  review;  Andrew,  who  married 
Carry  Kauaram ;  Margaret,  now  the  widow  of  David  Blum ;  Catherine,  wife  of 
John  Mathias ;  Elizabeth,  the  widow  of  John  Esinger;  and  six  who  died  in 
infancy.  The  mother  of  this  family  passed  away  in  1893.  Jonn  Hoffmann 
pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Germany  for  five  years  and  then  ac- 
companied his  parents  on  their  emigration  to  America  when  a  lad  of  eleven 
summers.  His  father  died  the  second  day  after  they  arrived  in  Ohio.  The 
family  made  their  way  direct  to  Crestline  and  John  continued  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  this  city  for  a  short  time,  but  soon  began  to  earn  his  own 
livelihood,  working  at  any  employment  which  would  yield  to  him  an  honest 
living.  Later,  however,  he  began  learning  the  shoemaker's  trade,  which  he 
followed  for  two  years,  and  subsequently  learned  the  baker's  trade.  He  was 
then  engaged  in  the  baking  and  grocerv  business  in  Crestline  for  thirty-three 
years,  one  of  the  oldest  merchants  in  years  of  continuous  connection  with  com- 
mercial circles  in  the  city.  He  had  a  well-conducted  establishment,  supplied 
with  everything  in  his  line,  and  his  trade  was  a  large  and  profitable  one.  Thus 
year  In-  year  he  increased  his  income,  for  his  moderate  prices,  honorable  deal- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  6n 

ing  and  earnest  desire  to  please  his  patrons  enabled  him  to  have  a  liberal  pat- 
ronage. 

Air.  Hoffmann  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Johanna  Frank,  who  was 
born  in  Germany,  May  24,  1844,  and  in  early  life  came  to  the  United  States 
with  her  parents,  first  locating  in  Erie,  Pennsylvania.  Her  father,  George 
Frank,  was  born  in  Germany,  in  1804,  and  in  1845  bade  adieu  to  the  father- 
land, crossing  the  briny  deep  to  the  new  world.  He  afterward  became  a 
farmer  in  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  where  he  died  about  1875.  His  wife  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Margaret  Heigle,  and  she,  too,  was  born  in  Germany. 
After  the  death  of  her  husband  she  came  to  Crawford  county,  where  her  re- 
maining days  were  passed.  Mrs.  Hoffmann  accompanied  her  parents  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  and  thence  came  to  Crawford  county. 
The  marriage  of  our  subject  and  his  wife  was  celebrated  in  Morrow  county 
and  has  been  blessed  with  six  children,  but  the  first  two,  Matilda  and  Emma, 
are  now  deceased,  and  Charles,  the  fourth  member  of  the  family,  has  also 
passed  away.  The  others  are:  Elizabeth;  Anna,  the  wife  of  A.  Fabor ;  and 
Frances.  Mr.  Hoffmann  gives  his  political  support  to  the  Democracy,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  German  Reformed  church.  Entering  upon  his  business  career 
at  a  very  early  age,  with  no  friends  or  influence  to  aid  him,  he  has  advanced 
steadily  through  the  strength  of  his  own  merit  and  as  the  result  of  close  appli- 
cation and  untiring  industry.  Such  a  career  should  serve  as  a  source  of  in- 
spiration to  others  to  whom  fate  seems  unkind.  Success  can  always  be  gained 
by  determined  purpose  and  honorable  dealing  when  guided  by  sound  judg- 
ment, and  it  is  such  qualities  that  won  for  Mr.  Hoffmann  his  place  among  the 
representative  men  and  leading  merchants  of  Crestline.  Although  he  is  not 
yet  sixty  years  of  age,  he  has  a  competence  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  live  with- 
out further  labor  and  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil. 

FRANK  P.   WARNER. 

,' 

One  of  the  public-spirited  and  progressive  citizens  of  Crawford  county, 
Ohio,  who  is  prominent  in  his  locality  both  in  political  and  religious  circles,  is 
Frank  Warner,  who  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  on  October 
8.  1852,  and  was  a  son  of  John  and  Rebecca  J-  (French)  Warner,  who  had 
six  children,  four  of  whom  survive,  these  being  as  follows :  William,  a  resi- 
dent of  Hicksville,  Defiance  county ;  Julia,  the  widow  of  J.  H.  Fry,  of  Sul- 
phur Springs,  this  state;  Frank,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Thomas  J., 
a  resident  of  this  township. 


612  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

John  Warner,  the  father  of  our  subject  and  one  of  the  most  highly  es- 
teemed citizens  of  Liberty  township,  was  born  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania, 
on  June  9,  18 17,  and  was  a  son  of  Charles  and  Catherine  (Boblets)  Warner, 
who.  with  their  family,  removed  from  their  native  state  and  settled  in  Harrison 
county,  Ohio,  where  they  remained  nine  years,  removing  at  the  end  of  that 
time  to  Vernon  township,  Crawford  county,  where  John  has  since  resided. 
John  Warner  assisted  his  father  in  clearing  up  his  land  and  learned  the  car- 
penter trade.  Soon  after  beginning  business  for  himself  his  shop  was  burned 
and  he  lost  all  of  his  tools,  but  he  soon  earned  more,  and  in  the  course  of  time 
accumulated  a  considerable  fortune,  owning  two  farms,  comprising  in  the 
aggregate  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat 
and  for  some  sixteen  or  eighteen  years  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace 
and  also  served  his  township  in  other  positions.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  for  a  long  period  was  an  official 
member.  His  death  occurred  on  September  17,  1896,  when  he  had  reached 
his  eightieth  year,  passing  away  with  the  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens  and 
lamented  by  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Cumberland,  Maryland,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Judge  French,  who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  county.  Mrs. 
Warner  died  in  1S92,  one  of  the  most  esteemed  residents  of  Vernon  township, 
where  she  was  beloved  for  her  many  acts  of  neighborly  kindness. 

Frank  P.  Warner,  who-  is  the  subject  of  this  biography,  was  reared  at  his 
paternal  home  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  common  schools,  where  he 
was  an  apt  and  ambitious  student.  By  his  marriage,  on  December  24,  1874, 
to  Miss  Isabelle  Maxwell,  he  became  connected  with  one  of  the  prominent 
families  of  Defiance  county,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Warner  was  a  daughter  of  William 
R.  Maxwell,  who  occupied  a  number  of  important  positions  in  his  county, 
where  for  twenty-four  years  he  was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  during  which  time 
he  performed  eighty-four  marriage  ceremonies.  For  eight  years  Mr.  Max- 
well was  county,  commissioner,  and  regret  was  expressed  very  universally 
throughout  Defiance  county  on  the  occasion  of  his  death,  in  1899,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-seven  years. 

After  marriage  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  established  their  home 
on  the  farm,  where  Mr.  Warner  engaged  in  farming  on  shares  for  a  time.  At 
the  death  of  his  father  a  portion  of  the  estate  came  into  his  possession,  by  will, 
and  later  he  purchased  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs,  and  is  now  the  owner 
of  the  whole  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  acres,  this  land  having  been  earned 
by  his  father  by  work  at  his  trade  of  carpenter  during  his  earlier  years.     It  is 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  613. 

a  very  valuable  and  highly  improved  property  and  makes  one  of  the  most  agree- 
able homes  in  the  township.  The  one  son  born  to  our  subject  and  wife, 
Charles  Ray,  was  reared  and  educated  in  this  locality  and  later  married  Miss 
Maud  Weaver,  and  now  the  hospitable  old  home  roof  shelters  the  two  families, 
the  son  assisting  his  father  in  the  management  of  the  property. 

Mr.  Warner  comes  of  a  Democratic  family  and  is  a  stanch  supporter  of 
Democratic  men  and  measures.  Like  his  father,  he  has  long  been  a  leading 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  belonging  to  the  church  council,  while  fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  Tiro  Lodge,  No.  592,  K.  of  P.,  and  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  best  farmers  of  Vernon  township. 

PHILIP  BENDER. 

Honored  and  respected  by  all,  there  is  no  man  in  Crawford  county  who 
occupies  a  more  enviable  position  in  business  circles  than  Philip  Bender,  who 
for  many  years  has  devoted  his  energies  to>  the  tilling  of  the  soil  and  to  the 
raising  of  a  high  grade  of  stock.  A  native  of  Richland  county,  Ohio,  his 
birth  occurred  on  the  5th  of  April,  1857,  a  son  of  Jacob  Bender,  also  of  this 
county.  Our  subject  received  his  education  in  the  primitive  schools  of  his 
locality,  and  on  his  father's  farm  he  was  early  inured  to  the  work  of  field  and 
meadow.  In  1881,  in  company  with  his  brother  John,  he  assumed  the  man- 
agement of  the  homestead  farm,  which  they  continued  for  about  ten  years. 
On  the  1 8th  of  December,  1891,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza- 
beth May,  a  daughter  of  Lewis  May,  of  Vernon  township.  For  one  year  after 
his  marriage  our  subject  continued  farming  the  old  home  farm  in  partnership 
with  his  brother,  although  he  maintained  his  residence  in  Tiro.  In  March,  1893, 
he  removed  to  the  farm  which  he  now  owns  and  occupies,  he  and  his  father 
purchasing  of  William  Hanley  one  hundred  and  sixteen  acres,  our  subject  lie- 
coming  the  owner  if  forty-six  acres,  while  his  father  took  possession  of 
the  remaining  seventy  acres  Subsequently  Mr.  Bender  purchased  his 
father's  interest  in  the  tract,  thus  becoming  the  owner  of  the  entire  one  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  acres.  In  1900  he  rebuilt  his  barn,  and  has  improved  his 
place  in  many  other  ways  until  it  is  now  one  of  the  valuable  and  attractive 
homesteads  of  the  township.  In  addition  to  the  raising  of  the  cereals  best 
adapted  to-  this  soil  and  climate  he  is  also>  extensively  engaged  in  the  breeding 
of  Aberdeen  cattle,  and  in  both  branches  of  his  business  he  has  met  with  a  high 
and  well-merited  degree  of  success. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bender  has  been  brightened  and  blessed  by  the 


■6 1 4  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

presence  of  two  children, — Carrie  M.  and  Clarence  T.  The  family  is  one  of 
prominence  in  their  locality,  and  are  attendants  and  liberal  supporters  of  the 
Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Bender  gives  his  political  support  to  the  Democratic 
party.  He  is  an  energetic  business  man  of  marked  ability,  a  progressive  citi- 
zen and  justly  popular  in  his  wide  circle  of  acquaintances. 

WILLIAM  S.  TUTTLE. 

Wherever  they  have  found  residence  in  the  United  States,  Canadians  have 
been  model  citizens,  and  their  descendants  have  followed  in  their  footsteps. 
Prominent  among  Canadians  who  have  settled  in  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  was 
the  late  Alvin  F.  Tuttle,  whose  son,  William  S.  Tuttle,  is  a  well-known  farmer 
of  Texas  township. 

Alvin  F.  Tuttle  was  born  near  Elizabethtown,  Canada.  May  26,  1818, 
and  was  reared  to  manhood  there.  In  1839  he  settled  in  Lykens  township, 
Crawford  county,  Ohio.  In  1841  he  was  joined  by  his  parents,  and  they 
bought  eighty  acres  of  land  where  John  Tuttle  now  lives.  Later  Alvin  F. 
Tuttle  removed  to  Texas  township  and  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  where  nis 
son,  William  S.  Tuttle,  now  resides.  He  added  to  his  original  purchase  until 
he  owned  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  which  he  cleared  and  improved  until 
it  was  a  valuable  agricultural  property.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  from 
the  organization  of  that  party  until  his  death,  and  took  much  interest  in  town- 
ship affairs,  serving  his  fellow  citizens  as  township  clerk  and  filling  the  office 
of  assessor  of  taxes  for  more  than  fifteen  years.  He  was  for  more  than  sixty 
years  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  devout  in  his  worship, 
regular  in  his  attendance  at  stated  services  and  generous  in  his  contributions 
toward  the  supportof  its  material  interests.  When  he  came  to  the  county 
he  began  his  career  in  a  log  cabin  which  he  erected  in  the  wilderness.  The 
woods  were  alive  with  game  of  all  kinds  and  the  Indians  were  frequent  visitors 
at  his  humble  abode.  He  was  married  October  1,  1844,  to  Eliza  Thompson, 
who  died  May  26,  1893.  He  died  May  26,  1901,  and  they  are  buried  in 
Poplar  cemetery  near  their  old  home.  They  had  five  children,  the  following- 
information  concerning  four  of  whom  will  be  found  interesting:  Norsicy  A. 
died  in  infancy;  George  T.  lives  at  Bucyrus,  Ohio;  V.  O.,  who  was  a  butcher, 
died  in  Nevada;  and  Dow  J.  is  a  merchant  at  Sycamore,  Ohio. 

William  S.  Tuttle,  youngest  child  of  Alvin  F.  and  Eliza  (Thompson) 
Tuttle,  was  born  on  the  farm  in  Texas  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio-,  on 
which  he  now  lives,  September  17,  1856.     He  was  reared  to  farm  labor  and 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  615 

educated  in  the  district  school.  He  farmed  in  association  with  his  father  until 
the  latter's  death,  and  is  one  of  the  most  successful  general  farmers  in  the 
township.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  his  father's  old  homestead.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  he  has  held  the  office  of  trustee  of  Texas  township  for 
five  years.  He  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  is  widely  known  as  a  popular, 
enterprising  and  public-spirited  man.  January  1,  1880,  he  married  Miss  Jen- 
nie Dunlap. 

JOSEPH  M.  SHELL. 

A  brilliant  example  of  a  self-made  American  citizen  and  a  grand  exempli- 
fication of  the  progress  that  an  ambitious  foreigner  can  make  in  this  country 
of  unbounded  opportunities  is  shown  in  the  case  of  Joseph  M.  Shell,  one  of  the 
leading  Austrian-American  residents  of  Ohio.  His  singular  success  is  due 
to  his  own  energy  and  the  high  ideal  which  his  lofty  and  laudable  ambition 
placed  before  him.  Success  in  any  walk  of  life  is  an  indication  of  earnest 
endeavor  and  persevering  effort, — characteristics  that  Mr.  Shell  possesses  in. 
an  eminent  degree. 

He  was  born  in  Austria,  on  the  17th  of  September,  1845,  an<3  ms  parents, 
Joseph  and  Catherine  (  Lautner)  Shell,  were  also  natives  of  the  same  country. 
The  father  was  born  in  1824  and  was  a  son  of  Frank  Shell,  a  potter  by  trade.. 
He,  too,  learned  the  potter's  trade  and  followed  that  occupation  in  the  town  of 
Staab.  In  1872  he  came  to  America,  locating  in  Venice  township.  Seneca 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  purchased  a  small  tract  of  land  of  twenty-six  and  two- 
thirds  acres  and  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  engaging  in  that  pursuit  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  1st  of  April,  1877.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  and  died  in  that  faith.  His  wife,  who  was 
born  in  1825,  was  a  daughter  of  John  Lautner,  also  a  potter  by  trade,  and  her 
death  occurred  in  the  year  1896.  This  worthy  couple  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  but  only  four  are  now  living,  namely:  Joseph  M. ;  Barbara, 
wife  of  Wend  Muhr.  a  resident  farmer  of  Cranberry  township;  Amelia,  wife 
of  Andrew  Schott,  an  agriculturist  of  Chatfield  township;  and  Charlie,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  a  tract  of  land  in  Huron  county,  Ohio. 

In  the  schools  of  his  native  land  Joseph  M.  Shell  pursued  a  thorough  edu- 
cation in  the  German  tongue,  and  after  coming  to  America  he  was  through 
one  winter  a  student  in  the  English  school  near  his  home.  He  .also  attended 
night  school,  and  thus  became  a  well-informed  man,  whose  knowledge  is  con- 
tinually being  supplemented  by  reading,  experience  and  observation.     In  early 


616  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

manhood  he  entered  his  father's  pottery  and  mastered  the  business.  Believing 
that  better  opportunities  were  afforded  for  advancement  in  the  new  world,  he 
bade  adieu  to  home  and  friends  in  1865  and  sailed  for  the  United  States,  land- 
ing in  New  York  City  on  the  12th  of  November,  after  a  voyage  of  forty-nine 
days  on  the  sailing  vessel  Louis  Henry.  The  day  after  his  arrival  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Cleveland,  where  he  arrived  with  a  cash  capital  of  only  two  dollars, 
and  of  this  sum  he  paid  one  dollar  and  fifty-six  cents  for  a  comfort.  For  two 
years  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  that  city  and  then  went  to  Shenandoah,  Rich- 
land county,  where  he  engaged  in  the  pottery  business  for  a  year.  It  was  dur- 
ing his  residence  there  that  he  supplemented  his  education  by  one  term's  attend- 
ance in  the  district  school.  In  the  spring  of  1868  he  came  to  New  Washington, 
Crawford  county,  erected  a  residence  and  a  shop  and  embarked  in  the  pottery 
business  on  his  own  account.  But  the  new  enterprise  did  not  prove  profitable, 
and  after  a  year  he  closed  his  shop  and  secured  a  situation  in  connection  with 
the  building  of  the  Mansfield,  Coldwater  &  Lake  Michigan  Railroad,  which 
was  then  being  constructed  through  New  Washington.  He  was  employed  in 
that  capacity  for  about  a  year  and  also  worked  in  a  water  house.  Later  he 
followed  any  labor  that  would  yield  him  a  living,  and  in  the  fall  of  1874.  hav- 
ing through  his  diligence,  perseverance  and  economy  acquired  some  capital, 
he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  one  mile  west  of  his  present  home.  In  the 
following  spring  he  removed  to  his  farm,  which  was  partially  cleared,  and  with 
characteristic  energy  began  its  further  development  and  improvement,  trans- 
forming it  into  a  comfortable  home  and  richly  cultivated  fields.  He  soon  re- 
modeled the  house  and  in  1881  lie  built  a  bank  barn.  Two  years  later  he  sold 
the  property  for  one  hundred  and  ten  dollars  per  acre,  and  through  the  suc- 
ceeding year  he  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  a  farm  belonging  to  his  brother- 
in-law.  Mr.  Muhr.  In  1884  he  purchased  his  present  property,  comprising  a 
tract  of  eighty  acres  in  Cranberry  township,  and  has  to-day  one  of  the  most 
attractive  and  desirable  farms  in  the  county.  His  life  has  been  one  of  marked 
industry  and  enterprise,  and  upon  this  sure  foundation  he  has  builded  the  super- 
structure of  his  success. 

Mr.  Shell  was  married  November  12,  1868,  to  Miss  Catherine  Kreim,  a 
native  of  the  same  town  in  which  occurred  the  birth  of  her  husband.  She 
was  brought  to  America  by  her  parents  when  only  four  years  of  age,  and  by 
her  marriage  she  has  become  the  mother  of  ten  children,  of  whom  seven  are 
yet  living,  namely :  Rosa,  the  wife  of  Edward  Alt,  of  New  Washington ; 
Edward,  who  is  a  graduate  and  now  a  teacher  in  the  Catholic  school  of  North 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  617 

Auburn;  Mary,  the  wife  of  George  Uhl,  of  Cranberry  township;  Katharina, 
Amelia,  Frank  and  Leon,  all  of  whom  are  still  with  their  parents. 

Careful  consideration  of  the  political  issues  and  questions  of  the  day  has 
led  Mr.  Shell  to  identify  himself  with  the  Democracy,  and  upon  that  ticket  in 
1887  he  was  elected  township  trustee,  in  which  position  he  served  for  six 
years.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  election  board  of  Cranberry  township  for 
nine  years,  and  during  the  greater  part  of  that  period  served  as  presiding  judge 
of  the  board.  In  1900  he  was  elected  land  appraiser  of  the  township  and 
filled  the  office  of  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  several  years.  In  every 
political  position  in  which  he  has  been  called  to  serve  he  has  discharged  his 
duties  with  promptness  and  reliability,  displaying  marked  loyalty  to  the 
trusts  reposed  in  him.  He  is  a  zealous  member  of  the  Catholic  church  and 
was  one  of  the  liberal  contributors  toward  the  erection  of  its  house  of  worship 
in  New  Washington.  He  came  to  America  a  poor  young  man,  empty-handed, 
yet  with  strong  will  and  determined  purpose,  and  these  stood  him  in  stead  of 
fortune.  They  served  as  a  starting  point  on  the  highway  of  prosperity,  and 
steadilv  has  he  advanced,  gaining  as  the  result  of  his  energetic  labors  a  favor- 
able and  well-merited  confidence. 

WESLEY  GRUBB. 

Among  the  respected,  well-known  and  popular  residents  of  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  is  Wesley  Grubb,  who  owns  a  fine  farm  in  Todd  township,  but 
who  for  the  past  sixteen  years  has  been  engaged  in  the  blacksmithing  business 
in  this  locality.  The  birth  of  Air.  Grubb  was  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, on  September  5,  1845,  and  ne  was  a  son  nt  John  and  Margaret  (Em- 
minger)  Grubb,  who  reared  a  family  of  eight  children;  four  oC. these  still 
survive,  namely:  Catherine,  who  is  Mrs.  Russell,  of  Wichita,  Kansas;  Agnes, 
who  is  Mrs.  James  Cordell,  of  Boone,  Iowa  ;  Alary,  who  is  Airs.  Luther  Alinich, 
of  Paola,  Kansas;  and  Wesley,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  biography. 

John  Grubb  was  born  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  June, 
1813,  and  grew  up  on  the  farm,  married  and  rented  land  until  1854,  at  which 
time  he  emigrated  to  Ohio,  with  his  family,  coming  first  to  Richland  county 
and  spending  a  short  time  in  Mansfield.  After  looking  over  the  countrv  he 
found  a  tract  of  land  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  located  on 
the  Ashland  road,  which  suited  his  fancy,  and  this  he  bought,  and  it  remained 
the  family  home  until  1859,  when  he  sold  it  and  came  to  Crawford  county, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty-three  acres  east  of  Osceola,  in  Todd  town- 


618  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

ship.  However,  in  1864,  as  his  two  sons  had  left  home,  one  going  to  Iowa  and 
our  subject  entering  the  army,  Mr.  Grubb  rented  his  farm  and  removed  into 
Osceola  and  was  engaged  there  for  several  years  in  the  sawmill  and  mercantile 
business.  In  1887  he  removed  to  Kansas  and  has  since  that  time  made  his 
home  with  his  daughter  Alary.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  nee  Margaret 
Emminger,  died  when  her  children  were  grown,  and  Mr.  Grubb  was  later 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emily  Poole,  there  being  no  issue  from  this  mar- 
riage, and  she  has  been  dead  for  the  past  fifteen  years.  Mr.  Grubb  is  now 
in  his  eighty-ninth  year  and  is  still  in  possession  of  all  of  his  faculties,  still 
takes  and  active  and  intelligent  interest  in  the  doings  of  the  Republican  party 
and  is  revered  in  the  Methodist  church,  in  which  his  membership  has  covered 
more  than  fifty  years. 

Wesley  Grubb,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  biography,  was  the  youngest  of 
his  parents'  children,  and  he  received  a  good  common-school  education.  He 
was  but  eighteen  years  old  when  he  offered  his  services  to  his  country,  enlist- 
ing in  Company  A,  Twelfth  Ohio  Cavalry,  on  October  2$,  1863,  as  a  private, 
and  one  year  later  he  was  made  an  officer,  although  still  so  youthful.  He 
continued  in  the  service  until  the  expiration  of  his  enlistment,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  on  November  14,  1865,  after  taking  part  in  some  of  the  most  serious 
engagements  of  the  Civil  war,  these  being:  Mt.  Sterling,  Kentucky;  Marion, 
Virginia ;  Cynthiana,  Kentucky ;  Salt  Works,  Virginia ;  Salisbury,  North  Car- 
olina ;  and  various  minor  engagements. 

After  his  return  from  the  army  Mr.  Grubb  went  to  work  for  his  father 
in  the  sawmill,  later  for  Judd  &  Decker,  in  the  Osceola  gristmill,  but  after  his 
marriage  he  located  on  a  farm,  managing  his  father's  property  for  two  years. 
His  wife  then  inherited  the  farm  upon  which  our  subject  now  resides  from  her 
father's  estate,  and  upon  this  property  our  subject  erected  a  handsome  resi- 
dence, which  has  been  the  family  home  ever  since,  although  Mr.  Grubb  does 
not  actively  engage  in  farming.  He  has  a  predisposition  for  working  in  iron, 
and  although  he  never  served  an  apprenticeship  he  has  conducted  a  very  suc- 
cessful smithy  for  the  past  sixteen  years,  his  work  comparing  favorably  with 
that  of  those  who  learned  the  trade  in  the  old  style. 

In  1868  our  subject  was  married  to  Miss  Rhoda  A.  Williams,  who  was 
born  in  Ashland  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Reason  Williams,  who  was  a 
member  of  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Ohio*  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  gave  his  life  for  his  country.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Grubbs, — Emmett,  deceased,  and  Ethel,  at  home.  Mrs.  Grubbs  died 
October  11,  1901.  v 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  619 

Mr.  Grubb  is  an  ardent  Republican  and  possesses  considerable  influence 
in  public  affairs,  but  is  no  seeker  after  official  favor.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
Mason  and  is  connected  with  Nevada  Lodge,  No.  343,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which 
he  served  as  worshipful  master  for  live  years,  and  with  Leith  Post,  ( \.  A.  R., 
of  Nevada,  Ohio,  holding  the  offices  of  past  commander,  quartermaster  and 
adjutant,  and  is  aide-de-camp  of  the  Department  of  Ohio,  G.  A.  R.,  at  the 
present  time.  Rhoda,  wife  of  Wesley,  died  October  11,  1901.  Air.  Grubb 
is  one  of  the  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  this  county,  and  enjoys  the  friendship 
and  respect  of  all  who  have  come  into  fellowship  with  him.  He  was  a  brave 
soldier,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  a  useful  citizen,  upholding  the  laws 
and  exerting  an  influence  through  his  locality  in  favor  of  all  measures  looking 
to  the  material  interests  of  his  county,  township,  neighborhood  and  home. 


ISAAC  SNAVELY. 

Isaac  Snavelv  has  resided  in  Ohio  for  more  than  half  a  century  and  is 
a  representative  of  one  of  the  honored  pioneer  families.  People  of  the  present 
end-of-the-century  period  can  scarcely  realize  the  struggles  and  dangers  which 
attended  the  early  settlers,  the  heroism  and  self-sacrifice  of  lives  passed  upon 
the  borders  of  civilization,  the  hardships  endured,  the  difficulties  overcome. 
These  tales  of  the  early  days  read  almost  like  a  romance  to-  those  who  have 
known  only  the  modern  prosperity  and  conveniences.  To  the  pioneer  of  the 
early  days,  far  removed  from  the  privileges  and  conveniences  of  city  or  town. 
the  struggle  for  existence  was  a  stern  and  hard  one,  and  these  men  and  women 
must  have  possessed  indomitable  energies  and  sterling  worth  of  character,  as 
well  as  marked  physical  courage,  when  they  thus  voluntarily  selected  such  a 
life  and  successfully  fought  its  battles  under  such  circumstances  as  prevailed^ 
in  the  northwest.  The  grandparents  of  our  subject  were  Isaac  and  Anna 
(  Baum )  Suavely.  The  father  of  our  subject  was  Michael  Suavely,  who  was 
horn  in  Lebanon  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  17,  1818,  and  when  a  young 
man  he  became  a  resident  of  Richland  comity,  Ohio.  There  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Barbara  Whistler,  who  was  born  in  Bucks  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, February  19,  1829,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Nancy  A.  (Funk)' 
Whistler.  Her  father  was  born  in  Bucks  c  ounty,  Pennsylvnaia,  March  3,  180 1, 
and  there  spent  his  youth,  learning  the  trade  of  wagon-making.  Through  fol- 
lowing that  occupation  he  accumulated  some  money,  and  in  1833  he  emigrated 

to  Ohio,  making  the  journey  by  wagon  with  his  family  and  bringing  with  him 
34 


620  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

his  few  household  effects.  He  located  in  Franklin  township,  Richland  comity. 
They  had  intended  to  travel  further,  but  the  birth  of  a  child,  now  Mrs.  Sarah 
Smith,  on  the  night  of  their  arrival  in  Franklin  township,  caused  them  to  locate 
there,  and  Mr.  Whistler  entered  land,  eventually  becoming  one  of  the  well-to-do 
farmers  of  the  community.  He  first  secured  from  the  government  a  tract  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on  which  he  built  his  cabin  and  began  the  task 
of  clearing  away  the  trees  and  preparing  the  soil  for  the  plow.  As  his  financial 
resources  increased  he  added  to  his  property  until  he  had  some  four  hundred 
acres.  He  also  purchased  extensive  landed  interests  in  Wood  and  Hancock 
counties  and  gave  to  each  of  his  sons  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land 
and  to  each  of  his  daughters  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Dunkard  church  and  earnest  Christian  principles  permeated  his  life, 
making  him  a  man  whose  example  was  well  worthy  of  emulation.  He  died 
August  13,  1883. 

Michael  and  Barbara  (Whistler)  Suavely  established  their  home  in  Rich- 
land county,  Ohio,  where  they  remained  until  about  six  months  after  the  birth 
of  our  subject,  when  they  removed  to  Crawford  county,  the  father  entering 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  the  farm  whereon  he  now  resides.  This  was 
then  a  tract  of  virgin  forest,  only  a  small  portion  of  the  farm  having  been 
cleared,  while  upon  the  little  patch  of  land  had  been  erected  a  log  cabin  inhab- 
ited by  an  earlier  settler.  Mr.  Suavely  was  a  man  of  energy  and  strong  de- 
termination and  at  once  began  the  task  of  cutting  away  the  trees  and  putting 
the  land  under  cultivation.  There  he  carried  on  farming  until  his  death. 
About  1874  he  purchased  an  additional  tract  of  eight}-  acres,  so  that  his  farm 
comprised  altogether  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  His  political  support  was 
given  to  the  Democracy,  and  he  was  a  life-long  and  earnest  member  of  the 
German  Baptist  church.  His  death  occurred  November  2$,  1884,  and  his 
wife  died  in  1887.  They  had  five  children,  but  only  two  are  living:  Isaac  and 
JMary  A.,  the  latter  now  the  wife  of  Adam  B.  Wolf,  of  Cranberry  township. 

Isaac  Snavely,  being  but  an  infant  when  brought  to  Crawford  county, 
mav  be  said  to  have  passed  his  entire  life  within  its  borders,  and  is,  therefore, 
•closely  identified  with  its  interests.  He  attended  the  common  schools  in  his 
youth  and  was  trained  to  farm  work,  so  that  he  was  well  prepared  to  carry  on 
agricultural  pursuits  on  his  own  account  when,  after  his  marriage,  he  began 
the  improvement  of  a  farm.  He  erected  a  set  of  buildings  on  the  west  half  of 
the  old  homestead  and  took  up  his  abode  there  with  his  young  bride,  operating 
•eighty  acres  of  land.  Thereon  he  made  his  home  until  his  father's  death, 
•when  he  exchanged  his  farm  for  the  property  of  his  brother,  who  was  culti- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  621 

vating  the  east  half  of  the  home  place.  He  thereby  acquired  the  old  home 
residence  and  cared  for  his  mother  until  she,  too,  passed  away. 

Mr.  Snavely  has  been  twice  married.  In  October,  1872,  he  wedded  Miss 
Sarah  E.  Resh,  a  native  of  Huron  county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Henrv 
Resh,  a  prominent  agriculturist.  They  had  three  children,  of  whom  two  are 
living  :  Clara,  now  the  wife  of  Albert  Musselman,  of  Cranberry  township ;  and 
Barbara,  at  home.  The  mother  died  in  September,  1881,  and  on  the  25th  of 
August,  1882,  Mr.  Snavely  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Mrs.  Harvey  Swartz, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Musselman.  They  now  have  five 
children, — Ray  W.,  Arthur  G.,  Florence  A.,  Samuel  A.  and  John  W.,  and  the 
family  circle  has  never  been  broken  by  the  hand  of  death. 

Mr.  Snavely  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  public  office,  but  when  election 
day  comes  round  he  manifests  his  political  preference  by  casting  his  ballot  for 
the  adherents  of  the  Democracy.  He  belongs  to  the  German  Baptist  church 
and  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  erection  of  Cranberry  Chapel  in  1879,  it  being 
used  as  the  union  church  by  the  German  Baptists,  the  Church  of  God,  the  Free- 
Will  Baptists  and  the  Methodists. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  life  record  of  Isaac  Snavely,  whose  progressive  spirit 
has  enabled  him  to  achieve  success  in  business  affairs  and  whose  upright  life 
has  been  the  means  of  gaining  for  him  the  warm  regard  of  many  friends. 

JOSEPH  MOLLENKOP. 

Joseph  Mollenkop  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Bucyrus  township,  Crawford 
county,  Ohio.  November  4,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Eliza  (  Deppler) 
Mollenkop,  both  parents  being  natives  of  Ohio.  They  were  married  in  Craw- 
ford county  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Bucyrus  township.  In  after  vears  they 
removed  to  Sandusky  township,  and  there  the  father  died  in  1876,  aged  forty- 
seven  years.  Subsequently  the  mother  married  \Yilliam  G.  Kail),  with  whom 
she  now  lives  in  the  town  of  Chatfield. 

Our  subject  was  reared  on  the  farm.  Upon  his  own  resources  he  was 
thrown  at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  at  the  death  of  his  father.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  he  came  to  Chatfield.  where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  being 
engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store.  For  the  past  sixteen  years  he  has 
clerked  for  A.  Muth,  general  merchant.  In  1892  he  married  Mary  Muth,  a 
daughter  of  his  employer,  and  unto  the  marriage  two  children  have  been  born, 
namely  :     Pearl  and  Raymond. 

In  politics  Mr.  Mollenkop  is  a  Republican,  and  he  has  been  postmaster  of 


622  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Chatiield  since  1898.  In  1896  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  which  office- 
he  held  for  one  term.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools.  He- 
is  a  self-made  man,  and  is  esteemed  and  respected  for  his  many  sterling- 
qualities. 

E.  M.  NEFF. 

When  determined  purpose  and  unflagging  perseverance  are  lacking  effort 
is  rendered  futile  and  resolution  unavailing.  Well-formulated  plans  and  a 
close  adherence  thereto,  these  are  the  necessary  concomitants  of  success,  and 
as  exemplified  in  the  career  of  Mr.  Xeff,  have  brought  to  him  a  richly  merited 
degree  of  prosperity.  Fie  is  now  in  control  of  one  of  the  leading  dry  goods 
stores  of  Crestline,  his  native  city,  and  occupies  an  enviable  position  in  com- 
mercial circles. 

Mr.  Xeff  was  born  November  10,  1863.  His  father,  John  Neff,  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  after  arriving  at  years  of  maturity  was  there  married. 
He  afterward  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  "the  land  of  the  free,"  and  located  in 
Gabon,  Ohio,  where  he  followed  his  chosen  occupation  of  carpentering,  being 
employed  in  the  railroad  shops.  Some  time  in  the  '60s  he  removed  to  Crest- 
line and  became  proprietor  of  a  hotel,  which  he  conducted  up  to'  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  about  fifty-nine  years  of  age.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  lived  in  harmony  with  his  Chris- 
tian belief,  and  his  fair  name  in  business  was  never  tarnished  by  unscrupulous 
dealings.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  three  children.  When  their  mother 
had  passed  away  he  was  again  married,  in  this  country,  to  Mrs.  Catherine 
(Burkhardt)  Henge,  a  widow.  She,  too,  is  a  native  of  the  fatherland,  and  is 
still  living.  She  first  married  Anthony  Henge,  and  by  that  union  had  one  son. 
The  parents  of  our  subject  had  five  sons  and  one  daughter  of  the  second  mar- 
riage, of  whom  three  are  still  living. 

E.  M.  Xeff.  their  youngest  child,  was  reared  in  Crestline  and  acquired 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  the  town,  but  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he 
started  out  in  life  on  his  own  account,  securing  a  clerkship  in  the  employ  of  the 
firm  of  McKean  &  Thoman,  with  whom  he  remained  for  twelve  years,  master- 
ing the  business  in  principle  and  detail  and  giving  the  fullest  satisfaction  to 
employers  and  patrons,  as  shown  by  his  long  continuation  with  the  house. 
For  about  five  years  of  the  time  he  was  chief  clerk.  In  1891  he  embarked  in 
business  on  his  own  account,  opening  a  small  "Rackett"  store  with  a  very 
limited  stock.  From  that  humble  beginning,  however,  has  grown  his  present 
excellent  establishment  with  its  large  stock  and  modern  appointments.     In 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  623 

1896  he  erected  a  two-story  brick  building  on  Setzer  street,  and  now  has  one  of 
the  largest  dry  goods  establishments  in  the  town.  He  enjoys  a  large  and  con- 
stantly increasing  patronage  and  has  a  very  enviable  reputation  for  straight- 
forward dealing.  In  addition  to  his  store  he  has  other  business  interests,  being 
a  stockholder  in  the  Schill  Brothers  Manufacturing  Company  and  in  the  First 
National  Bank. 

In  1884  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Neff  and  Miss  Emma  Lampert,  a 
native  of  Crestline  and  a  daughter  of  William  and  Jamima  Lampert.  Their 
marriage  has  been  blessed  with  eight  children:  Stella  J..  Arthur  J.,  Theador 
M.,  Norma  E..  Millita,  Edward  G.,  Catherine  and  Marthia.  The  parents  hold 
membership  in  the  German  Lutheran  church,  in  which  Mr.  Neff  has  held  sev- 
eral offices,  including  that  of  treasurer  for  six  years  and  trustee  for  two  years. 
He  has  taken  a  very  active  part  in  its  work  and  is  a  generous  contributor  to  all 
measures  calculated  to  prove  of  general  good  along  lines  of  reform  and  prog- 
ress. In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and,  as  every  true  American  should  do, 
feels  an  interest  in  the  success  of  the  principles  in  which  he  believes,  but  has 
never  been  an  office  seeker,  preferring  to  devote  his  energies  to  his  business 
affairs,  in  which  he  is  meeting  with  very  creditable  prosperity. 

ROBERT  T.  JOHNSTON. 

Among  the  worthy  pioneers  of  Crawford  county  was  Robert  Thompson 
Johnston.  More  than  a  half  century  of  his  useful  and  exemplary  life  was 
spent  in  Bucyrus,  and  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  city  he  contributed  in  no  smail 
degree,  so  that  no  compendium  of  the  county  would  be  complete  without  the 
record  of  his  career.  He  was  born  on  the  30th  of  October,  1822,  in  Wooster, 
Ohio,  his  parents  being  Thomas  and  Abigail  (  Powell )  Johnston.  In  tracing 
the  family  genealogy  it  is  found  that  the  first  of  the  name  in  America  was  the 
father  of  our  subject.  He  was  born  in  County  Down,  Ireland,  in  1782,  and 
probably  left  the  Emerald  Isle  when  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  for  he  be- 
came a  naturalized  citizen  of  the  United  States  in  180S,  in  Fayette  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  his  naturalization  certificate  was  issued,  stating  that  he 
had  been  a  resident  of  the  country  for  five  years.  Hence  the  probable  date  of 
his  emigration  was  1802.  He  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  and  in  the  early  part  of 
the  century  he  settled  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  where  in  18 16  he  took  an 
apprentice.  The  paper  of  indenture  is  now  in  possession  of  his  grandson,  and 
is  a  contract  between  Thomas  Johnston  and  a  youth  who  desired  to  learn  tailor- 
ing.    We  infer  that  Mr.  Johnston  was  married  at  the  time,  for  according  to 


624  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  terms  of  the  contract  he  agreed  to  clothe  and  board  the  youth,  for  in  those 
days  apprenticeship  nearly  always  carried  with  it  the  agreement  that  the  pupil 
should  be  taken  into  the  home  of  the  "master.''  Thomas  Johnston  died  at 
Wooster,  Ohio,  in  the  year  1853,  his  wife  preceding  him  in  death,  passing 
away  in  the  year  1841,  aged  fifty-seven  years. 

Unto  Thomas  and  Abigail  (Powell)  Johnston  five  children  were  born, 
namely  :  Thomas  Powell,  Mary,  Eliza,  Rebecca  and  Robert  Thompson.  With 
their  family  the  parents  removed  from  Columbian  county  to  Wooster,  WTayne 
county,  and  there  they  continued  to-  reside  until  Robert  T.  Johnston,  their  sec- 
ond son,  was  eight  years  of  age,  when  they  removed  to  a  farm  in  the  same 
county,  making  it  their  home  for  seven  successive  years.  This  while,  the  early 
childhood  of  Robert  T.  Johnston  was  spent  in  the  town  of  his  nativity.  His 
youth,  up  to  the  age  of  fifteen,  was  passed  upon  the  farm,  where  his  lot  was 
not  unlike  that  of  other  farmer  lads,  whose  privilege  it  is  while  developing 
into  manhood  to  enjoy  the  wholesomeness  of  rural  life  and  there  learn  lessons 
of  industry  and  perseverance.  His  educational  privileges  were  necessarily 
limited,  for  the  schools  of  Ohio  at  that  time  were  quite  unlike  those  of  to-day, 
which  have  reached  a  high  standard  of  excellence.  For  the  purpose  of  edu- 
cating their  children  the  parents  returned  to  Wooster,  where  Robert  attended 
school  for  a  year  and  then  entered  a  printing  office,  where  he  was  employed 
for  a  little  more  than  two  years.  Owing-  to  failing  health  he  decided  to1  give  up 
the  printing  business  and  turn  his  attention  to  the  study  of  medicine.  For 
three  and  a  half  years  he  was  a  student  in  the  office  of  Dr.  S.  Bissell,  of  Woos- 
ter, teaching  school  in  winter,  and  for  two  years  he  attended  medical  lectures 
at  Willoughby  College.  He  then  practiced  for  one  year  in  association  with 
his  preceptor  at  Wooster. 

Dr.  Johnston  came  to  Bucyfus  in  November,  1845, — a  poor  young  man. 
His  chosen  profession  did  not  prove  congenial  and  he  engaged  in  the  drug 
business  shortly  after  arriving  in  the  city,  opening  the  first  drug  store  here  in 
1845,  with  Jabez  B.  Larwill  as  a  partner.  This  relationship  was  maintained 
f(  ir  about  three  years.  While  Dr.  Johnston  remained  a  member  of  the  medical 
fraternity  for  only  a  brief  period,  he  was  always  called  by  the  title.  Upon  the 
close  of  the  partnership  with  Mr.  Larwill,  Dr.  Johnston  sought  to  continue 
in  the  drug  business,  but  having  no  capital  of  his  own,  and  it  being  the  custom 
of  wholesale  druggists  in  the  east  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  worthy  and  reli- 
able young  men  in  the  rapidly  growing  west,  he  was  aided  by  the  firm  of  J.  M. 
Maris  &  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  which  house,  at  its  own  risk,  in  1848  sup- 
plied him  with  a  stock  of  goods.     This  was  a  strong  testimonial  of  the  busi- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  62$ 

ness  reputation  which  he  bore.  The  confidence  thus  reposed  in  him  he  ever 
merited,  and  the  firm  of  J.  M.  Maris  &  Company  remained  his  friends  for  years 
afterward,  even  until  his  demise.  It  was  at  the  beginning  of  his  career  as  a 
druggist  that  Jabez  B.  Larwell  became  associated  with  him.  The  store  was 
located  in  a  frame  building  on  the  east  side  of  Sandusky  avenue,  but  after  the 
dissolution  of  the  partnership  in  1848  Dr.  Johnston  removed  into  the  building 
still  occupied  by  the  Johnston  Drug  Store.  There  he  continued  business  uniil 
his  life  labors  were  ended  in  death.  For  more  than  half  a  century  he  was  in 
the  drug  business  in  Bucyrus,  and  throughout  the  greater  part  of  that  period 
he  occupied  one  building.  As  the  years  passed  his  trade  became  increasingly 
profitable  and  he  amassed  a  very  comfortable  competence  as  the  result  of  his 
close  attention  to  business,  honest  dealing,  steady  habits  and  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  drugs  and  their  properties,  together  with  a  spirit  of  kindness  and 
friendship  toward  his  fellow  men. 

In  his  youth  Dr.  Johnston  was  taught  that  the  principles  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  were  for  the  good  of  all  classes,  but  he  was  opposed  to  the  institu- 
tion of  slavery,  and  as  the  Republican  party  opposed  the  extension  of  slavery 
he  joined  its  ranks  in  1856.  During  the  administration  of  President  James 
K.  Polk  he  served  as  postmaster  of  Bucyrus,  but  other  than  this  he  held  no 
political  position  of  any  importance.  In  matters  religious  he  was  of  the  Pres- 
byterian faith.  The  records  of  the  Bucyrus  Presbyterian  church  show  that  on 
the  14th  of  August,  1846,  he  united  with  that  congregation  by  letter  from  the 
church  at  Wooster,  Ohio.  His  faithful,  consistent  and  blameless  Christian 
life  made  him  not  only  a  strong  influence  in  behalf  of  Christianity  at  large  but 
also  a  strong  pillar  in  his  immediate  church.  Plis  clear  comprehension  and 
unusually  strong  mentality  rendered  him  authority  in  all  points  of  church  doc- 
trine and  polity.  For  years  he  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  church  and  labored 
earnestly  and  effectively  for  its  welfare.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Oakwood  Cemetery  Association  and  served  as  its  treasurer  for  about  thirty 
years.  For  several  years  prior  to  his  death  he  was  afflicted  with  rheumatism, 
and,  being  unable  to  walk,  he  would  ride  each  week  day  to  and  from  his  place 
of  business,  and  seldom  did  he  miss  divine  seiwices  at  the  church  on  Sunday. 
He  was  stricken  with  paralysis  Tuesday  night,  January  31,  1899,  and  on  Sun- 
day, February  5,  he  passed  to  the  great  beyond.  Thus  passed  away  a  man 
whose  life  was  blameless,  whose  example  was  well  worthy  of  emulation.  Mis 
life  shed  a  helpful  and  beneficent  influence  upon  all  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact,  and  his  memory  remains  as  a  blessed  benediction  to  all  who  knew  him. 

Dr.  Johnston  was  united  in  marriage,  October  24,  1850,  to  Miss  Pamelia 


626  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

F.  Haskell,  of  Pittsburg,  who  survives  him  and  still  resides  in  Bueynis,  where 
she  is  loved  and  esteemed  for  her  many  sterling  qualities  and  Christian  char- 
acter. She  was  born  in  Newport,  Ohio.,  February  2,  1830,  a  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Elizabeth  (Dana)  Haskell.  Her  father  was  a  son  of  Major 
Jonathan  and  Phoebe  (Green)  Haskell,  the  former  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
who  served  with  distinction  as  an  officer  in  the  war  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion. Unto  the  marriage  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Johnston  were  born  three  children: 
Belle  C,  who  lives  with  her  mother;  Frank  Thompson;  and  Pamelia  Dana, 
now  the  wife  of  Charles  M.  Hord,  of  Columbus,  Kansas.  The  son  was  born 
in  Bucyrus,  March  23.  1857.  was  reared  in  his  native  city  and  has  here  spent 
his  entire  life.  He  pursued  his  preliminary  education  in  the  schools  of  Bu- 
cyrus and  then  entered  Wooster  University,  returning  home  in  1878.  He  then 
became  associated  in  business  with  bis  father,  who  made  him  a  partner  in  the 
enterprise,  and  in  1879  he  was  graduated  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Phar- 
macy. After  his  return  the  firm  style  of  R.  T.  Johnston  &  Son  was  assumed, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  before  the  father's  death  the  son  was  the  active 
manager  of  the  business  which  he  has  since  conducted  with  excellent  success. 
In  1882  Frank  T.  Johnston  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  U.  Rupp,  a  native  of 
Bucyrus  and  a  daughter  of  Charles  G.  and  Margaret  J.  (Ruhl)  Rupp.  Three 
children,  Ralph  R,,  Bessie  P.  and  Margaret  H.,  have  been  born  of  this 
marriage. 

ADAM  LEONHART. 

For  almost  a  third  of  a  century  Adam  Leonhart  has  resided  upon  the  valu- 
able and  attractive  farm  in  Chatfield  township  which  is  now  his  home  and 
where  he  owns  and  operates  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  acres  of  land.  He 
was  born  on  the  old  Leonhart  homestead  in  the  same  township,  September  15, 
1840,  and  there  remained  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  his  childhood  and 
youth  being  passed  in  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  of  the  period.  The 
duties  of  the  schoolroom,  the  pleasures  of  the  playground  and  the  labors  of  the 
fields  on  the  home  farm  occupied  his  attention.  Thus  the  vears  went  by  until 
he  had  attained  his  majority,  when  he  sought  as  a  companion  for  the  journey  of 
life  Miss  Mary  Crabach,  and  their  marriage  was  celebrated  on  the  8th  of 
March,  1868.  Mr.  Leonhart  then  began  farming  as  a  renter,  first  renting  a 
portion  of  his  father's  farm,  later  other  lands,  and  for  several  vears  farmed 
rented  lands.  He  owns  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  acres  of  land,  all  in  one 
body,  including  a  tract  of  valuable  timber  land.      It  has  been  divided  into  fields 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  627 

of  convenient  size  for  cultivation,  and  almost  always  he  raises  good  crops, 
which  sell  at  high  market  prices,  thus  bringing  him  a  merited  reward  for  his 
labor. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Airs.  Leonhart  has  been  blessed  with  six  children, 
as  follows:  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  William  Kline,  of  Cranberry  township, 
Crawford  county ;  Ira  A.,  who  is  living  in  New  Washington ;  Emma ;  Oliver 
H.,  a  veterinary  surgeon ;  and  Nora  and  Walter,  at  home.  They  have  also  lost 
one  child,  Clara  B.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years.  The  family  attend 
the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  of  which  Mr.  Leonhart  is  a  con- 
sistent member.  He  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Democratic  part}-,  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  the 
honors  and  emoluments  of  public  office,  preferring  to  give  his  attention  to  his 
farming  operations,  whereby  he  has  gained  a  place  among  the  men  of  affluence 
in  his  community. 

Mention  of  his  parental  history  is  made  in  the  biography  of  John  Leon- 
hart, his  eldest  brother. 

ADAM  REICHHARD. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  Adam  Reichhard  has  made  his  home  upon  the 
farm  in  Chatfield  township  which  he  still  occupies.  He  is  numbered  among  the 
native  sons  of  the  county,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Cranberry  township, 
November  4,  1836,  his  parents  being  Henry  and  Elizabeth  Reichhard.  The 
father  was  born  in  the  western  part  of  Germany  and  when  a  young- 
man  crossed  the  briny  deep  to  the  new  world.  Here  he  was  married  and  six 
children  were  born  of  the  union,  namely:  Elizabeth,  now  deceased;  Adam; 
Annie,  who  has  also  passed  away:  John,  a  resident  of  Columbus,  Ohio;  Cath- 
erine; and  Henry,  who  is  living  in  New  Washington.  It  was  in  the  year  1834 
that  the  father  came  to  Crawford  county,  establishing  his  home  in  Cranberry 
township,  where  he  died  in  1848.  our  subject  being  then  twelve  years  of  age. 

When  a  child  of  two  years,  however,  Air.  Reichhard,  of  this  review,  be- 
came a  member  of  the  family  of  Adam  Kaylor,  whose  wife  was  an  aunt  of  Mr. 
Reichhard's  mother,  and  with  them  our  subject  remained  throughout  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  and  when  they  were  old  they  made  their  home  with  Mr.  Reich- 
hard. Farm  work  occupied  much  of  his  attention  in  youth,  and  the  district 
schools  of  the  neighborhood  afforded  him  his  educational  privileges.  On  the 
9th  of  July,  1857,  he  wedded  Miss  Elizabeth  Leonhart.  a  daughter  of  George 
Leonhart,  and  unto  them  have  been  born  thirteen  children,  of  whom  ten  are 


628  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

yet  living:  Frank,  John,  William,  Fred,  George,  Kate,  Maggie,  Ella,  Lena, 
Helma  and  Elizabeth.     Adam  and  Tillie  are  now  deceased. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Reichhard  began  farming  in  Chatfield  town- 
ship and  in  iS;r(>  took  up  his  abode  upon  the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  For 
four  years  prior  to  that  time  he  had  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  stock  of  all 
kinds.  He  owns  here  eighty  acres  of  land  and  has  six  hundred  and  forty  acres 
in  Texas.  He  deals  in  stock  and  also  carries  on  general  farming  and  for  thirty- 
three  years  engaged  in  the  operation  of  a  threshing  machine. 

His  life  has  been  a  busy  one,  industry  being  one  of  his  most  marked  char- 
acteristics. This  forms  the  basis  of  all  success,  and  his  extensive  operations 
and  well  directed  business  affairs  have  brought  to  Mr.  Reichhard  enviable  pros- 
perity. Fie  has  yet  found  time  to  devote  to  public  interests  and  his  fellow 
townsmen,  recognizing  his  worth  and  ability,  have  frequently  called  him  to 
public  office.  For  seven  years  he  served  as  constable,  was  road  master  for 
eighteen  years  and  school  director  for  twenty  years,  discharging  the  duties  of 
all  the  offices  in  a  most  capable  and  reliable  manner,  so  that  over  the  record  of 
his  public  career  there  falls  no  shadow  of  wrong.  In  his  political  views  he  is 
a  Democrat,  and  religiously  he  is  a  member  of  the  German  Evangelical  Luth- 
eran church.  Those  who*  have  known  him  from  boyhood  are  numbered  among 
his  warmest  friends — a  fact  which  indicates  that  his  has  been  a  life  worthy 
of  high  regard.  Through  more  than  six  decades  he  has  resided  in  the  county 
and  well  does  he  deserve  mention  among  her  representative  citizens. 

ALEXANDER  McKEAN. 

There  is  not  in  Jefferson  township,  Craw  ford  county,  Ohio,  a  man  who 
is  held  in  higher  esteem  for  all  that  constitutes  good  citizenship  than  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  Alexander  McKean  was  born  in  Leesville,  Ohio,  June  2j, 
1839,  a  son  of  Dr.  John  and  Rebecca  (McClaskey)  McKean.  Dr.  John  Mc- 
Kean, a  detailed  account  of  whose  life  would  be  very  interesting  reading,  was 
born  at  Beaver  Falls,  Pennsylvania,  February  io,  18 10.  Long  before  that 
time  his  father  had  carried  the  mail  on  horseback  between  Pittsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  in  18 19,  when  the  future  physician 
was  about  nine  years  old,  the  family  removed  to  Calcutta,  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio,  where  the  youth  gained  a  good  common  school  education  and  a  practical 
knowledge  of  business  as  it  was  transacted  there  at  that  time.  When  quite 
young  he  began  teaching  school,  studying  medicine  in  his  spare  moments  and 
in  that  employment  he  earned  money  with  which  to  pay  for  his  professional  ed- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  629 

ucation.  In  1830,  equipped  with  the  necessary  diploma  and  some  little  experi- 
ence as  a  medical  practitioner,  he  started  out  on  horseback  in  quest  of  a  location 
in  which  to  practice  his  profession.  He  passed  through  Mansfield,  Ohio,  which 
did  not  appear  promising  to  him,  and  at  Galion  he  found  only  a  few  log  cabins. 
While  taking  dinner  at  the  last  mentioned  settlement  he  met  the  Rev.  Robert 
Lee,  the  founder  of  the  village  of  Leesville,  who  pursuaded  the  young  physician 
to  locate  at  that  point.  For  four  y  ears  he  boarded  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lee  and 
was  practically  a  member  of  his  household.  Then  he  married  Miss  McClas- 
key,  who  bore  him  nine  children,  the  following  information  concerning  the 
most  of  whom  will  be  of  interest  in  this  connection.  Their  daughter  Mar- 
garet, who  became  Mrs.  Robert  Hall,  is  dead.  Alexander,  who  is  the  imme- 
diate subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth.  William,  Re- 
becca J.  and  John  L.  are  dead.  Eugenia  is  the  wife  of  John  Ludlum,  superin- 
tendent of  the  Barnett  shops  at  Canton,  Ohi<  1.  Jac<  ib  lives  in  California.  Emma 
is  the  wife  of  D.  G.  R.  Edwards,  of  Los  Angeles,  California. 

Dr.  McKean  lived  at  Leesville,  Ohio,  giving  his  entire  attention  to  a  grow- 
ing medical  practice,  until  1806,  and  then  removed  to  Crestline,  Ohio,  where 
he  practiced  his  profession  until  1879,  when  he  retired.  He  died  in  1890,  aged 
eighty  years.  His  wife  died  in  1886.  They  were  consistent  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  took  great  interest.  He  was  a  well  read  man 
who  gave  much  attention  to  the  world's  progress  in  every  department  of  hu- 
man endeavor,  and  he  was  a  charitable  man  who  gave  his  professional  services 
freely  even  when  there  was  no  hope  of  pecuniary  reward.  He  rode  over  the 
country  in  all  directions  from  his  place  of  residence  and  had  hundreds  of  ac- 
counts on  his  books,  but  it  is  said  of  him  that  he  never  sued  on  any  claim  or 
pressed  any  delinquent  unduly. 

Alexander,  his  oldest  son,  was  born  and  reared  and  educated  at  Lees- 
ville, Ohio,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  moved  upon  a  farm  near  that  place, 
where  he  lived  until  1872.  From  1872  to  1889  he  lived  on  a  farm  near  Crest- 
line, and  in  1889  he  located  on  his  present  farm  in  Jefferson  township.  Craw- 
ford county.  He  is  the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of  good  land  and  gives  his  atten- 
tion to'  the  production  of  miscellaneous  crops.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  while 
not  a  practical  politician  he  has  been  active  in  promoting  all  measures  tend- 
ing to  benefit  the  township  and  county.  Devoted  to  his  church,  the  Lutheran, 
he  has  been  liberal  in  the  support  of  religious  worship  wherever  he  has  lived. 
His  life  embraces  not  only  the  modern  but  the  pioneer  period  of  the  history 
of  this  part  of  the  country  and  is  rich  in  reminiscence  of  the  early  days.  Among 
other  recollections  is  one  concerning  the  advent  of  the  first  cook  stove  at  Lees- 


630  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

ville.  Money  as  a  commodity  those  times  was  scarce,  and  his  father  having 
secured  a  load  of  wheat  from  the  settlers  for  medical  services,  and  for  the 
express  purpose  of  buying  a  stove,  hired  John  Clements  to  haul  it  to  Sandusky 
City,  a  distance  of  sixty  miles.  Clements  returned  with  the  stove  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  fifth  days  after  leaving,  when  every  one  in  the  village  turned  out  to 
see  it. 

Mr.  McKean  was  married  January  i,  1862,  to  Margaretta  Osborn,  who 
died  August  19,  1897.  To  them  were  born  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. Bernhard,  the  oldest  son,  is  married  and  lives  on  the  farm.  Sherwood, 
a  railroader,  lives  in  Crestline.  Ohio.  Irene  died  April  4.  1880.  Hall  and 
Claude,  both  railroaders,  reside  in  Pratt,  Kansas.  Grace  is  the  wife  of  William 
Thoman,  also  a  resident  of  Pratt,  Kansas.  Pearl  is  the  wife  of  Elmer  Courter, 
whose  home  is  in  Galion,  Ohio,  and  who  is  a  railroader.  The  three  voungest, 
Ariadne,  Edna  and  Philena,  live  with  their  father  on  the  old  homestead. 

BENJAMIN  F.  LASH. 

One  of  the  highly  respected  farmers  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is  Ben- 
jamin Franklin  Lash,  who  was  born  in  Crawford  county,  in  Auburn  town- 
ship, on  December  17,  1840,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Fredline) 
Lash,  extended  notice  of  whom  may  be  found  in  the  sketch  of  Peter  B.  Lash, 
in  another  part  of  this  volume. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Lash  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  obtained  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  His  father  died  at 
the  age  of  forty-three  years,  and  from  the  age  of  seventeen  years  the  manage- 
ment of  the  home  farm  fell  upon  his  shoulders.  After  his  marriage  he  still 
continued  on  the  home  farm,  operating  it  for  his  mother,  on  shares,  for  some 
five  years.  He  then  purchased  a  farm  of  fifty  acres  in  Sharon  township,  in 
Richland  county,  and  resided  upon  that  property  for  the  following  two  years. 
During  this  time  the  Mansfield,  Cold  Water  &  Michigan  Railroad  was  built 
through  his  property,  and  he  was  made  foreman  of  construction  for  four  miles 
of  the  road,  and  after  the  completion  of  this  division  of  the  road  he  was  made 
an  offer  of  the  important  position  of  division  master,  but  he  did  not  accept 
the  position,  on  account  of  the  objections  of  his  family  to  his  becoming  a  rail- 
road man. 

Selling  his  farm  at  this  time,  Mr.  Lash  went  to  Plymouth  township,  in 
Richland  county,  and  there  bought  eighty  acres,  but  in  the  following  summer 
the  railway  officials  solicited  him  to  accept  a  position  in  their  service,  but  he 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  631 

still  declined.  For  four  years  he  remained  on  the  Plymouth  farm  and  then 
purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  his  present  home  farm,  in  Auburn 
township,  in  Crawford  county.  This  was  in  the  spring  of  1876,  and  five  years 
later  he  purchased  the  sixty  acres  lying  directly  across  the  road  from  his 
home  property.  Both  of  these  farms  are  highly  improved  and  well  represent 
the  excellent  agricultural  conditions  for  which  Crawford  county  has  long 
been  noted. 

On  January  12,  1865,  Mr.  Lash  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  T. 
Kauffman,  who  was  a  native  of  Cranberry  township  and  a  daughter  of  Dan- 
iel and  Elizabeth  Kauffman,  the  latter  having  come  to  Crawford  count}-  and 
settled  in  Cranberry  township  early  in  the  '40s.  Three  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union,  the  two  survivors  being:  Alary  E.,  at  home;  and  Nellie 
Clyde,  the  wife  of  Elias  Cashman,  who  resides  on  our  subject's  sixty-acre 
farm  and  operates  the  whole  farm. 

The  first  vote  Mr.  Lash  cast  for  president  was  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  and 
he  has  always  been  active  in  party  affairs,  serving  in  several  of  the  local  offices, 
notably  during  one  term  as  land  appraiser  and  one  term  as  township  assessi  u\ 
His  parents  were  among  the  organizers  of  the  United  Brethren  church  on  the 
Auburn  circuit,  and  some  of  the  family  is  still  connected  with  that  religious 
body,  but  our  subject  and  family  are  connected  with  the  Methodist  church, 
and  for  the  past  forty-four  years  Mr.  Lash  has  been  one  of  its  leading  members 
and  hearty  and  liberal  supporters.  For  many  years  he  has  served  as  superintend- 
tne  of  the  Sunday-school  and  has  done  much  t«  1  awaken  and  keep  alive  an  active 
interest  in  religious  work  in  his  locality.  At  present  he  is  one  of  the  class-lead- 
ers and  has  been  the  chorister  ever  since  his  earliest  connection  with  it.  Mr. 
Lash  is  a  representative  of  an  honored  and  esteemed  ancestry,  and  he  enjoys  the 
position  of  being  one  of  the  representative  men  of  Auburn  township.  With 
regard  to  his  personal  habits  we  may  add  that  Mr.  Lash  has  never  chewed  a 
particle  of  tobacco  or  smoked  a  cigar  or  pipe,  and  has  never  taken  a  drink  of 
liquors  of  any  kind,  nor  has  played  a  game  of  cards  or  danced  a  jig. 

JOHN  W.  HUMPHREY. 

A  prominent  and  highly  esteemed  citizen  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is 
John  W.  Humphrey,  of  Vernon  township,  whose  birth  was  in  New  Haven, 
Huron  county,  Ohio,  on  January  28,  1836.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of  Evan 
and  Sarah  E.  (Hoyt)  Humphrey,  who  reared  ten  children  to  useful  manhood 
and  womanhood.     The  other  members  of  the  family  are  as  follows :     Matilda, 


-632  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  wife  of  Peter  Will,  of  Richland  county;  Franklin,  who  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany H,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteers,  and 
-died  of  wounds  received  in  the  battle  of  Winchester,  Virginia,  in  1861 ;  James, 
who  was  in  the  same  company  and  died  in  Salisbury  prison  ;  William,  a  resident 
of  Kansas  City;  Sarah  E.,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Esterline,  of  this  township; 
Mary  J.,  the  wife  of  Ira  Gloyd,  of  Kansas  City;  Jacob,  a  resident  of  Texas; 
Elmira,  the  wife  of  Henry  Esterline,  of  Crestline ;  and  Evan,  a  horse  dealer  of 
Kansas  City. 

Evan  Humphrey,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1797, 
and  grew  to  maturity  in  his  native  state,  at  which  time  he  removed  to  Licking- 
county,  Ohio,  where  some  of  his  brothers  and  sisters  had  located,  and  while  in 
that  county  engaged  in  driving  a  stage  for  a  period,  later  going  to  Huron 
county,  where  he  married  and  took  up  his  residence  in  the  town  of  New  Haven. 
There  Mr.  Humphrey  opened  up  a  butcher  business.  At  the  birth  of  her  in- 
fant Mrs.  Humphrey  died,  and  later  Mr.  Humphrey  married  Sarah  E.  Hoyt, 
who  had  been  born  in  the  state  of  New  York  and  came  with  her  parents  to 
Huron  county. 

In  1836  Evan  Humphrey  removed  with  his  wife  and  two  children  to  Craw- 
ford county,  buying  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  of  a  Air.  Hagerman,  this  farm  being 
now  the  property  of  Samuel  Esterline,  and  here  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  This  land,  when  he  took  possession  of  it,  was  all  timber  and  swamp, 
and  predictions  were  made  that  the  family  would  starve  upon  it  before  it  was 
ever  brought  to  a  producing  state ;  but  Air.  Humphrey  was  not  easily  dis- 
mayed and  not  only  lived  to  see  it  all  cleared,  but  also  to  have  it  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  desirable  and  valuable  farms  in  the  county.  First  he  added 
twenty  acres  to  the  original  purchase,  and  by  ditching  and  tiling  changed  its 
conditions,  and  upon  it  reared  a  family  that  equaled  in  robustness  the  children 
of  those  who  doubted  his  earlier  judgment.  In  his  earlier  days  he  voted  with 
the  Democratic  party,  but  later  in  life  adopted  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party.  For  a  time  the  township  election  booth  was  in  his  house.  Air.  Humph- 
rev  was  an  active  member  in  the  religious  body  known  as  the  Church  of  God, 
for  a  number  of  years  belonging  to  its  official  body.  He  lived  to  more  than 
seventy-five  years,  and  died  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  men  of  his  neigh- 
borhood. 

John  W.  Humphrey,  of  this  biography,,  attained  his  manhood  in  his  home 
and  was  given  superior  educational  advantages.  After  completing  the  common 
school  course  he  was  sent  to  the  private  seminary  in  De  Kalb,  which  was  con- 
ducted by  a  local  educator  of  note,  Professor  Thompson,  and  at  the  age  of 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  633 

twenty  years  he  was  deemed  sufficiently  educated  to  become  a  teacher  himself. 
For  six  terms  he  taught  in  the  district  schools  of  his  neighborhood,  but  his  mar- 
riage closed  this  career,  as  then  he  began  work  as  a  farmer.  For  about  five 
years  Air.  Humphrey  managed  the  home  farm  for  his  father  and  later  fol- 
lowed the  same  vocation  on  other  rented  land,  but  in  1874  he  purchased  eighty- 
seven  acres  of  his  present  home  farm,  and  subsequently  has  added  eleven  acres, 
making  his  present  holdings  a  fraction  over  ninety-eight  acres.  Here  he  has 
demonstrated  his  ability  as  a  farmer  and  now  owns  a  tract  of  land  which  com- 
pares, in  cultivation  and  improvement,  very  favorably  with  any  other  in  this 
township. 

In  1858  Mr.  Humphrey  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca  Traub,  who  was  a 
native  of  Galion,  Ohio,  and  who  was  a  daughter  of  Henry  Traub,  who  came 
to  Crawford  county  at  an  early  day.  To  our  subject  and  his  wife  have 
been  born  nine  children,  their  names  being  as  follows :  William  H.,  a  resident 
of  Auburn  township;  James  B.,  of  Stevensville,  Montana;  Emma,  the  wife  of 
Arthur  Knowles,  of  this  township ;  Sadie,  the  wife  of  Charles  Gribben,  of 
Richland  county;  Ella,  the  wife  of  Thomas  B.  Branton,  of  Montana;  Cath- 
erine, the  wife  of  George  Gutschall,  the  farmer  on  our  subject's  home  farm; 
and  Anna,  Zoe  and  Ira,  at  home. 

In  politics  Mr.  Humphrey  has  always  been  in  sympathy  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  has  most  efficiently  tilled  a  number  of  local  offices.  For  the 
past  twenty  years  he  has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  for  three  successive 
terms  he  has  been  elected  township  clerk,  and  for  two1  years  was  one  of  the  best 
and  most  satisfactory  assessors  the  township  ever  had.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Humphrey  are  consistent  members  of  the  Church  of  God,  in  which  our  subject 
has  been  an  honored  elder  for  more  than  fifteen  years.  He  is  a  man  of  sterling 
character  and  is  justly  held  in  the  highest  esteem  in  his  locality. 

AARON  NEFF. 

Among  the  young  men  who  are  cultivating  a  portion  of  the  soil  of  Craw- 
ford county  with  gratifying  success  should  be  mentioned  Aaron  Neff,  who  is 
a  prominent  agriculturist  of  Sandusky  township.  This  is  indeed  a  beautiful 
farming  country,  and  the  land  which  cur  subject  now  cultivates  is  some  of  the 
best  in  the  locality. 

A  native  son  of  the  Buckeye  state,  Air.  Xeff  was  born  on  the  21st  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1873,  in  Crawford  county,  a  son  of  Joseph  Neff,  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent and  esteemed  citizens  of  this  countv.  Aaron  was  reared  to  manhoood  under 


634  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  paternal  roof,  acquiring  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  local- 
ity. At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  in  company  with  his  brother  Emanuel, 
he  came  to  Sandusky  township,  Crawford  county,  and  began  operating  the  two 
hundred  and  forty-four  acres  of  land  which  belongs  to  his  father,  for  which  he 
pays  cash  rent.  He  is  meeting  with  success  in  his  venture  as  an  agriculturist  and 
he  now  occupies  a  front  rank  among  the  public-spirited  and  progressive  young 
farmers  of  his  locality.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  is  very  popular  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  people 
of  his  localitv  for  his  honorable  character  and  energetic  nature. 

PETER  ROSS. 

One  of  the  fine  farms  in  Lykens  township  is  owned  by  Peter  Ross,  who 
has  a  valuable  tract  of  three  hundred  and  nineteen  acres,  all  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation  and  improved  with  all  modern  accessories.  He  has  resided  there- 
on for  many  vears  and  is  numbered  among  the  leading  agriculturists  of  Craw- 
ford count}". 

Mr.  Ross  was  born  in  Germany.  November  19,  1836,  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Margaret  (Simmermacher)  Ross,  whose  family  numbered  six  children,  name- 
ly :  Catherine,  who  married  Chris  Kibler,  of  Chatfield  township;  Peter,  of  this 
review ;  George,  who  died  in  1899 ;  Philip,  who  was  one  of  the  first  contractors 
on  building  in  Bucyrus,  and  now  makes  his  home  in  this  city ;  Margaret,  the 
wife  of  Charles  Jacobs:  and  William,  who  is  connected  with  the  planing  mills 
in  Crestline,  Ohio. 

During  the  first  eighteen  years  of  his  life  Peter  Ross,  of  this  review,  re- 
mained in  the  fatherland,  and  during  that  period  pursued  his  education  in  the 
public  schools.  It  was  in  the  year  1854  that  he  came  to  America  as  a  passenger 
on  a  sailing  vessel,  which  was  twenty-eight  days  in  reaching  the  harbor  of  New 
York.  The  following  year  his  parents  also  came  to  the  new^  world.  Our  sub- 
ject spent  the  first  year  after  his  arrival  in  working  as  a  farm  hand  in  Vernon 
township,  and  in  1855  he  came  to  Lykens  township,  where  his  father  purchased 
eightv  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  now  resides.  Only  fifteen  acres  of  the  land 
had  been  cleared,  and  a  log  house  was  almost  the  only  improvement  on  the 
place.  Mr.  Ross  continued  to  engage  in  agricultural  pursuits  upon  that  farm 
until  1866,  when  he  went  to  Jackson,  where  he  was  employed  for  a  year.  Later 
he  rented  land  for  a  year  and  then  returned  to  the  old  homestead,  where  he 
has  since  remained  a  resident.  As  his  financial  resources  have  increased  he 
has   made   judicious  investments  in  property  and  is  to-day  the  owner  of  three 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  635 

hundred  and  nineteen  acres,  constituting  one  of  the  attractive  and  desirable 
farms  of  the  county.  The  fields  are  thoroughly  tilled  and  usually  yield  excellent 
crops.  In  his  farming  operations  Mr.  Ross  has  ever  been  industrious  and  pro- 
gressive, and  his  place,  in  its  neat  and  thrifty  appearance,  is  proof  to  the  passer- 
by of  the  careful  supervision  of  the  owner. 

In  1867  Air.  Ross  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Schimp,  and  unto  them  have 
been  born  ten  children:  Emma,  deceased;  Philip;  Jacob;  Henry,  deceased; 
Charley,  Adam,  Tilley,  Henry,  Martha,  who  died  on  the  18th  of  October, 
1 901,  and  Christian.  The  parents  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  in 
which  Air.  Ross  has  served  as  trustee  and  as  a  township  official.  He  con- 
tributes liberally  to  its  support  and  is  deeply  interested  in  its  welfare  and 
growth.  He  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men  and  meas- 
ures of  the  Democracy.  His  life  has  been  one  of  honorable  activity,  in  which 
his  enterprise  and  industry  have  enabled  him  to  overcome  all  obstacles  and 
work  his  way  upward  to  success.  It  was  a  wise  decision  that  brought  him  to 
America,  for  in  this  land  he  found  the  opportunities  he  sought  and  has  gained 
a  comfortable  competence. 

EMANUEL  NEFF. 

One  of  the  most  straightforward,  energetic  and  successful  business  men 
of  Sandusky  township  is  Emanuel  Neff,  who  has  attained  a  front  rank  in  agri- 
cultural circles  in  his  locality.  He  was  born  in  Holmes  township,  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  on  the  9th  of  January,  1870,  a  son  of  Joseph  Neff,  whose  history 
will  lie  found  on  another  page  of  this  volume.  Our  subject  was  reared  to  man- 
hood on  his  father's  farm,  his  educational  advantages  being  those  afforded  by 
the  common  schools  of  his  neighborhood.  On  the  28th  of  March,  1895,  ne' 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Krauter,  a  native  of  Cranberry  town- 
ship and  the  daughter  of  Jacob  Krauter,  who  came  to  this  locality  with  his 
parents  when  a  child,  the  family  locating  in  Libert)'  township.  Immediate. 
after  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Xeff  came  to  Sandusky  township,  locating 
on  the  farm  where  the}'  still  reside  and  which  belongs  to  his  father.  The  place 
consists  of  two  hundred  and  forty-four  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land,  and  there 
our  subject  and  his  brother  Aaron  are  extensively  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising,  their  efforts  in  both  branches  of  their  business  being  attended 
with  a  high  and  gratifying  success.     They  pay  cash  rent  for  the  land. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neff  has  been  blessed  with  two  children, — 

Lester  E.  and  Ralph.     Air.  Neff  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of 
35 


636  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  men  and  measures  of  the  Republican  party.  He  has  made  farming  his 
life  occupation,  in  which  lie  has  been  very  successful,  and  his  record  thus  far 
in  life  has  been  such  as  to  commend  him  to  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  with 
whom  he  has  had  business  or  social  intercourse. 


JOHN  BENDER. 

A  resident  of  Crawford  county,  John  Bender  has  for  many  years  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  agricultural  interests  of  his  locality,  and  has 
contributed  materially  to  the  advancement  and  progress  of  the  county  through 
this  channel.  He  is  a  well  informed  man.  possessed  of  broad  general  inform- 
ation, and  in  his  nature  there  is  nothing  narrow  or  contracted.  All  who 
know  him  esteem  him  highly  for  his-  genuine  worth,  and  it  is  with  pleasure 
that  we  present  the  record  of  his  life  to  our  readers. 

Born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  on  the  15th  of  December,  1852,  he  is  a 
son  of  Jacob  Bender,  also  a  prominent  agriculturist  of  Crawford  count}'. 
Upon  the  homestead  property  our  subject  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and 
youth,  and  his  labors  in  the  fields  were  alternated  by  stud}'  in  the  district 
schools  of  the  neighborhood.  After  reaching  mature  years  he  and  his  brother 
Philip  began  farming  the  old  homestead  as  renters,  which  they  continued  until 
the  brother  removed  to  a  place  of  his  own,  and  our  subject  then  continued 
operating  the  home  farm  alone  for  a  time.  After  his  father's  death  he  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  the  place,  the  tract  containing  all  of  the  farm  buildings, 
and  two  years  later,  by  his  perseverance  and  constant  toil,  he  was  enabled  to 
purchase  an  additional  forty-five  acres,  and  his  landed  possessions  now  aggre- 
gate one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres,  all  being  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation and  improved  with  all  the  modern  accessories  and  conveniences  of  a 
model  farm  of  the  present  day.  He  is  practical  and  progressive  in  his  meth- 
ods of  farming,  and  in  the  management  of  his  business  affairs  he  displays  a 
.sound  judgment  that  has  brought  to  him  a  merited  success. 

In  1884  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Bender  and  Miss  Tracy 
Brady,  a  native  of  Henry  county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Cornelius  and  Anna 
(  Kevs)  Brady.  The  father  was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  and  most  prom- 
inent farmers  of  Henry  county,  and  he  now  makes  his  home  with  his  son, 
Alphonses.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bender  have  been  born  ten  children, — Edith, 
Ralph.  Anna.  Romain,  Virl,  Ollie,  Moodie,  Oliver,  Otis  and  Lais,  all  still  under 
the  parental  roof.     In  his  political  faith  Mr.  Bender  is  a  stanch  Democrat. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  637 

The  family  enjoy  the  hospitality  of  many  of  the  best  homes  of  Crawford 
county,  and  their  circle  of  friends  is  almost  co-extensive  with  their  circle  of 
acquaintances. 

JOHN  H.  MULFORD. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  of  that  stanch  old  New  Jersey  stock  which 
has  planted  the  seeds  of  progress  and  of  prosperity  in  all  parts  of  our  land. 
He  has  been  known  as  a  merchant  and  farmer  for  many  years  and  is  one  of 
the  leading-  citizens  of  Texas  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio.  His  father, 
John  Mulford,  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  a  tanner  by  trade,  came  to  Ohio  in 
1832  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  Monroeville,  Huron  county,  until  he  r el- 
moved  to  Richland  count}',  where  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land.  After  farm- 
ing for  a  while,  he  became  a  general  merchant  at  Ganges,  Richland  county, 
where  he  traded  successfully  two  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  removed 
his  enterprise  to  Bellville,  where  he  ran  a  store  for  one  year.  From  185 1  to 
1868  he  followed  mercantile  business  successfully  at  Benton,  Crawford  county. 
Then,  disposing  of  his  mercantile  interests,  he  retired  to  his  farm,  where  he 
died  December  20,  1878,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  owned  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  Influential  in  local 
affairs,  he  served  for  many  years  as  township  trustee  and  treasurer.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Republican.  He  was  for  many  years  a  consistent  and  helpful 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His  good  wife  survived  him 
until  June  2,  1892,  when  she  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  Lodusky, 
wife  of  John  Mulford,  was  the  daughter  of  Silas  Bevenstock,  and  came  alone 
to  Ohio  about  the  year  1832,  from  Vermont.  She  taught  school  and  was 
housekeeper  for  her  brother,  A.  B.  Bevenstock,  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife. 
She  was  married  to  John  Mulford,  in  1834,  and  the}'  had  three  children — 
William,  Allen  and  John  H. 

John  H.  Mulford  was  born  near  Bellville,  Richland  count}',  Ohio,  Jan- 
uary 2,  1845,  an(l  was  s'x  years  of  age  when  his  father  removed  to  Benton, 
where  he  was  reared  to  manhood.  He  gained  a  substantial  education  in  the 
village  school  and  had  a  valuable  business  experience  as  a  clerk  in  his  father's 
store.  Later  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  he  was  so  employed  until 
he  married  Julia  Longwell,  a  daughter  of  Peter  Longwell,  February  29,  1868. 
For  eight  years  after  his  marriage  he  lived  in  Lykens  township,  Crawford 
county,  Ohio.  From  the  spring  of  1877  to  1896  he  was  the  proprietor  of  a 
popular  general  store  at  Benton.     Meantime,   in    1885.   he   removed   to  his 


6$$  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

present  farm  in  Texas  township  and  from  that  time  until  1896  he  was  both  a 
farmer  and  a  merchant.  Since  he  disposed  of  his  store  he  has  given  his  entire 
attention  to  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  owns  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Texas  township  and  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  Lykens 
township,  making  an  aggregate  of  three  hundred  and  forty  acres.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  has  been  treasurer  of  his  township  for  ten  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  for  some  time  he 
has  held  the  office  of  trustee.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mulford  have  six  children,  named 
Rolla,  Mary,  Jesse,  Milo,  Cora  and  Oland. 

WILLIAM  H.  .MILLER. 

William  Henry  Miller  is  a  passenger  conductor  on  the  Toledo  &  Ohio 
Central  Railroad  and  makes  his  home  in  Bucyrus.  He  was  born  March  11, 
1858,  in  Tiffin,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Louis  Miller,  whose  birth  occurred  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1829,  in  Scheime,  Alsace,  which  was  a  province  of  France  prior  to 
the  Franco-Prussian  war  of  1870-71.  and  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents 
in  1835,  locating  at  Massillon,  Stark  county,  Ohio,  where  he  acquired  his  edu- 
cation and  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade,  and  in  1852  removed  to  Tiffin,  Sen- 
eca c<  'Unty,  this  state. 

He  married  Eva  Zircher,  who  was  born  December  16,  1833.  in  Alsace, 
France,  and  was  brought  to  the  United  States  in  1830,  the  family  locat- 
ing on  the  boundary  line  between  Seneca  and  Crawford  counties.  Her  par- 
ents afterward  removed  to  Tiffin,  Ohio,  about  [870.  Airs.  Miller  departed  this 
life  April  17,  1884,  but  the  father  of  our  subject  is  still  living. 

In  the  common  schools  of  his  native  city  William  II.  Miller,  of  this  re- 
view, pursued  his  education,  and  1  n  putting  aside  his  text-books  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  assisted  his  father  in  the  c<  nduct  of  a  meat  market.  He  was  concerned 
with  that  business  for  about  five  years  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  farming. 
For  two  years  he  engaged  in  operating  a  threshing  machine  and  sawmill  ma- 
chine, the  former  being  the  second  one  brought  to  Seneca  count}".  On  the  5th 
of  January,  1882,  he  came  to  Crawfi  >rd  county  and  accepted  a  position  as  brake- 
man  on  the  Toledo  &  Ohio  Central  Railroad,  making  his  first  trip  on  the  Qth 
of  January  of  that  year.  After  acting  in  that  capacity  for  a  year  and  four 
months  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  conductor,  in  Mav,  1883,  and 
served  on  a  through  freight  for  three  years,  when  he  was  made  the  first  con- 
ductor on  a  working  train  1  n  the  road.  He  filled  that  position  for  about  three 
months  and  was  then  transferred  to  a  local  freight  train  on  the  Cornine  di- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  639 

vision,  running  between  Corning  and  Columbus.  After  six  months  he  was 
transferred  to  a  local  freight  train  on  the  Bucyrus  division  and  was  on  that  line 
for  about  ten  months.  Later  he  was  made  passenger  conductor,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  has  served  to  the  present  time,  covering  a  period  of  fourteen  years. 

On  the  20th  of  April,  1882.  Mr.  Miller  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Margarite  M.  Link,  a  daughter  of  Adam  and  Mary  Anna  Link.  Her  father 
was  a  tailor  by  trade  and  was  born  in  Baden.  Germany,  June  5,  1828.  When  a 
young  man  of  twenty  years  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  was  here  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Alary  Anna  Stundel.  who  was  born  March  19.  1828,  in  Bavaria, 
and  came  to  the  new  world  in  1847,  landing  at  Baltimore.  Mrs.  Miller  was 
born  in  Liverpool,  Pennsylvania,  July  i~ .  1858,  and  became  a  resident  of  Bu- 
cyrus in  1865.  Unto  our  subject  and  wife  have  been  born  two  children:  Will- 
iam Edward,  whose  birth  occurred  November  28,  1882,  and  Annie  Kathrine, 
born  October  17,  1884.  Mr.  Miller  and  his  family  are  all  members  of  the  Cath- 
olic church,  and  he  is  identified  with  various  fraternal  and  civic  societies,  in- 
cluding the  Order  of  Railway  Conductors,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  His 
long  service  on  the  railroad  indicates  unmistakably  his  fidelity  to  duty  and  his 
ability  in  the  discharge  of  the  tasks  which  devolve  upon  him.  He  is  most  trust- 
worthy and  painstaking  and  has  won  the  friendship  of  many  patrons  of  the 
1  iad. 

MICHAEL  WIXKELFOOS. 

Michael  Winkelfoos,  who  for  many  years  has  been  connected  with  the 
railway  service,  resides  in  Bucyrus  where  he  is  a  well  known  and  highly  es- 
teemed citizen.  He  was  born  in  McKeesport,  Allegheny  county.  Pennsyl- 
vania, on  the  23d  of  October,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  August  Winkelfoos,  who 
was  born  at  Michelstadt  in  Hesse-Darmstadt.  Germany,  which  was  also  the 
birthplace  of  his  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Barbara  Reh.  Both  came 
to  America  prior  to  their  marriage.  In  1852  the  father  went  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, California,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  passing  away  in  1873, 
at  the  age  of  forty-six  years.  His  widow,  who  was  born  in  1833.  is  still  liv- 
ing and  now  makes  her  home  in  Mansfield,  Ohio.  In  the  family  are  two  chil- 
dren who  yet  survive,  namely :  Michael,  of  this  review  and  Mrs.  C.  Stephen, 
a  widow,  who  is  living  in  Crestline. 

Mr.  Michael  Winkelfoos,  whose  name  heads  this  record,  pursued  his  edu- 
cation at  Crestline,  Crawford  county  and  at  Lima,  attended  the  public  schools 


640  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

and  on  putting-  aside  his  text-books  he  entered  upon  his  business  career  in  1867, 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  as  an  employe  on  the  eastern  division  of  the  Pitts- 
burg, Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  road.  He  at  first  ran  between  Crestline  and 
Alliance.  His  duties  were  those  of  a  fireman,  but  in  1872,  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years,  he  was  made  an  engineer.  Very  seldom  is  one  so  young  appointed 
to  such  an  important  position.  He  continued  with  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne 
and  Chicago  road  until  1877,  and  for  the  past  thirteen  years  he  has  been  a 
passenger  engineer  on  the  Toledo  &  Ohio  Central  road.  In  1880  he  took  up 
his  alxide  in  Columbus,  whence  he  removed  to  Bucvrus,  where  he  is  now  per- 
manently located.  During  his  long  railroad  experience  he  has  met  with  sev- 
eral accidents.  In  1895  he  was  in  a  head-end  collision,  in  which  the  fireman, 
Frank  Doty,  was  killed,  while  Mr.  Winkelfoos  was  badly  injured.  He  has 
also  been  in  two  other  wrecks,  where  the  engine  turned  over,  in  which  he  has 
suffered  some  injuries,  and  on  one  occasion  his  engine  became  ditched  in  a  tun- 
nel. He  is,  however,  most  careful  in  his  work,  reliable  and  trustworthy  and 
has  the  entire  confidence  of  the  companv. 

In  1874  Air.  Winklefoos  married  Miss  Caroline  Ludwig,  a  daughter  of 
Frederick  and  Elizabeth  (  Mager)  Ludwig.  Her  father  went  to  Crestline  in 
1842  and  has  there  made  his  home  ever  since.  He  was  born  at  Nedemdow  in 
Hesse-Darmstadt,  and  for  fifty  years  was  employed  by  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Company,  but  for  the  past  seventeen  years  he  has  lived  retired,  mak- 
ing his  home  in  Crestline.  His  birth  occurred  January  9,  1825,  and  he  is 
therefore  now  seventy-six  years  of  age.  Plis  wife,  who  was  also  a  native  of 
Germany,  was  born  August  19,  1828,  and  died  January  28,  1900.  Two  of 
their  daughters  are  yet  living,  namely :  Mrs.  Winkelfoos  and  Mrs.  J.  W. 
Smith,  the  latter  a  resident  of  Crestline.  The  marriage  of  our  subject  and  his 
wife  has  been  blessed  with  the  following  children:  Fred,  who  is  now  em- 
ployed as  fireman  on  the  Toledo  &  Ohio  Central  Railroad ;  Gustave,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  six  years ;  Bartholomew,  who  was  killed  on  the  Pennsylvania 
road,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years;  Delbert.  who  is  employed  by  the  Toledo  & 
Ohio  Central  Railroad  Company  and  makes  his  home  with  his  parents;  and 
Emma,  who  is  now  in  school. 

Mr.  Y\ "inkelfoos  is  a  prominent  and  exemplary  Mason  and  holds  member- 
ship in  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  council.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  also 
members  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  in  which  Mrs.  Winkelfoos  is  now 
serving  as  warden.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  of  the 
Deutsche  Gesellschaft.  In  politics  he  is  independent,  preferring  to  support 
the  men  whom  he  thinks  best  qualified  for  the  office,  regardless  of  party  affilia- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  641 

tions.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  active  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church  and  are  people  held  in  highest  esteem  because  of  their  many  excellent 
qualities.  They  are  earnest  and  efficient  workers  in  church  and  lodge  and 
wherever  known  have  won  the  regard  and  friendship  of  many  with  whom 
they  have  been  brought  in  contact. 

CHARLES    EDLER. 

Crawford  county,  Ohio,  has  reason  to  congratulate  itself  upon  having- 
within  its  borders  many  leading  citizens  of  German  birth  and  extraction. 
Prominent  among  these  is  Charles  Edler,  of  Jefferson  township,  who  was  born 
in  Baden,  Germany,  June  24,  1830,  a  son  of  [Martin  and  Margaret  (Shriek) 
Edler,  of  whose  twelve  children  only  three  survive — the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
his  brother  George  and  sister  Elizabeth,  both  of  whom  remain  in  the 
fatherland. 

Charles  Edler  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm  in  Germany  and  came 
to  America  in  1852,  landing  in  New  York  after  a  voyage  which  consumed 
twenty-seven  days.  He  went  to  Ohio  and  making  his  headquarters  at  Galion 
worked  out  as  a  farm  hand  four  years.  In  1856  he  married  Margaret  Beach, 
a  native  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  about  that  time  he  bought  a  small 
piece  of  land  in  Whetstone  township,  Crawford  county,  on  which  he  began 
farming  on  his  own  account.  He  remained  there  until  1862,  when  he  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land  across  the  county  line  in  [Marion  county,  where  he  lived 
ten  years,  meanwhile  adding  forty  acres  to  his  original  purchase.  In  1872  he 
sold  his  farm  in  [Marion  county,  and  removed  to  his  present  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  in  Jefferson  township,  Crawford  count}-,  Ohio.  He 
has  adhered  closely  to  general  farming  and  stock-raising  and  has  made  a 
notable  business  success.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics,  devoted  to  the 
traditions  and  principles  of  his  party  and  has  always  been  influential  in  pub- 
lic affairs,  but  though  he  has  helped  friends  to  important  offices  he  has  never 
sought  any  official  position  for  himself,  and  as  a  farmer  has  been  too  busy  to 
give  much  attention  to  practical  politics.  He  is  a  broad-minded  man  of  much 
general  information  who  has  read  a  good  deal  and  has  traveled  extensively. 
In  1900  he  visited  three  months  in  Germany,  and  the  Paris  Exposition,  and  in 
1901  he  and  his  wife  attended  the  Pan-American  exposition  at  Buffalo,  New 
York. 

Charles  and  [Margaret  (Beach)  Edler  have  had  ten  children,  eight  of 
whom  survive.     Their  daugfiter  Emma  married  William  Richer  and  lives  at 


642  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Bucyrus,  Ohio.  Their  daughter  Alan-  married  Samuel  Eichhorn,  of  Galion. 
Their  daughter  Catharine  became  the  wife  of  Levi  Smith  and  lives  at  Galion. 
Their  daughters  Amanda  and  Margaret  are  members  of  their  household. 
Their  daughter  Etta  married  Elmer  Smith  and  also  lives  at  Galion.  Their  son 
George  is  a  resident  of  the  same  city.  Their  son  Carl  manages  his  father's 
farm  and  takes  a  prominent  part  in  many  township  and  county  affairs. 

JEROME  BLAND,  M.  D. 

I  here  is  no  other  profession  in  which  greater  responsibility  rests  than  is 
peculiar  to  the  medical  profession.  Upon  the  skill  and  fidelity  of  the  physician 
depends  life  and  death  in  great  measure.  No  other  professional  man  has 
greater  opportunity  to  gain  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  man  than 
has  the  physician.  The  public  mind,  nevertheless,  is  sharp  and  piercing  in 
criticism;  the  sick,  too,  are  susceptible  to  change  of  sentiment,  easily  dis- 
couraged, quick  to  make  changes  of  mind,  so  that  after  all  the  physician  has 
not  only  to  battle  with  disease  but  also  with  ever-changing  temper  of  mind 
and  heart  so  manifest  in  mankind.  And  that  physician  who  succeeds  in  the 
art  of  healing  and  establishes  and  long  holds  for  himself  high  rank  in  his 
profession  and  in  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  patients  and  fellow  men 
deserves  no  little  praise  from  the  pen  of  the  biographer. 

Among  skillful,  successful  and  esteemed  physicians  of  Ohio  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  holds  a  conspicuous  place.  He  was  an  Ohio  farmer's  son,  and 
made  school  teaching  a  stepping-stone  into  the  profession  of  medicine;  began 
his  professional  career  a  poor  man,  and  not  under  the  most  promising  circum- 
stances, but  more  than  thirty  years  mark  the  span  of  a  successful  professional 
career  lor  him,  and  yet  he  is  still  active  and  promising  of  no  limited  years  of 
usefulness  in  his  profession. 

Dr;  Bland  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  on  a  farm  in  Muskingum  county, 
July  22,  1840,  and  spent  the  first  twenty-three  years  of  his  life  011  the  farm, 
where  he  was  schooled  in  arduous  labors  of  farm  life,  learning-  most  useful 
lessons  of  industry  and  perseverance  that  have  characterized  his  life.  His 
parents  were  Ebenezer  and  Harriet  (Lane)  Bland,  and  of  their  ten  children, 
three  daughters  and  seven  sons,  the  Doctor  was  the  eldest.  The  father  was 
a  native  of  Virginia,  while  the  mother's  native  state  was  Maryland.  John 
Bland,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  came  from  Virginia  to  Ohio 
as  early  as  1798,  and  settled  in  Muskingum  county.  The  land  which  he  ob- 
tained by  patent  from  the  general  government  is  still  in  possession  of  his  do- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  645 

scendants,  which  are  numerous  in  Muskingum  county.  From  sturdy  an- 
cestors our  subject  is  descended,  and  his  father  and  mother  were  possessed  of 
many  sterling  qualities. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  Dr.  Bland  began  teaching  in  the  country 
schools  of  his  native  county,  and,  in  all,  he  taught  nine  winter  terms.  In 
1862  he  became  a  student  in  Denison  College  at  Granville,  Ohio,  where  he 
remained  till  1864,  after  which  date  he  taught  several  terms  of  school. 

Disposition  of  mind,  that  of  a  student,  led  him  into  preparation  for  pro- 
fessional life.  Deciding  upon  the  profession  of  medicine,  he  began,  in  1864, 
the  study  of  medicine,  under  the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  Joseph  McCann,  an  old 
and  successful  practitioner  of  Irville,  Ohio.  Later  he  attended  one  term  of 
lectures  in  the  Starling  Medical  College,  of  Columbus,  this  state.  He  then 
began  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Hanover,  also  in  this  state,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years,  and  then  returned  to  the  Starling  Medical  College,  where 
he  graduated  in  1869.  He  then  came  to  Crawford  county  and  located  at 
Benton,  now  Poplar,  where  he  continued  in  a  most  active  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice for  fourteen  years.  During  this  time  so  large  was  his  practice  that  he 
was  "on  the  go"  almost  night  and  day.  Xo  other  physician  of  the  county 
ever  had  larger,  if  as  large,  a  country  practice  as  had  Dr.  Bland  while  he  was 
located  at  Benton,  from  which  place  he  came  to  Bucyrus  in  1883,  since  when 
he  has  been  numbered  among  the  most  active  and  successful  physicians  and 
surgeons  of  Bucyrus,  enjoying  a  very  large  and  lucrative  practice.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Northwestern  Ohio  Medical  Society,  of  the  Ohio  State  Medi- 
cal Society  and  of  the  American  Medical  Association. 

In  politics  the  Doctor  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  served  five  years  as  county 
coroner  and  was  a  member  of  the  pension  board  of  examiners  for  four  years 
under  the  second  administration  of  Graver  Cleveland.  He  also'  is  a  member  of 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  of  the  Masonic  order,  being 
a  Knight  Templar  and  also  a  "Shriner,"  holding  membership  in  Alkoran 
Temple,  at  Cleveland. 

He  has  considerable  business  interests,  being  the  proprietor  of  the 
Knisely  Springs  stock  farm,  owning  and  breeding  high-bred  horses,  his  stock 
farm  being  noted  for  its  high-class  horses.  On  his  farm  are  also  most  valu- 
able mineral  springs,  the  water  from  which  constitute  the  product  for  the 
Knisely  Mineral  Springs  Bottling  Works. 

In  the  mention  of  the  Doctor's  family  history  there  is  a  peculiar  item  to 
record.  He  had  two  brothers,  Charles  and  John  Bland,  who  studied  medicine 
under  him,  and  both  entered  medical  college  and  died  of  consumption  during 


646  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  last  year  of  their  studies  in  college,  and  both  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight,, 
though  their  deaths  occurred  some  eight  years  apart ;  and  while  a  third 
brother  died  of  consumption,  his  other  brothers  and  himself  are  large  and 
robust  men. 

In  1867  Dr.  Bland  married  Lucy  Coon,  and  they  have  had  a  son  and  two 
daughters.  The  son,  whose  name  was  Ebbie,  died  while  in  Cuba  during  the 
Spanish-American  war,  and  his  remains  were  brought  back  to  this  country 
and  interred  in  Arlington  cemetery,  near  Washington,  D.  C.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  A,  a  company  of  Bucyrus  soldiers.  The  daughters  are  Hattie, 
now  Airs.  A.  J.  Yawger,  of  Bucyrus;  and  Alice,  now  in  school. 

Dr.  Bland  is  in  every  sense  of  that  over-used  term  a  self-made  man. 
Many  have  been  his  life  struggles,  but  steadily  he  has  worked  his  way  up  in 
his  profession  and  business  affairs.  His  success  in  life  has  been  largely  due  to 
his  fortitude  of  character,  stern  resolution  and  fidelity  of  purpose.  Pleasant 
and  agreeable  in  manner  toward  his  fellow  men,  his  friends  are  man}'  and 
his  name  respected. 

ELMER  DEAX  ROBISOX. 

An  enterprising  young  farmer  of  Cranberry  township,  Elmer  Dean  Rob- 
ison, was  born  at  the  family  homestead,  where  he  now  resides,  October  22, 
1866,  and  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children  whose  parents  were  Robert  and 
Esther  (Robison)  Robison.  Only  three  of  the  children,  however,  survive,  the 
eldest  being  Margaret  J.,  wife  of  Isaac  Helem,  of  Chicago'  Junction,  Ohio,, 
while  the  youngest  is  William  L.,  a  resident  farmer  of  Cranberry  township. 
The  father  was  twice  married,  his  first  union  being  with  Alary  A.  Robison,  a. 
daughter  of  William  Robison,  who  was  one  of  three  brothers  and  a  brother 
of  the  grandfather  of  our  subject.  There  were  three  children  by  this  marriage,, 
but  all  are  now  deceased. 

Many  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Ohio  have  come  to  this  state  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  among  the  number  was  the  father  of  our  subject,  who  was  born  in 
Perry  county,  of  the  Keystone  state,  on  the  10th  of  October,  1825.  His  par- 
ents were  John  and  Jennie  (Baxter)  Robison,  who  were  also  natives  of  that 
county  and  the  former  was  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction,  while  the  latter  was  of 
Scotch  parentage.  In  1867,  when  their  son  Robert  was  only  twelve  years  of 
age,  they  traveled  by  wagon  to  Ohio,  bringing  with  them  their  household  ef- 
fects. The  journey  led  them  through  dense  forests  and  across  unbridged. 
streams,  and  with  the  pioneer  settlers  of  this  portion  of  the  Buckeye  state  they 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  647 

cast  in  their  lot.  Having  arrived  in  Crawford  county,  the  grandfather  purchased 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Cranberry  township,  now  owned  by 
Adam  Eckstein.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  after  locating  here  erected 
a  shop  on  his  farm,  conducting  business  along  that  line  for  a  number  of  years. 
In  early  life  Robert  Robison  worked  in  the  smithy  with  his  father  and  in  this. 
way  mastered  the  business,  becoming  quite  an  expert  at  the  forge.  When  twen- 
ty years  of  age  he  opened  a  shop  of  his  own  in  Waynesburg,  and  during  the 
succeeding  three  years  worked  almost  day  and  night  in  order  to-  gain  a  start 
in  business  life.  He  received  good  pay  for  his  labor,  and  on  the  completion  of 
that  period  he  had  received  three  thousand  dollars.  This  he  invested  in  a  farm 
of  eighty  acres,  where  his  son,  William  L.,  now  resides.  It  was  then  almost 
entirely  forest  land,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  green  woods  he  erected  a  log  house, 
as  well  as  a  shop,  giving  his  attention  to  blacksmithing.  He  hired  some  one 
to  clear  his  land  and  devlop  the  fields.  Some  time  later  he  developed  forty 
acres  adjoining  his  farm,  thus  extending  its  boundaries  until  it  comprised  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He  continued  work  in  the  smithy  until  1867,  when 
he  purchased  of  Casper  Eberly  a  tract  of  land  of  forty  acres,  on  which  he 
erected  a  residence,  and  then  moved  to  the  farm  which  is  now  the  home  of  his 
son  Elmer. 

He  then  abandoned  blacksmithing,  except  as  he  occasionally  did  a  little 
work  in  that  way  as  an  accommodation  for  some  friend  or  neighbor.  In  1876 
he  purchased  thirty  acres  of  land  lying  just  north  of  the  home  farm  and  in 
1880  bought  fifty  acres  of  the  Cory  heirs,  lying  just  across  the  road  from  his 
residence.  This  is  now  the  property  of  our  subject.  His  landed  possessions 
after  these  purchases  aggregated  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  he  also 
owned  a  town  residence,  surrounded  by  eleven  acres,  in  New  Washington.. 
After  a  useful,  honorable  and  active  career  he  was  called  to1  his  final  rest  March 
16,  1900.  During  the  last  eight  years  of  his  life  he  was  blind,  but  he  bore  the 
affliction  with  Christian  fortitude.  He  held  membership  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  was  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics,  but  would  never  accept  office, 
preferring  to  devote  his  energies  to>  his  business  affairs,  which  demanded  all  of 
his  attention  and  which  brought  to  him  a  good  financial  return  for  his  labor. 
He  possessed  an  iron  constitution,  indomitable  will  and  unflagging  energy, 
and  his  life  is  in  many  respects  well  worthy  oi  emolution.  His  wife  was  born 
in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  25,  1832,  and  was  a  daughter  of  George' 
Robison,  a  native  of  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  of  Scotch-Irish  extrac- 
tion, as  was  also>  her  mother.  The  paternal  and  maternal  grandfathers  of  our 
subject  were  own  cousins.     George  Robison,  the  maternal  grandfather,  was 


•648  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

an  officer  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  after  the  close  of  hostilities  was  recognized 
as  a  leader  in  military  matters  for  many  years.  By  trade  he  was  a  cooper  and 
he  acquired  considerable  land,  thus  becoming  in  comfortable  circumstances. 
He  and  his  wife  both  spent  their  lives  in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  their 
daughter,  Mrs.  Esther  Robison,  passed  away  in  Crawford  county,  January  5, 
1900. 

Elmer  Dean  Robison,  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  article,  was 
given  the  educational  privileges  afforded  by  the  common  and  high  schools  of 
New  Washington,  completing  the  course  with  the  first  graduating  class,  in 
1883.  The  same  fall  he  entered  Oberlin  College,  where  he  completed  the  work 
of  the  junior  year.  His  health  then  failed  him  and  he  was  compelled  to  dis- 
continue his  studies,  which  was  a  great  blow  to  him,  for  he  possessed  literary 
tastes  and  wished  to  prepare  for  a  profession  or  for  some  literary  work.  Leav- 
ing college,  he  returned  home,  and  after  a  few  months  spent  in  recuperating 
he  became  a  student  in  the  Davis  Business  College  of  Toledo,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  the  fall  of  1887.  During  the  succeeding  winter  and  summer  he 
remained  at  home,  his  health  being  greatly  benefitted  thereby.  He  assisted 
in  the  work  of  the  farm  to  some  extent,  and  in  the  fall  of  1888  he  began  teach- 
ing, which  profession  he  followed  through  the  winter  months,  while  in  the  sum- 
mers he  aided  in  the  labors  of  the  field  and  meadow. 

However,  when  the  spring  of  1890  came  he  found  that  the  confinement 
of  the  school-room  had  again  undermined  his  health  and  he  went  to  Colorado, 
where  during  the  following  six  months  he  improved  rapidly.  He  extended  his 
trip  into  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Texas,  California,  Wyoming  and  Nevada,  and 
in  November,  1890.  returned  to  his  home.  The  following  year  his  father  lost 
the  sight  of  one  eye  through  an  accident.  In  January,  1892,  Mr.  Robison,  of 
this  sketch,  took  a  trip  through  the  south  to  Jacksonville,  Florida,  in  order  to 
recover  from  the  effects  of  the  grip,  and  spent  two  months  in  that  sunny  clime, 
after  which  he  made  his  way  northward  to  Atlanta,  Georgia,  where  he  accepted 
a  position  with  the  Southern  Bell  Telephone  Company,  acting  as  secretary  to 
the  superintendent.  He  served  in  that  capacity  until,  in  a  traction  accident  on 
a  Sunday  excursion  on  the  Chattanooga  river,  he  had  his  legs  almost  cut  off. 
For  six  weeks  he  was  forced  to  remain  in  bed.  He  then  returned  home  to  rest 
and  recuperate,  and  soon  after  his  arrival  his  father  entirely  lost  the  sight  of 
both  eyes. 

At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  his  parents  Mr.  Robison  decided  to  remain 
at  home,  where  he  has  since  continued,  caring  for  his  father  and  managing 
the  farm.     He  is  a  most  energetic  and  resolute  young  man,  of  strong  purpose 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  649 

and  marked  ability,  and  his  business  management  has  brought  to  the  farm  good 
success.  He  votes  with  the  Democracy  and  socially  is  identified  with  Hyperion 
Lodge,  No.  651,  K.  P.,  in  which  he  has  helled  all  of  the  chairs  and  is  now 
•serving  as  keeper  of  the  records  and  seals  and  master  of  finance.  His  life  has 
been  upright  and  honorable,  energetic  and  diligent,  and  throughout  the  com- 
munity he  has  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

JEREMIAH  J.  HOPPEL. 

Jeremiah  J.  Hoppel  is  justly  regarded  by  the  citizens  of  Liberty  town- 
ship as  one  of  their  leading  and  representative  men.  He  is  a  thorough  farmer, 
a  reliable  township  official  and  is  thoroughly  respected  by  his  neighbors  and 
those  who  know  him  best  in  private  life.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Hoppel  was  in 
Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  December  5,  1847,  a  son  ot"  Reuben 
and  Christina  (Deal)  Hoppel,  and  is  one  of  the  surviving  children  of  a  family 
of  four,  his  sister  being  Emma  E..  the  wife  of  A.  B.  Charlton.  The  two  de- 
ceased sisters  were  Anna,  the  wife  of  John  Davidson;  and  Effia,  the  wife  of 
Joseph  Kinsley. 

Reuben  Hoppel  was  born  in  Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania,  of 
French  ancestry,  on  August  18,  1818.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  he  with  his 
brothers.  Charles  and  Adam,  lost  the  parental  care  of  their  father,  and  were 
thrown  upon  their  own  resources.  Reuben  worked  for  neighboring  farmers 
and  grew  up  industrious  and  respected  and  married  Christina  Deal  in  his 
twenty-third  year,  her  death  occurring  in  1862.  After  marriage  he  bought 
a  farm,  in  the  timber  land  and  settled  down  to  the  laborous  task  of  clearing- 
it  and  putting  it  under  cultivation.  By  1858  he  had  succeeded  in  clearing  it 
and  had  erected  substantial  buildings,  but  his  brother  Charles  had  gone  to 
Indiana  and  prospered  and  Reuben  decided  to  also  go  as  far  west  as  Ohio.  He 
had  inherited  several  thousand  dollars  from  his  granfather  Kester,  who  owned 
extensive  chestnut  timber  lands  in  Northampton  county  which  sold  for  a 
fortune,  after  his  death,  and  this  money  Reuben  Lloppel  brought  with  him  to 
Ohio,  buying  with  it  one  hundred  and  eighteen  acres  of  land  in  section  6, 
Liberty  township.  This  farm  was  later  known  as  the  model  farm  and  passed 
into  the  possession  of  the  Klunk  family,  by  which  it  is  still  owned.  After  a 
residence  of  some  six  years  upon  it,  Mr.  Hoppel  sold  it  and  bought  of  Jacob 
Thomas,  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  adjoining  his  former  farm,  on  the 
south  and  here  resided  until  1896,  having  made  it  one  of  the  best  im- 
proved farms  in  the  county.     Here  he  built  a  handsome  brick  residence,  in 


650  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

1885.  In  1896  he  sold  the  farm,  which  then  contained  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  and  removed  to  Holmes  township,  where  he  purchased  a  small  home 
farm  of  sixty  acres,  located  one  mile  north  of  Bucyrus  and  there  he  had  his 
residence  for  three  years,  his  death  occurring  on  February  2j,  1899,  in  his 
eighty-first  year.  He  had  married,  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Mrs. 
Mary  Deagle,  formerly  a  Miss  McMichael,  and  three  children  were  born  to 
this  union,  viz:  Ida,  the  wife  of  William  Dinninger,  of  Holmes  township; 
Reuben,  of  Plymouth,  Indiana;  and  Ada,  the  wife  of  Charles  Winner,  with  her 
mother,  in  Holmes  township.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  North- 
ampton county,  Pennsylvania,  about  1820,  a  daughter  of  Frederick  anl  Eva 
Teel,  also  of  that  county,  where  her  father  lived.  He  died  in  1848,  from 
•dropsy.  Eva  Teel,  his  wife,  died  at  the  same  place  in  1852.  In  politics  Mr. 
Hoppel  supported  the  Democratic  party,  for  several  years  was  one  of  the 
trustees  of  Liberty  township  and  a  man  much  respected.  He  was  a  con- 
sistent member  of  the  Reformed  church. 

Farm  life  has  produced  the  greater  number  of  the  solid  and  responsible 
men  of  the  country.  In  the  homely  duties  on  his  father's  estate,  young  Jere- 
miah Hoppel  passed  from  childhood  to  youth  and  manhood,  receiving  the  best 
available  schooling  in  the  locality.  His  marriage  on  February  5,  1873,  was  to 
Miss  Martha  Schieber,  a  native  of  this  township,  a  daughter  of  Christopher 
and  Lydia  (Hirschberger)  Schieber,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  Following  this  event,  our  subject  became 
the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of  land  from  his  father,  bravely  and  happily  began 
domestic  life  in  one  of  the  old  pioneer  log  cabins,  and  in  three  years  time  was 
able  to  erect  an  attractive  and  comfortable  residence  and  in  1883  completed 
one  of  the  best  barns  of  this  neighborhood.  In  1894  our  subject  sold  this 
farm  and  purchased  the  old  Michael  Charlton  farm,  consisting  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  in  1900  adding  eighty-three  acres  adjoining,  and  now 
is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  forty-three  acres  of  as  excellent  land  as  can 
be  found  in  the  state  of  Ohio. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoppel  have  four  children :  Myrtle,  the  wife  of  Ralph 
McCalman,  of  Danville,  Illinois;  Otis  Milton,  at  home;  Elger  James,  attend- 
ing Heidelberg  College;  and  Helen,  at  home.  Mr.  Hoppel's  political  sympa- 
thies place  him  in  the  Democratic  party,  and  in  1900  he  was  elected  trustee  of 
the  township,  and  is  serving  with  the  greatest  satisfaction  to  the  public.  Several 
years  he  served  on  the  school  board  and  is  a  trustee  of  the  library  board  of 
Sulphur  Springs.  His  early  rearing  was  in  the  Methodist  church,  but  his 
family  are  connected  with  the  Lutheran  church,  and  to  this  denomination  he 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  651 

gives  support.  He  has  always  taken  a  great  interest  in  his  home  surroundings 
and  has  lately  added  very  much  to  its  attractiveness  by  the  rebuilding  of  his 
commodious  modern  barn.  His  success  has  been  attained  by  the  exercise  of 
honesty,  energy  and  industry. 

ROBERT  W.  JOHNSTON. 

Robert  W.  Johnston  was  born  in  Green  township,  Ashland  county,  Ohio. 
His  father,  Thomas  Johnston,  was  born  at  Frederick  City,  Maryland,  Septem- 
ber 12,  1809,  his  parents,  John  and  Christina  (Johnston)  Johnston,  having 
emigrated  from  county  Fermanagh,  Ireland,  about  the  year  1808.  When 
eighteen  years  of  age  Thomas  Johnston  became  a  resident  of  that  part  of  Rich- 
land county,  Ohio,  which  subsequently  became  a  part  of  Ashland  county, 
where  he  resided  continuously  until  his  death,  April  18,  1871.  When  but  a 
little  past  his  majority  he  became  a  wagoner,  and  for  a  number  of  years  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  of  conveying,  by  wagons  drawn  by  six-horse  teams,  mer- 
chandise from  Philadelphia,  Baltimore  and  Pittsburg  for  the  merchants  in 
Richland  and  adjoining  counties,  and  hauling  the  produce  of  the  then  new 
country  to  eastern  markets.  The  advent  of  the  railroads  did  away  with  this  oc- 
cupation, and  his  life  was  then  wholly  devoted  to  farming  and  stock-raising, 
in  which  he  took  special  interest,  being  among  the  first  to  introduce  Durham 
or  short-horn  cattle  into  Ashland  county  from  the  Blue  Grass  region  of  Ken- 
tucky. He  married,  in  1833,  Sarah  Ann  Workman,  who  was  born  at  Gettys- 
burg, Pennsylvania,  September  16,  1813,  and  was  brought  by  her  parents, 
Joseph  and  Lydia  (Shields)  Workman,  to  Vermilion  township,  Richland,  now 
Ashland,  count}-  in  1815.  She  died  at  Gallon,  January  27,  1893.  Joseph 
Workman  was  born  in  couny  Monaghan,  Ireland,  March  12,  1786,  and  came 
to  America  with  his  parents  in  1793.  His  father,  Benjamin  Workman,  was 
educated  for  the  ministry  in  the  Covenanter  church,  but  instead  of  carrying 
out  his  original  plans  devoted  his  life  to  teaching,  following  that  occupation 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  Joseph  Workman  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  war  of  1812,  being  a  member  of  a  Pennsylvania  regiment,  and  two 
of  his  uncles,  James  and  Hugh  Workman,  served  with  Colonel  Crawford  in 
the  disastrous  campaign  against  Sandusky.  .He  was  one  of  the  earlv  justices 
of  the  peace  in  Vermilion  township,  have  filled  that  office  in  1817-18,  and 
and  was  a  member  of  the  first  Ohio  state  board  of  agriculture. 

Robert  W.  Johnston  spent  his  youth  on  the  farm  in  Ashland  county,  at- 
tending the  public  schools,  Vermilion  Institute  at  Hayesville,  and  Green  Town 


652  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Academy  at  Perrysville.  In  1876,  having  decided  to  engage  in  the  study  of 
law,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Henry  C.  Carhart,  at  Galion,  and  graduated  at 
the  Cincinnati  Law  School  in  the  class  of  1879.  In  the  same  year  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  and  immediately  formed  a  partnership  with  his  preceptor, 
Mr.  Carhart,  and  has  practiced  his  profession  continuously  at  Galion.  Mr. 
Johnston  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  all  things  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of 
the  city  of  Galion,  and  has  been  concerned  in  the  promotion  of  various  enter- 
prises which  have  contributed  to  its  progress.  Politicallv  he  has  always  been 
a  Republican,  and  is  a  strong  adherent  of  the  principles  of  the  party,  and  al- 
though Galion  is  strongly  Democratic  he  has  served  both  as  mayor  and  city 
solicitor,  having  been  elected  to  the  former  office  in  1S83  and  to  the  latter  in 
1893. 

JOHN  W.  FRENCH. 

John  W.  French  owes  his  success  in  life  to  his,  own  efforts  and  has  gained 
the  only  title  which  America  confers  upon  her  citizens,  that  of  a  self-made 
man.  He  was  born  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  November  8,  1832,  his  par- 
ents being  Samuel  and  Rebecca  (Welch)  French.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  born  about  1800,  and  was  a  son  of  Irish  parentage.  His 
mother  died  during  his  early  childhood  and  he  was  then  reared  by  his  maternal 
grandfather,  William  McLaughlin,  who  came  to  Ohio  about  the  time  of  the 
mother's  death,  settling  in  Columbiana  county,  where  he  took  advantage  of  the 
offer  made  by  the  government  to  the  settlers  who  could  claim  land  and  would 
develop  farms.  He  built  a  log  cabin  and  made  a  home  for  his  large  family 
numbering  ten  children,  seven  sons  and  three  daughters.  Several  sons  were 
veterans  of  the  war  of  181 2.  Samuel  was  a  captain  in  the  service  and  Robert 
loyally  aided  in  the  defense  of  his  country,  died  while  on  his  way  home  and 
was  buried  in  the  f<  >rest  of  Seneca  county,  but  his  grave  was  unmarked  and 
therefore  could  never  be  visited  by  the  family. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  the  pioneer  home  amid  the  wild 
scenes  of  frontier  life  and  early  became  familiar  with  the  arduous  task  of 
clearing  and  cultivating  the  fields.  In  1844.  after  his  marriage,  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Wood  county,  where  he  leased  a  tract  of  forest  land,  built 
a  log  cabin  home  and  in  the  succeeding  four  years  cleared  about  forty  acres, 
deriving  considerable  income  from  the  sale  of  the  wood  as  well  as  from  his 
farming  operations.  In  1848  he  came  to  Crawford  county,  settling  in  Lykens 
township,  where  he  followed  agricultural  pursuits  until   1859,  when  he  re- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  653 

moved  to  Huron  county,  where  his  death  occurred  two  years  later.  He  was  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  the  Democracy  received  his 
political  support.  In  early  manhood  he  married  Miss  Rebecca  Welch,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia  about  1808  and  a  daughter  of  James  and  Esther  (Ada) 
Welch,  both  of  whom  were  of  Irish  extraction.  They  went  to  Columbiana 
county,  Ohio,  early  in  the  nineteenth  century  and  there  the  maternal  grand- 
father of  our  subject  built  the  first  double  log  house  ever  erected  on  the  site 
of  Wellsville.  For  many  years  he  conducted  a  tavern  there,  entertaining  the 
pioneer  settlers.  Both  he  and  his  wife  died  in  that  county.  For  over  a  half 
century  he  was  a  ruling  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  was  the  only 
member  of  the  family  to  remove  to'  the  eastern  part  of  the  state,  becoming 
actively  connected  with  its  upbuilding  and  promotion.  His  father  was  the 
first  white  settler  to  locate  in  Seneca  count}-.  Ohio,  south  of  the  Sandusky 
river,  his  nearest  neighbor  at  the  time  being  twenty-three  miles  distant.  One 
of  his  sons.  John  Welch,  served  as  a  representative  in  the  state  legislature  and 
another  son,  Hugh,  was  judge  of  the  county  court,  while  Martin  was  a 
Methodist  minister.  These  sons  had  lint  meager  educational  privileges,  being 
self-made  men  and  exercised  a  strong  influence  for  good  in  the  community 
where  they  resided.  Albert  G.  Welch,  a  brother  of  Airs.  French,  and  an  uncle, 
of  our  subject,  could  not  write  his  own  name  when  he  left  home,  but  the  am- 
bition, determination  and  energy  so  characteristic  of  the  family  enabled  him  to 
advance  steadily  in  knowledge  and  prominence.  Later  he  became  a  state 
senator,  was  also  sheriff  of  Columbiana  count}'.  Ohio,  and  subsequently  was 
deputy  warden  of  the  Ohio  State  Penintentiary.  Mrs.  French  was  a  lad}'  of 
sterling  worth  and  ability  and  proved  to  her  husband  a  faithful  companion 
and  helpmeet  on  the  journey  of  life.  Her  death  occurred  in  the  year  1875. 
She  was  the  mother  of  ten  children,  but  only  four  are  now  living,  namely: 
John  W-.  Joseph,  who  resides  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri;  Elizabeth,  widow  of 
.Martin  Corbet,  of  Chicago;  and  Esther,  the  widow  of  Levi  Leonard,  of 
Huron  county,  Ohio. 

John  W.  French  was  reared  to  rural  life  and  the  work  of  the  fields  on  the 
home  farm.  Flis  school  privileges  were  very  limited,  his  only  text-books  being 
the  testament  and  a  spelling  book,  but  through  broad  reading,  supplemented  by 
a  retentive  memory  he  has  become  a  well  informed  man  and  continually  in- 
creases his  knowledge  by  keeping  in  touch  with  the  advanced  thought  and 
progress  of  the  day.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  left  his  parents'  home 
and  removed  to  Putnam  county,  where  he  worked  in  a  sawmill.  After  three 
years  he  returned  to  Crawford  county,  and  as  he  possessed  considerable  natural 

36 


654  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

mechanical  ingenuity  he  began  working  at  the  carpenter's  trade  in  Lykens 
township.  During  the  succeeding  four  years,  in  connection  with  Comfort 
Waller,  he  erected  many  houses  and  barns  in  the  township,  and  thus  largely 
promoted  its  improvement.  In  1856  he  went  to  Tiffin,  where  he  entered  the 
employ  of  contractor  and  builder.  Scudder  Chamberlain,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained for  four  years,  when,  in  1861,  he  returned  to  Lykens  township. 

On  the  24th  of  February  of  that  year  occurred  one  of  the  most  import- 
ant events  of  his  life, — his  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Jane  Perky,  a  native  of 
Seneca  county.  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  David  and  Mary  (Seitz)  Perky. 
Her  father  was  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  her 
mother  of  Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  and  during  their  childhood  they  went  with 
their  respective  parents  to  Seneca  county,  this  state.  After  their  marriage  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  French  located  in  Lykens  township,  where  he  continued  working  at 
his  trade  until  the  nth  of  May,  1864,  when  he  enlisted  at  the  call  for  troops  to 
serve  one  hundred  days,  joining  Company  E  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
sixth  Ohio  Infantry.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  and  was  stationed  at  Fort  Worth,  Virginia.  In  September  of  the 
same  year  Mr.  French  was  mustered  out  and  returned  to  his  home.  In  the 
fall  of  1866  he  removed  to  Huron  county  and  purchased  fifty-three  acres  of 
land  and  continued  carpentering,  renting  his  farm.  In  the  spring  of  1873  he 
sold  that  property  and  came  to  Cranberry  township,  Crawford  county,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  Upon  his  arrival  here  he  purchased  seventy  acres  of 
land  and,  abandoning  his  trade,  he  has  since  given  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  After  some  years  he  added  forty-one  acres  to  his  farm,  so  that  the 
home  place  now  comprises  one  hundred  and  eleven  acres. 

Mr.  and  Airs.  French  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  two 
are  vet  living,  namely:  Sherman  L.,  a  farmer  of  Cranberry  township,  and 
David  P.,  who  is  operating  the  home  farm.  Imogene  and  Martin,  the  eldes: 
and  youngest  of  the  family,  are  now  deceased.  The  parents  hold  membership 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Air.  French  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political 
faith.  He  is  an  example  of  the  boys  who  educate  themselves  and  secure  then- 
own  start  in  life, — determined,  self-reliant  boys,  willing  to  work  for  advan- 
tages which  others  secure  through  inheritance,  destined  by  sheer  force  of  char- 
acter to  succeed  in  the  face  of  all  opposition  and  to  push  to  the  front  in  one 
important  branch  of  enterprise  or  another.  As  a  man  his  business  ability  has 
been  constantly  manifested  in  one  phase  or  another  and  he  has  gained  an  ex- 
cellent success,  a  just  reward  for  his  meritorious  and  honorable  effort,  which 
commands  the  respect  and  admiration  of  all. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  655 

ALBERT  S.  NYE. 

Albert  Sheridan  Nye.  one  of  the  enterprising"  agriculturists  of  Cranberry 
township,  was  born  July  30,  1867,  in  the  township  which  is  still  his  home, 
his  parents  being  Jonathan  and  Lovina  (Immel)  Nye.  The  father  was  also 
a  native  of  the  Buckeye  state,  for  he  was  burn  in  Medina  county.  March  2, 
1823,  his  parents  being  Jonathan  and  Sabrina  (Briggs)  Nye.  The  grand- 
father of  our  subject  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  in  1770,  and  his  father  bore 
the  name  of  Jonathan  Nye  and  was  a  well-known  resident  of  the  Bay  state. 
He  was  also-  a  son  of  a  Jonathan  Nye,  who  engaged  in  whale  fishing,  following 
that  hazardous  occupation  for  many  years. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  his  parents'  home  and  the 
common  schools  afforded  him  his  educational  privileges.  After  his  marriage 
he  turned  his  attention  toi  farming,  which  he  followed  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  subsequently  he  lemoved  to-  New  York,  where  his  wife  died.  He  was 
afterward  married  again,  his  second  union  being  with  the  grandmother  of  our 
subject.  By  the  first  marriage  there  were  seven  children,  but  all  are  now  de- 
ceased. Soon  after  his  second  marriage  the  grandfather  came  to>  Ohio,  lo- 
cating in  Medina  count}',  where  he  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
forest  land,  where  he  erected  a  log  cabin.  Through  the  following*  years  he 
performed  the  arduous  task  of  clearing  away  the  trees  and  plowing  and  plant- 
ing the  fields,  operating  his  farm  until  1825,  when  he  sold  that  property  and 
came  to  Crawford  county.  Here  he  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
the  mids  of  the  forest,  near  what  is  now  North  Robinson,  and  built  a  log  cabin, 
into  which  the  family  removed.  He  cleared  eighty  acres  of  his  land  and  gave 
the  remaining"  eighty  acres  to  two  of  his  sons.  Upon  this  farm  the  grand- 
father died  in  1840,  his  wife  surviving  until  1853.  Upon  her  death  the  farm 
passed  into  possession  of  Jonathan  Nye  and  his  brother  Lorenzo.  In  1857 
they  sold  this  property  and  the  father  of  our  subject  came  to  Cranberry  town- 
ship, where  he  purchased  his  present  home,  comprising  a  tract  of  eighty  acres, 
while  Lorenzo-  Nye  bought  ninety-five  and  a  fraction  acres  just  across  the 
road  from  his  brother. 

Here  they  continued  their  farming  work,  and  as  Lorenzo  Nye  was  mar- 
ried, Jonathan  boarded  with  him  until  his  own  marriage,  which  occurred  on 
the  2 1  st  of  April,  1861,  to  Miss  Lovina  Immel,  a  native  of  Cranberry  township. 
She  was  born  on  the  farm  adjoining"  that  which  belongs  to  her  husband  and  was 
a  daughter  of  Philip  Immel,  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  the  township,  who 
emigrated  to-  Ohio  from  Pennsylvania,  his  native  state.     His  parents  were  of 


656  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Pennsylvania  Dutch  lineage.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Immel  started  with  his 
bride  for  Ohio,  making  the  journey  by  wagon,  and  on  his  arrival  in  Crawford 
county  he  entered  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Cranberry  township,  the  deed  being 
signed  by  Andrew  Jackson,  then  president  of  the  United  States.  He  at  once 
built  a  log  house,  and  blankets  were  hung  at  the  openings  to  serve  as  doors. 
In  true  pioneer  style  he  began  the  development  and  cultivation  of  his  land  and 
throughout  his  active  business  career  carried  on  farming  with  good  success, 
maintaining  his  residence  upon  the  old  homestead  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1885. 

After  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jonathan  Nye  they  began  their 
domestic  life  in  an  old  log  cabin  on  his  farm.  The  building  was  in  a  dilapi- 
dated condition  and  the  wind  whistled  through  the  structure  and  the  rain  and 
snow  was  blown  through  the  apertures.  In  severe  weather  it  was  almost  im- 
possible to  keep  the  room  at  a  temperature  to  save  them  from  freezing.  During 
the  five  years  in  which  they  were  paying  for  their  farm  they  endured  many 
hardships,  but  at  length  the  indebtedness  was  discharged  and  their  financial 
resources  were  increased  so  that  they  were  able  to  erect  a  more  commodious 
residence,  and  in  1866  the  present  home  was  built.  Their  marriage  was 
blessed  with  six  children,  of  whom  three  are  now  living:  William  Sherman,  a 
resident  farmer  of  Auburn  township;  Albert  Sheridan,  of  this  review;  and 
Eli  Liberty,  at  home.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Nye  is  a  Republican, 
and  in  ante-bellum  days  was  a  strong  Abolitionist.  His  religious  views  are  in 
harmony  with  the  Methodist  doctrine,  although  he  is  not  a  member  of  the 
church,  and  throughout  his  whole  life  he  has  so  lived  as  to  win  the  confidence 
and  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  contact. 

Albert  Sheridan  Nye  became  familiar  with  farm  work  upon  the  old  home- 
stead. His  elementary  education  was  acquired  in  the  common  schools  and 
was  supplemented  by  study  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware. 
Jn  the  fall  of  1888  he  left  that  institution  and  returned  home,  working  through 
the  following  summer  in  the  fields.  He  also  became  extensively  engaged  in 
the  breeding  of  fine  poultry  and  now  carries  on  business  along  that  line.  In 
the  fall  of  1889  lie  began  teaching,  and  at  intervals  has  thus  been  connected 
with  educational  work  through  five  school  terms. 

On  the  17th  of  May,  1893,  Mr.  Nye  was  united  in  marriage  to  ?% T i > s  Anna 
Springer,  a  native  of  Ottawa  count}'  and  a  daughter  of  M.  M.  Springer.  The 
young  couple  located  upon  their  present  farm,  which  comprises  fifty  acres,  a 
mile  and  a  half  east  of  New  Washington,  and  which  Mr.  Nye  had  purchased 
the    year    previous.      Here    he    has    since    engaged    in    agricultural    pursuits 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  657 

and  in  the  raising  of  fine  poultry,  and  both  branches  of  his  business  prove  a 
profitable  source  of  income.  When  he  was  only  eight  years  of  age  he  was  the 
owner  of  a  number  of  thoroughbred  fowls,  and  in  his  early  youth  he  de- 
veloped a  fondness  for  the  business  which  he  now  carries  on  and  in  which  he 
has  met  with  excellent  success.  His  poultry  has  been  displayed  at  various  fairs 
and  poultry  shows  among  those  sent  by  leading  breeders  of  fancy  poultry 
throughout  the  country,  and  he  has  won  many  premiums.  In  his  farming- 
work  he  is  energetic,  and  the  well-tilled  fields  indicate  his  careful  supervision 
and  bring  to  him  a  handsome  financial  return. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nye  has  been  blessed  with  three  children: 
Charles  A.,  Ettie  L.  and  Hobart  J.  Mrs.  Nye  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  to  its  support  Mr.  Nye  is  a  liberal  contributor.  In  fact, 
he  gives  his  aid  to  all  measures  calculated  to  prove  of  public  benefit.  He  is  a 
member  of  Hyperion  Lodge,  No.  651,  K.  P.,  which  he  joined  on  its  organi- 
zation, and  politically  he  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  being  an  un- 
swerving advocate  of  its  principles.  In  1900  he  was  appointed  census  enum- 
erator of  his  township,  and  for  the  past  three  years  has  been  president  of  the 
school  board,  and  has  also  served  as  a  member  of  the  election  board  for  many 
years.  At  different  times  he  has  been  the  nominee  on  his  ticket  for  the  office 
of  township  trustee,  justice  of  the  peace  and  assessor.  In  his  political  service 
he  has  discharged  his  duties  with  marked  prominence  and  fidelity,  and  in  all 
life's  relations  he  has  won  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  those  with  whom 
he  has  been  associated.  He  is  known  as  a  reliable,  progressive  and  wide- 
awake business  man,  being  accounted  one  of  the  leading  representatives  among 
the  younger  men  now  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  his  native  county. 

LOUIS  C.  MARTI X. 

The  career  of  the  gentleman  whose  name  is  mentioned  above  is  one  the 
active  years  of  which  have  been  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  mankind  and  the  in- 
fluence of  which  is  good  and  far-reaching.  The  Rev.  Louis  C.  Martin,  pastor 
of  the  German  Reformed  church  of  Galion,  Ohio,  was  born  in  Lanesville,  In- 
diana, in  1863.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Germany  and  his  father  is  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel  and  of  the  church  which  his  son  has  so  well  represented. 

Mr.  Martin's  childhood  was  spent  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  and  there  he 
attended  the  public  school  and  prepared  to  enter  the  theological  seminary  of 
his  church  at  Sheboygan,  Wisconsin.  Afer  a  complete  course  at  the  institution 
just  referred  to,  he  was,  in  1883,  graduated  from  Heidelberg-  college  at  Tiffin, 


658  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Ohio,  with  the  honors  of  his  class.  Immediately  after  his  graduation  Mr.  Mar- 
tin entered  upon  the  mission  work  of  his  church  at  Boone  City,  Iowa,  where 
he  achieved  a  phenomenal  success.  From  Boone  City  he  went  to  Chilton,  Wis- 
consin, and,  after  two  years'  successful  work  there,  he  was  given  charge  of  the 
large  congregation  at  Huntington,  Indiana.  From  Huntington  he  removed 
to  Waukegan,  Illinois,  where  he  had  charge  of  a  congregation  of  his  church. 

Following  his  arduous  work  at  the  stations  mentioned,  he  was  afflicted 
with  nervous  prostration  and  for  a  year  rested  at  Galion,  Ohio.  During  this 
time  he  had  charge  of  a  mission  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  where  in  eleven  weeks  he 
had  laid  the  foundation  and  plans  ready  for  a  chapel.  After  that  he  became 
pastor  of  the  church  of  his  denomination  at  Ironton,  Ohio,  where  he  originated 
and  established  the  Protestant  Deaconess  hospital.  His  successful  manage- 
ment of  that  institution  brought  him  many  congratulatory  communications- 
from  those  in  charge  of  other  charitable  homes  and  led  to  the  reorganization  of 
some  institutions  along  lines  which  he  had  made  successful  and  popular.  When 
he  severed  his  relations  with  the  church  and  the  Deaconess  Hospital  at  Iron- 
ton  he  returned  to  Galion,  where  he  was  called  by  family  considerations  and 
where  he  has  since  lived.  He  is  at  this  time  pastor  of  the  Windfall  congrega- 
tion of  the  Peace  Reformed  church,  just  over  the  line  in  Morrow  county. 

Mr.  Martin  married,  September  20,  1887,  Miss  Sarah  Zimmerman,  a 
daughter  of  John  S.  Zimmerman,  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Galion,  and 
they  have  three  children,  named  Carl.  Amelia  and  Miriam. 

JACOB  UHL. 

Jacob  Uhl,  an  honored  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  now  engaged  in  farming 
in  Cranberry  township,  where  he  owns  and  operates  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
acres,  was  born  in  Offenbauch,  Bavaria,  Germany.  January  25,  1833.  His 
father,  Benedict  Uhl,  was  a  native  of  the  same  country,  born  in  1797,  and 
there  he  learned  the  wheelwright's  trade.  In  early  manhood  he  married  Miss 
Anna  Mary  Mesmer,  also  a  native  of  Bavaria,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
six  children,  three  daughters,  deceased,  and  three  sons,  who  are  yet  living: 
Benedict,  who  makes  his  home  in  Toledo,  Ohio;  Jacob;  and  Daniel,  who  makes 
his  home  in  Cranberry  township.  With  his  family  the  father  came  to  the 
United  States  in  the  spring  of  1836,  embarking  on  an  Italian  sailing  vessel  at 
Havre,  France.  They  landed  in  Xew  York  City  after  a  voyage  of  forty-four 
days  and  by  way  of  the  Great  Lakes  came  to  Ohio.  After  spending  a  few  days. 
in  Huron,  this  state,  they  continued  on  their  way  to  Plymouth,  where  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  659 

mother  and  children  remained  while  the  father  sought  a  location.  He  finally 
purchased  forty  acres  of  land  in  Cranberry  township,  one  mile  north  of  Xew 
Washington,  a  Mr.  Elias  Resell  purchasing  the  other  forty  acres  of  the  eighty- 
acre  tract.  For  a  short  time  the  two  families  lived  in  the  log  house  erected  by 
a  former  settler. 

A  few  months  later  Benedict  Uhl  purchased  two  lots  in  Xew  Washington 
and  built  a  hewed-log  house,  which  served  as  a  residence  and  shop,  and  there 
he  worked  for  two  years  at  his  trade,  but  the  pioneer  settlers  had  little  money 
to  pay  for  labor  and  therefore  he  left  the  town  and  returned  to  his  farm,  upon 
which  he  built  a  log  cabin,  which  the  family  occupied  until  about  1850,  when 
he  erected  a  commodious  frame  house.  After  his  return  to  the  farm  he  began 
clearing  and  developing  his  land,  and  for  twenty  years,  in  connection  with 
agricultural  pursuits,  he  also  followed  his  trade.  He  added  a  tract  of  fifty 
acres  to  his  land  and  successfully  carried  on  business  along  the  two  lines  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1863.  He  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Catho- 
lic church,  and  in  his  political  faith  was  a  Democrat. 

The  wild  scenes  of  pioneer  life  surrounded  Jacob  Uhl  in  his  youth.  He 
saw  the  dense  forests,  the  cabin  homes  and  shared  in  the  arduous  task  of  sub- 
jugating the  wild  land  in  order  to  make  it  cultivable.  His  education  was 
obtained  after  the  primitive  manner  of  the  times  in  a  frontier  district,  and  after 
attaining  his  majority  he  began  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  by  working  as  a 
farm  hand  in  the  neighborhood.  A  great  change  in  his  mode  of  life  occurred, 
however,  when  in  August,  1861,  he  responded  to  the  call  for  troops  and  entered. 
the  military  service  of  his  adopted  country,  becoming  a  member  of  Company 
C,  Forty-ninth  Ohio  Infantry.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of 
■the  Cumberland  and  he  participated  in  all  of  the  engagements  with  his  com- 
mand until  the  27th  of  May,  1864,  when  he  was  shot  through  the  neck  in  the 
battle  near  Dallas,  Georgia.  After  being  wounded  he  lay  for  a  few  days  in  the 
field  hospital  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  was  then  sent  to  Cleveland,  where 
he  remained  until  the  following  January.  Although  he  had  not  entirely  re- 
covered, he  then  rejoined  his  regiment  at  the  camp  near  Huntsville,  Alabama, 
and  in  January,  1866,  he  was  discharged  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  returning  home 
with  a  creditable  record  for  loyalty  and  bravery. 

In  the  following  fall  Mr.  Uhl  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret 
Nederlost,  a  native  of  Bohemia  and  a  daughter  of  John  Xederlost.  who  came 
to  the  United  States  about  1855,  locating  in  Cranberry  township,  Crawford 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Uhl  began  their  domestic  life  upon  eighty  acres  of 
his  present  farm,  which  he  had  purchased  while  at  home  recovering  from  the 


660  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

wounds  sustained  in  battle.  Some  years  afterward  he  bought  twenty  acres 
adjoining  on  the  south,  making  his  farm  a  valuable  tract  of  one  hundred  acres, 
now  well  improved  and  supplied  with  all  modern  accessories  and  conveniences. 
The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Uhl  has  been  blessed  with  six  children,  namely: 
Anna  E.,  the  wife  of  John  R.  Miller,  a  merchant  of  Xew  Washington;  George 
J.,  a  farmer  of  Cranberry  township;  Michael  B.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  poultry 
business  and  the  manufacture  of  chicken  brooders  in  Cranberry  township; 
Joseph,  who  is  attending  St.  Mary's  College  in  Dayton,  Ohio ;  Lawrence,  who 
is  operating  his  father's  farm;  and  Mary,  who  is  at  home  with  her  parents. 

In  his  political  views  Air.  Uhl  is  a  Republican  and  believes  most  firmly  in 
the  principles  of  the  party.  He  is  a  zealous  and  devout  member  of  the  Catholic 
church  and  served  for  several  years  as  a  member  of  the  church  council.  He 
has  never  sought  political  office,  preferring  to  devote  his  time  and  attention  to 
his  business  interests,  in  which  he  has  met  with  creditable  and  gratifying 
success. 

JOHN  BAUMGARTXER. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  business  men  of  Chatfield  township  is  John 
Baumgartner,  and,  furthermore,  he  owes  his  success  entirely  to  his  own  efforts. 
Starting  nut  in  business  life  empty-handed,  he  has  steadily  worked  his  way 
upward  and  his  business  connections  are  now  extensive  and  important.  He 
belongs,  too,  to  that  class  of  representative  American  citizens  who,  while  pro- 
moting their  own  success,  also  contribute  to  the  general  prosperitv,  for  the  in- 
dustries with  which  he  is  associated  are  a  means  of  livelihood  to  many  men  of 
the  community,  furnishing  employment  to  a  large  force. 

Air.  Baumgartner  is  a  native  of  Columbus,  Franklin  county,  Ohio,  where 
his  birth  occurred  on  Christmas  day  of  1858.  His  parents,  John  G.  and  Chris- 
tina (Moll)  Baumgartner,  had  four  sons.  His  mother  died  when  he  was 
twelve  years  of  age,  and  three  years  later  he  came  to  Chatfield  township,  Craw- 
ford county,  living  with  Lewis  Durr  until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  when  he  began  working  for  Air.  Brose  in  a  brickyard.  He  there  re- 
mained as  an  employe  for  four  years,  and  then  purchased  a  half  interest  in 
the  brick  and  tile  yard,  the  business  being  carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of 
Brose  &  Baumgartner  until  1893,  when  the  present  style  of  Baumgartner  & 
Company  was  assumed.  Our  subject  is  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
company,  and  the  success  of  the  enterprise  is  largely  due  to  his  enterprise  and 
•careful,  competent  management.     The  annual  sale  of  tile  and  brick  amounts  to 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  66 1 

about  ten  thousand  dollars.  In  1879  a  sawmill  was  also  added  to  the  business 
and  the  lumber  manufactured  and  sold  also  adds  materially  to  the  income  which 
the  firm  enjoys.  Mr.  Baumgartner  also  owns  a  cider  mill  with  a  capacity  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  barrels  of  cider  per  day.  He  purchased  the  Chatfield 
mill  and  elevator  in  1900,  and  not  long  afterward  sold  a  one-fourth  interest, 
retaining  three-fourths,  the  style  of  the  firm  being  the  Chatfield  Mill  and  Grain 
Company.  The  mill  has  a  capacity  of  fifty  barrels  per  day.  Thus  Mr.  Baum- 
gartner has  continually  extended  the  field  of  his  operations  until  to-day  he  is 
one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  his  township. 

In  1882  occurred  the  marriage  of  our  subject  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Brose, 
and  unto  them  have  been  born  seven  children:  Susan  S.,  Daniel  F.,  William 
H.,  Manette  F.,  John  J.,  Armenia  C.  and  Fredeline  F.  The  family  is  well 
known  in  this  locality  and  their  circle  of  friends  is  almost  co-extensive  with 
the  circle  of  their  acquaintance. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Baumgartner  is  a  Democrat,  and  for  several 
years  he  served  as  president  of  the  Chatfield  township  school  board.  He  mani- 
fests a  commendable  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his  town 
and  county  and  co-operates  in  many  movements  for  the  general  good.  With- 
out pecuniary  help  and  with  no  special  advantages  of  any  kind,  he  entered  upon 
his  business  career,  and  by  close  application,  untiring  energy  and  strong  reso- 
lution he  has  steadily  advanced  until  he  now  occupies  an  enviable  position  on 
(the  plane  of  affluence.  Straightforward  dealing  has  ever  characterized  his 
••transaction  of  business,  and  his  strict  regard  for  commercial  ethics  has  won 
him  the  confidence,  while  his  success  has  gained  for  him  the  admiration,  of  his 
fellow  men. 

DAVID  A.  SCOTT. 

David  A.  Scott  was  born  January  13,  1845,  on  tne  farm  where  he  yet 
resides,  and  represents  one  of  the  early  pioneer  families  of  Cranberry  town- 
ship, for  the  Scotts  came  to  this  section  of  the  state  during  an  early  period  in 
its  development  and  have  ever  been  important  factors  in  its  upbuilding  and  sub- 
stantial growth.  William  Scott,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Bucks 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1808.  His  father  was  killed  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
about  181 7  the  grandmother  of  our  subject  died,  leaving  a  family  of  eight 
children.  William  Scott  was  then  but  nine  years  of  age.  With  his  four 
brothers  and  three  sisters  he  went  to  Wrayne  county,  Ohio,  where  they  found 
homes  with  relatives,  and  in  that  localitv  William  Scott  was  reared,  learning 


662  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  trade  of  a  cabinet-maker  in  his  youth.  In  the  spring  of  1832  he  came  to 
Cranberry  ownship,  and  from  the  government  entered  the  south  forty  acres  of 
the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son  David.  The  forest  trees  stood  in  their 
primeval  strength  and  in  the  midst  of  the  green  woods  he  erected  a  log  cabin. 
In  the  succeeding  autumn  he  returned  to  Wayne  county  and  was  there  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Irvin,  who  was  burn  in  Wayne  county  about 
1 81 2,  her  parents  being  honored  pioneer  people  of  that  section  of  the  state. 
In  the  spring  of  1833  he  brought  his  bride  to  his  new  home,  and  after  two  or 
three  years  he  entered  another  forty-acre  tract  of  land  adjoining  his  home- 
stead on  the  north.  As  the  years  passed  he  made  excellent  improvements  upon 
his  place,  and  in  1861  erected  a  handsome  and  commomious  frame  residence 
on  the  north  half  of  his  farm.  Then  with  his  family  he  left  the  cabin  home 
which  had  sheltered  them  during  so  many  years  of  the  pioneer  days  and  took 
up  his  abode  in  the  new  dwelling,  where  he  remained  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  November,  1883.  His  wife  passed  away  about  1879,  and  only 
two  of  their  nine  children  are  yet  living,  the  sister  of  our  subject  being  Letitia,. 
the  wife  of  Henry  Rapp,  of  Auburn  township,  Crawford  county.  In  politics 
he  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  served  as  trustee  of  the  township  for  several 
years.  He  was  widely  and  favorably  known  as  an  influential  and  prominent 
citizen,  co-operating  in  all  movements  for  the  general  good.  He  did  not  hold 
membership  in  any  religious  organization,  but  was  a  God-fearing  man,  who 
supported  all  charitable  and  church  work.  His  preference  was  for  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  of  which  his  wife  was  a  devoted  and  consistent  member. 

David  A.  Scott  is  familiar  with  the  history  of  Crawford  county  from  early 
days.  He  lived  here  at  a  period  when  the  work  of  progress  and  improvement 
was  in  its  incipiency.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  district  schools  and 
worked  in  the  fields  from  the  time  of  early  spring  planting  until  crops  were 
harvested  in  the  autumn,  thus  becoming  familiar  with  all  departments  of  farm 
labor.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  took  charge  of  the  home  farm,  which 
he  operated  on  the  shares,  and  on  the  1st  of  July,  1869,  he  secured  as  a  com- 
panion and  helpmate  for  the  journey  of  life  Miss  Adeline  Runnion,  their  wed- 
ding being  celebrated  on  that  date.  The  lady  is  a  native  of  Cranberry  town- 
ship and  a  daughter  of  William  Runnion,  who  came  to  Crawford  county  in 
pioneer  days  from  Richland  county,  Ohio,  which  was  the  place  of  his  nativity. 
At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Scott  received  from  his  father  as  his  patrimony 
fifty  acres  of  a  tract  of  sixty  acres  which  adjoined  the  home  place  on  the  east, 
and  there  he  settled  with  his  bride,  remaining  upon  that  place  until  his 
mother's  death,  when  he  removed  to  the  old  home  place  in  order  to  care  for  his- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  663 

father  during  his  declining  years.  "While  living  upon  his  own  farm  he  had 
also  continued  the  operation  of  the  homestead,  and  in  1874  he  purchased  the 
remaining  ten  acres  of  the  farm.  After  his  mother's  death  he  bought  sixty- 
two  acres  of  the  old  home  place,  on  which  stood  the  farm  buildings,  and  his 
sister  took  possession  of  the  remaining"  twenty-eight  acres.  Thus  Air.  Scott's 
property  was  increased  to  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres,  and  in  1897  he  pur- 
chased fifty-three  and  a  half  acres  of  the  Volney  Powers  estate.  In  1900  he 
bought  the  old  Volney  Powers  homestead  of  eighty  acres — one  of  the  most 
valuable  and  best  improved  farms  of  the  county,  situated  about  a  mile  east  of 
New  Washington.  During  the  years  of  his  manhood  he  has  been  numbered 
among  the  most  progressive  and  energetic  agriculturists  of  his  community. 
His  diligence  and  his  labors  are  directed  by  sound  business  judgment  and  keen 
sagacity,  while  his  honesty  in  trade  transactions  is  proverbial. 

The  home  of  Air.  and  Mrs.  Scott  has  been  blessed  with  thirteen  children, 
of  whom  twelve  are  yet  living:  Fairy  B.,  wife  of  Dr.  E.  C.  Kimmerline,  of 
Lykens  township;  Sherman,  a  drug  clerk  employed  in  South  Bend,  Indiana; 
Eva  O.,  the  wife  of  Adelbert  Smith,  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio;  Florence  M., 
Dorcas,  Melvin,  Russell,  Earl,  Charles,  Walter,  Ralph  and  Mabel,  at  home. 
The  family  is  one  of  prominence  in  the  community,  and  Mr.  Scott  realizes  the 
value  of  education  as  a  preparation  for  life  and  has  given  his  children  excellent 
educational  privileges.  Five  of  the  older  members  of  the  family  have  been 
successful  teachers,  and  Fairy,  Sherman  and  Dorcas  are  graduates  of  the  high 
school  of  New  Washington.  The  first  named  taught  in  the  primary,  inter- 
mediate and  grammar  departments  of  the  New  Washington  schools  and  was 
recognized  as  a  most  successful  and  capable  educator.  In  his  political  views 
David  A.  Scott  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  has  served  for  several  years  as  trus- 
tee of  his  township.  He  also  filled  the  position  of  school  director  for  eighteen 
successive  years,  and  his  labors  were  earnest,  effective  and  beneficial  in  pro- 
moting the  welfare  of  the  schools.  He  is  a  member  of  Hyperion  Lodge,  K.  of 
P.,  of  New  Washington,  and  not  only  in  fraternal  but  in  all  walks  of  life  he 
enjoys  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  men  by  reason  of  his  diligence  to  the  obligations 
and  duties  of  both  public  and  private  life. 

MICHAEL  MAROUART. 

One  of  the  best-known  representatives  of  agricultural  pursuits  in  Craw- 
ford county  that  the  fatherland  has  furnished  to  the  new  world  is  Michael 
Marquart,  who  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  on  the  27th  of  April,  181 7.     His- 


664  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

parents  were  Michael  and  Margaret  (  Fechter)  Marquart  He  is  now  the  only 
survivor  of  their  family  of  five  children.  His  parents  were  also  natives  of 
Germany,  where  they  spent  their  entire  lives.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  and  during  the  financial  panic  of  1817  he  lost  his  property  and 
afterward  worked  for  wages  as  a  farm  hand.  In  his  parents'  home  Mr.  Mar- 
quart  remained  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  apprenticed  himself  to 
learn  the  brick  and  stone  mason's  trade.  Believing  that  he  could  better  his 
financial  condition  in  the  new  world  and  that  better  opportunities  could  be 
secured,  he  started  from  home  accompanied  by  his  sister.  They  took  passage 
on  a  steamer  down  the  river  Rhine  to  Havre  de  Grace  and  then  embarked  on 
the  sailing  vessel  for  America,  landing  in  New  York  city  August  i_\  1839, 
after  a  voyage  of  fifty-seven  days.  On  reaching  the  eastern  metropolis  he 
found  that  he  had  a  capital  of  but  about  two  dollars.  However,  he  gained  the 
friendship  of  a  fellow  passenger  who  told  Mr.  Marquart  that  if  he  would  go 
to  Ohio  with  him  he  would  loan  him  the  money,  which  he  could  repay  at  a  later 
day. 

Accordingly  our  subject  and  his  sister  made  their  way  to  Tuscarawas 
county,  where  Mr.  Marquart  first  found  employment  in  the  ore  bank  near 
New  Philadelphia,  and  from  the  wages  he  there  received  he  was  enabled  to 
return  the  money  advanced  for  his  fare  to  Ohio.  Later  he  worked  at  his  trade 
and  at  various  other  occupations,  allowing  no  opportunity  to  pass  whereby  he 
might  gain  an  honest  dollar.  In  1843  ne  canie  to  Crawford  county,  and,  with 
the  money  which  he  had  saved  from  his  earnings  in  Tuscarawas  county,  he 
purchased  sixty-nine  acres  of  the  present  home.  This  was  almost  entirely 
virgin  forest,  only  a  small  portion  of  the  land  having  been  cleared.  On  this 
a  log  cabin  had  been  erected  by  the  original  settler  and  it  served  him  as  a  home 
until  1 86 1,  when  he  erected  his  present  substantial  farm  residence.  About 
1862  he  purchased  twenty-seven  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  home  farm,  and 
a  year  or  two  later  added  another  tract  of  eighteen  acres.  Since  then  he  has 
purchased  three  other  farms,  one  of  seventy-seven  acres  and  another  of  eighty 
acres  in  Cranberry  township  and  a  third  of  thirty-six  acres  in  Seneca  county, 
so  that  his  landed  possessions  now  aggregate  three  hundred  and  seven  acres. 
His  farm  is  well  improved  with  all  modern  accessories  and  conveniences.  In 
appearance  it  is  neat  and  thrifty,  and  the  well-tilled  fields  return  him  golden 
harvests. 

In  the  year  1844  Mr.  Marquart  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Catherine 
Streile,  a  native  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  who  came  to  America  when  a 
young  lady.     They  had  five  children,  but  only  one  is  now  living,  Caroline,  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  665., 

wife  of  William  Long-year,  of  this  township.  The  mother  died  in  1854,  and  in. 
1855  Mr.  Marqnart  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Caroline 
W.  Longyear,  a  native  of  Wurtemberg,  who  came  to  America  with  her  father, 
Michael  Long-year,  when  she  was  twenty-six  years  of  age.  Her  father  spent 
most  of  his  time  with  his  daughter  and  died  at  the  home  of  our  subject.  By 
the  second  marriage  there  were  seven  children,  of  whom  five  are  living,  namely  : 
August,  a  resident  farmer  of  Cranberry  township;  Jefferson,  who  is  also  living 
in  the  same  township;  George,  who  operates  the  home  farm;  Wilhelmina,  the 
wife  of  William  Beckstine,  of  Cranberry  township;  and  Emma,  the  wife  of 
Frank  Leonhart,  of  Chatfield  township.  In  1900  Mr.  Marquart  was  again 
called  to-  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  died  on  the  13th  of  March,  six  days 
before  the  seventy-second  anniversary  of  her  birth.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  his 
political  affiliations  and  is  a  member  of  the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  in  which  he  held  various  offices,  serving  for  many  years  as  trustee,  as 
deacon  and  as  elder.  His  has  been  a  busy,  useful  and  active  career.  Starting- 
out  in  life  in  the  new  world  empty-handed  and  having  the  disadvantage  of  un- 
familiarity  with  the  language  and  customs  of  the  people,  he  nevertheless  read- 
ily adapted  himself  to  his  new  surroundings  and  with  determined  purpose  and 
unflagging  industry  worked  his  way  steadily  upward  to  a  place  of  affluence, 
being  now  one  of  the  substantial  residents  of  Crawford  county.  He  has  passed 
the  eighty-fourth  milestone  on  the  journey  of  life  and  is  still  a  hale  and  hearty 
old  man,  well  deserving  the  veneration  which  should  ever  be  accorded  to  one 
of  his  years  and  also  enjoys  the  warm  regard  of  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor. 

ADAM  ECKSTEIN. 

One  of  the  finely  developed  farms  in  Cranberry  township,  supplied  with 
all  modern  equipments  and  facilities,  is  the  property  of  Adam  Eckstein.  He 
was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  February  15,  1845,  and  is  the  second 
of  the  six  surviving  children  of  George  and  Mary  (  Simmermaker)  Eckstein, 
who  were  the  parents  of  six  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  father  also  was  a 
native  of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  and  after  arriving  at  man's  estate  he  was  there 
married.  In  the  year  1848  he  came  with  his  wife  and  three  children  to  the 
United  States,  landing  in  Xew  York,  whence  he  started  for  Ohio,  going  first 
to  Albany,  thence  to  Buffalo  by  way  of  the  canal,  on  to  Sandusky  by  way  of 
the  Great  Lakes  and  from  there  by  rail  to  Shell)}-,  whence  they  drove  across  the 
country  to  Vernon  township,  Crawford  county.  When  Mr.  Eckstein  arrived 
in  this  county  his  cash  capital  consisted  of  but  forty  dollars.     With  this  he 


666i  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

purchased  a  team  of  oxen  and  began  farming  on  rented  land.  A  year  later  he 
removed  to  Richland  county,  and  for  three  years  cultivated  a  rented  farm  in 
Sharon  township.  He  made  all  of  his  own  furniture,  which  was  limited  in 
amount  as  well  as  primitive  in  character.  The  first  year  a  chest  was  used  as  a 
table,  this  having  been  brought  from  the  old  country,  but  the  other  furniture 
wTas  largely  of  his  own  manufacture.  In  1852  he  returned  to  Vernon  town- 
ship and  purchased  of  George  Dixon  ninety-three  acres  of  land,  upon  which  his 
son  John  now  resides.  About  one-half  of  this  had  been  cleared  and  a  log 
cabin  erected.  To  the  further  development  and  improvement  of  his  land  the 
father  devoted  his  energies  throughout  his  remaining  days.  He  was  frugal 
and  thrifty,  and  in  later  years  was  enabled  to  buy  an  adjoining  tract  of  eighty 
acres,  so  that  his  farm  comprised  one  hundred  and  seventy-three  acres.  In 
1866  he  built  a  large  bank  barn  and  two  years  later  erected  a  commodious  and 
substantial  frame  residence  and  added  other  accessories,  so  that  his  place  be- 
came one  of  the  best-improved  farms  in  the  county.  The  men  and  measures 
of  the  Democracy  received  his  political  support.  He  belonged  to  the  German 
Reformed  church  and  for  several  years  was  one  of  its  trustees  and  held  various 
other  church  offices.  His  labors  were  of  benefit  in  the  upbuilding  and  ad- 
vancement of  religious  and  educational  work  and  in  the  material  development 
of  the  community,  for  he  assisted  largely  in  reclaiming  the  wild  lands  for 
purposes  of  civilization.  His  death  occurred  February  7,  1885.  His  sur- 
viving children  are:  Philip,  who  is  living  in  Huron  county,  Ohio;  Adam; 
Peter,  of  Crestline;  Catherine,  now  the  wife  of  Urias  Baublitz,  a  farmer  of 
Cranberry  township;  George,  who  died,  leaving  six  children,  Lizzie,  William, 
George,  Frank,  Minnie  and  Emma,  who  are  residents  of  Vernon  township ; 
William,  who  died,  leaving  four  children,  Calvin,  Albert,  Augusta  and  Xettie, 
of  Crestline;  John,  who  makes  his  home  in  Vernon  township;  and  Julia,  the 
wife  of  Louis  Fisher,  of  Crestline. 

When  only  about  three  years  of  age  Adam  Eckstein  was  brought  by  his 
parents  to  the  new  world,  and  amid  the  wild  scenes  of  frontier  life  in  Ohio  he 
was  reared.  He  can  remember  when  great  forests  stood  where  cultivated 
fields  are  now  seen  and  when  man}-  of  the  thriving  towns  and  cities  were  mere 
hamlets.  In  the  district  schools,  such  as  the  pioneer  days  afforded,  he  pursued 
his  education,  and  in  the  summer  months  he  took  his  place  in  the  fields,  aiding 
in  the  work  of  plowing,  planting  and  harvesting.  He  remained  at  home  until 
his  marriage,  with  the  exception  of  two  summer  seasons,  during  which  he  was 
employed  by  neighboring  farmers.  On  the  6th  of  September,  1868.  he  wedded 
Miss  Catherine  E.  Feick,  a  native  of  Hesse-Darmstadt  and  a  dauo-hter  of 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  667 

George  and  Anna  E.  Feick,  who  spent  their  entire  lives  in  the  fatherland. 
Mrs.  Eckstein  came  to  America  in  1867  to  join  her  sister  Margaret,  the  wife 
of  Fred  Beach,  of  Crestline,  who  had  come  to  America  the  year  previous. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eckstein  were  horn  six  children,  and  five  of  the  number 
are  yet  living,  namely :  Catherine,  the  wife  of  William  Kessler,  of  Auburn 
township;  John  F.,  who  resides  on  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  belonging  to  his 
father;  George  A.,  a  carpenter  of  Oberlin,  Ohio;  and  William  E.  and  Julia  A., 
at  home. 

In  the  spring  following  his  marriage  Mr.  Eckstein  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  his  present  farm  and  began  agricultural  pursuits  on  his  own  account.  In 
1878  he  erected  a  substantial  frame  residence  and  in  1891  built  one  of  the 
largest  barns  in  the  county.  In  1883  he  purchased  an  adjoining  forty  acres 
of  land,  and  in  1897  bought  an  additional  tract  of  eighty  acres  lying  just  across 
the  road  from  the  home  place,  so  that  his  landed  possessions  are  now  two  hun- 
dred acres.  He  carries  on  farming  along  progressive  lines,  and  upon  his  place 
are  seen  not  only  substantial  buildings  but  also  the  latest  improved  machinery 
and  splendid  modern  ecniipments,  while  the  well-tilled  fields  indicate  to  the 
passer-by  the  careful  supervision  of  an  energetic  owner.  His  ballot  supports 
Democratic  men  and  measures,  and  for  three  years  he  served  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board,  but  has  never  been  an  active  politician  in  the  sense  of  office 
seeking.  He  holds  membership  in  the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  church, 
and  for  six  years  was  one  of  its  elders., His  financial  aid  and  labors  have  con- 
tributed to  its  upbuilding  and  growth,  and  in  his  life  he  has  exemplified  its 
teachings  and  belief. 

EMAXUEL  L.   LUTZ. 

Upon  the  farm  in  Chatfield  township  upon  which  his  father  now  resides 
Emanuel  L.  Lutz  was  born  and  reared.  His  birth  occurred  December  16, 
1853.  At  the  usual  age  he  entered  school  and  through  the  winter  months  pur- 
sued his  studies,  while  in  the  summer  season  he  worked  in  the  fields,  aiding 
in  the  raising  of  crops  from  the  time  of  early  spring  planting  until  after  the 
autumn  harvests.  He  did  not  go  out  to  work,  but  assisted  his  father  until  his 
marriage,  when  he  began  making  a  home  of  his  own. 

In  1874  Mr.  Lutz  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Gertrude  Schaffer,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Catherine  Schaffer,  and  their  home  has  been  enlivened  and 
brightened  by  the  presence  of  five  children  born  to  them,  namely :  Manetta, 
William  F.,  Clara  M.,  David  H.  and  Emma  L.     Soon  after  their  marriage  our 


668  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

subject  and  his  wife  removed  to  their  present  farm.  Here  he  owns  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-three  acres  of  land,  and,  like  most  of  Ohio's  farming  land,  it 
is  a  richly  productive  tract,  yielding  good  harvests  for  the  care  and  labor  be- 
stowed upon  it.  Mr.  Lutz  also  owns  fifty-eight  acres  of  land  elsewhere  and  is 
a  successful  general  farmer.  He  realizes  the  dignity  of  labor,  and  industry 
has  been  one  of  his  chief  characteristics  from  his  youth.  Upon  this  he  has 
builded  his  success,  his  sound  judgment  and  reliable  dealing  also  assisting 
him  in  acquiring  the  comfortable  competence  and  good  home  which  are  to-day 
his. 

In  his  religious  views  Mr.  Lutz  is  a  German  Evangelical  Lutheran,  hold- 
ing membership  in  the  church  in  Chatfield.  His  political  support  is  given  the 
Democratic  party,  and  on  that  ticket  he  has  been  elected  to  public  office,  having 
served  as  trustee  of  Chatfield  township  from  1895  until  1899,  his  long  retention 
in  office  well  indicating  his  faithful  performance  of  duty.  His  friends,  and 
they  are  many,  know  him  as  a  man  of  genuine  worth,  and  as  a  representative 
citizen  of  his  township  he  well  deserves  mention  in  the  history  of  Craw- 
ford county. 

PETER  DURNWALD. 

Peter  Durnwald,  a  resident  farmer  of  Chatfield  township,  was  born  in  Bo- 
hemia, Germany,  in  1841,  and  is  one  of  the  nine  children  of  Wenzal  and 
Mary  Durnwald,  the  others  being:  Margaret,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ten 
years  ;  Anna,  deceased  ;  Elizabeth  ;  Alary ;  Magdalena  ;  Martin  ;  Joseph  ;  and 
Peter.  It  was  in  the  year  1854  that  the  father  brought  his  family  to  the 
United  States,  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  a  sailing  vessel,  which  was  sixty-five 
days  between  port  and  port.  Coming  at  once  to  Crawford  county,  they  set- 
tled in  Cranberry  township,  where  the  father  purchased  a  small  farm  of  eight- 
een acres  and  began  to  carve  out  a  home  for  his  family  in  the  new  land. 

Peer  Durnwald  was  then  a  youth  of  fifteen.  His  childhood  was  largely 
devoted  to  assisting  his  father,  but  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  began  working 
for  himself,  being  employed  by  the  month  as  a  farm  hand.  Thus  his  time 
was  passed  for  several  years  until  he  had  money  enough  to  begin  farming  on 
his  own  account.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  lie  purchased  the  farm  upon  which 
he  now  resides  and  it  has  since  been  his  place  of  abode.  A  cabin  stood  on  the 
place  when  he  took  possession  and  fifteen  acres  of  the  land  had  been  cleared, 
but  otherwise  the  place  was  unimproved.  It  comprised  one  hundred  and 
forty-three  acres  of  arable  land,  and  the  well-tilled  fields  now  bring  him  golden 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  669 

harvests.  Everything  about  the  farm  is  kept  in  good  condition  and  the  lain  u- 
of  his  hands  in  indicated  by  this  desirable  property,  all  of  which  he  has  acquired 
through  his  own  efforts.  For  many  years  he  was  agent  fur  a  harvesting 
machine  company. 

Mr.  Durnwald  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Barbara  Deling,  and  for 
many  years  they  traveled  life's  journey  happily  together,  but  in  1886  the}'  were 
separated  by  the  hand  of  death,  the  wife  being  called  to  her  final  rest.  They 
had  ten  children,  of  whom  the  eldest,  Elizabeth,  is  now  deceased.  The  others 
are  Martin,  Anna,  Rosa,  Frank,  Peter,  John,  Julia,  AJatilda  (deceased)  and 
Edward.  ■ 

Mr.  Durnwald  is  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics,  but  has  never  held  office. 
He  and  his  children  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  Having  improved 
the  opportunities  which  America  offers  to  her  citizens,  he  has  advanced  finan- 
cially, and  to-day  is  accounted  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  his  com- 
munity. 

JACOB  BRC^\  \. 

For  many  years  Jacob  Brown  has  engaged  in  dealing  in  live  stock,  and 
his  business  has  been  conducted  along  such  safe  lines  and  in  such  an  honorable 
manner  that  he  has  won  a  very  gratifying  competence.  He  resides  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Chatlield,  and  is  there  accounted  not  only  a  prosperous  business  man  but 
also  a  progressive  citizen,  whose  labors  have  contributed  to  the  upbuilding  of 
the  town. 

Air.  Brown  was  born  in  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  Alav  4.  1864,. 
and  is  a  son  1  \  <  rottlieb  Brown,  a  native  of  ( rermany.  The  son  spent  his  child- 
hood and  youth  on  the  family  homestead  in  Lykens  township,  and  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  the  neighborhood  pursued  his  education.  At  the  earlv  age  of 
fourteen  years  he  began  buying  and  trading  horses,  a  business  with  which  he 
has  since  been  connected.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  land,  and  in  connection  with  farming  continuing  to 
deal  in  horses.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  became  connected  with  J.  T.  Carbin 
in  a  mercantile  venture  in  Lykens,  but  after  a  year  disposed  of  his  interest 
there  and  entered  into  partnership  with  <  r.  V.  Hare.  They  established  a 
eral  store,  which  they  conducted  successfully  for  four  years,  and  at  the  same 
time  Mr.  Brown  engaged  in  dealing  in  horses  and  cattle.  On  the  expiration 
of  that  period  he  came  to  Chatfield,  where  he  has  since  been  successfully  and 

extensively  engaged  in  buying  stock,  hogs  and  sheep.     He  is  an  excellent  judge 
37 


670  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

of  farm  animals  and  is  thus  enabled  to  make  judicious  purchases  and  sell  to 
advantage,  thus  realizing  a  good  profit.  He  also  owns  one  hundred  and  eight 
acres  of  desirable  land  in  Chatheld  township. 

In  1 89 1  Air.  Brown  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah  Kalb,  a  daughter  of 
John  Kalb,  and  unto  them  have  been  born  four  children:  Shannon  J.,  Milton 
J.,  Neva  O.  and  Feltus  E.  The  family  have  a  wide  acquaintance  and  their 
friends  in  the  community  are  almose  equal  in  number  to  the  number  of  their 
acquaintances.  Socially  Mr.  Brown  is  a  member  of  Wren  Lodge,  K.  of  P., 
of  Lykens,  and  in  his  political  adherency  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  been  cor- 
poration treasurer  of  the  village  of  Chatheld  since  its  incorporation,  and  while 
residing  in  Lykens  was  for  two  terms  assessor,  treasurer  for  six  years  and 
postmaster  for  four  years.  Llis  official  duties  have  ever  been  discharged  with 
the  same  business-like  dispatch,  fidelity  and  integrity  that  has  marked  his 
business  career  and  made  him  one  of  the  valued  and  respected  residents  of 
Chatheld. 

AUGUST  MUTH. 

August  Muth  is  a  representative  example  of  the  German-American  citi- 
zens of  Crawford  county.  The  fatherland  has  furnished  to  Ohio  many  men 
of  worth,  whose  enterprise  and  industry  have  not  alone  promoted  their  own 
advancement  but  have  contributed  to  the  general  prosperity,  and  to  this  class 
August  Muth  belongs.  He  was  born  in  Germany,  December  17,  1850,  and 
spent  the  first  fifteen  years  of  his  life  in  his  native  land,  after  which  he  sailed 
for  America,  for  he  had  received  favorable  reports  of  the  opportunities  afforded 
to  young  men  in  the  new  world  and  therefore  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  here. 
For  three  years  he  was  employed  as  a  salesman  in  a  store  in  Pittsburg,  Penn- 
svlvania.  and  on  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  embarked  on  an  independent 
business  venture.  For  seven  years  he  ran  a  huckster's  wagon,  and  then  with 
the  capital  he  had  acquired  he  established  a  wholesale  produce  store  in  Pitts- 
burg, successfully  conducting  the  enterprise  for  five  years.  In  1885  he  pur- 
chased his  present  store  in  Chatfield,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  has  since 
carried  on  operations  as  a  general  merchant.  He  carries  a  large  and  well- 
selected  stock  of  goods,  and  his  earnest  desire  to  please  his  patrons,  his  energy 
and  his  honorable  dealing  have  brought  to  him  prosperity.  He  also>  established 
the  Clear  Springs  Creamery,  which  not  only  is  a  source  of  profit  to  the  owner 
but  is  of  value  to  the  farming  community  by  furnishing  a  market  for  the  dairy 
products.     He  was  likewise  instrumental  in  securing  the  Short  Line  Railroad 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  671 

through  Chatfield,  and  is  a  progressive  citizen  deeply  interested  in  everything 
pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his  community. 

Mr.  Muth  has  been  twice  married.  He  first  wedded  Louise  Voight,  and 
they  had  five  children :  Mary,  Martin,  Walter  and  two  who  died  in  infancy. 
For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Muth  chose  Miss  Caroline  Mohrhoff,  and  they  had 
seven  children,  namely  :  Clara,  who  died  in  infancy.  Arnold,  Bertha.  Annie, 
Callie,  Harry  and  Amelia.  The  family  attend  the  German  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran church,  of  which  Mr.  Muth  has  been  a  life  member.  In  his  political 
affiliations  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  never  sought  or  desired  office,  preferring 
to*  give  his  time  and  energies  to  his  business  interests,  in  which  he  has  met 
with  creditable  and  well-deserved  success. 

DAVID  A.  LUTZi. 

Among  the  progressive  men  of  Liberty  township,  Crawford  county,  who 
are  well  known  and  respected,  none  stand  higher  in  public  esteem  than  does 
David  A.  Lutz.  Mr.  Lutz  was  born  in  Chatfield  township,  this  county,  on 
September  9,  1867,  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Ulmer)  Lutz,  and  was  a 
member  of  a  family  of  four  children,  the  two-  survivors  being  himself  and  his 
sister  Catherine,  the  wife  of  W.  E.  Green,  of  Liberty  township.  Daniel  Lutz, 
the  father,  was  also  a  native  of  Chatfield  township  and  was  born  on  December 
12,  1837,  a  son  of  Gottlieb  and  Gottlieben  (  Kibler)  Lutz,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  Wurtemberg,  German}-.  There  they  married  and  two  of  their  children 
were  born  there  before  the  family  emigrated,  in  1832.  to  America.  Their 
voyage  covered  sixty  days,  and  they  came  directly  from  Xew  York  to  Lisbon, 
Ohio,  where  Gottlieb  worked  for  one  year  at  his  trade  of  weaver.  In  1833 
he  removed  to  Crawford  county,  settled  in  Chatfield  township,  entered  forty 
acres  of  land  and  built  his  cabin  in  the  forest.  Later  he  bought  additional  land 
until  his  farm  numbered  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  acres.  His  death  took 
place  on  his  farm  when  he  was  seventy-one  years  old,  his  faithful  wife  having 
passed  away  in  1850. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  years  Daniel  Lutz  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's 
trade  and  worked  at  it  for  some  time  In  1865  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Ulmer,  and  then  purchased  his  father's  farm,  the  latter  coming  to 
live  with  his  son,  and  so  continued  until  his  death.  In  1882  Mr.  Lutz  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  eight  acres  of  land,  and  also  the  Keller  farm  of  fifty 
acres  which  adjoined  it  on  the  east,  and  then  removed  to  his  new  home,  dis- 
posing of  his  Chatfield  township  farm  some  years  later.     Mr.  Lutz  is  one  of 


672  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  leading  members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  for  twelve  years  has  been 
a  trustee  and  a  member  of  the  building  committee  that  erected  the  present  im- 
posing brick  structure  known  as  the  St.  Paul  German  Lutheran  church  of 
Liberty  township.  In  his  political  life  he  has  always  been  an  uncompromising 
Democrat.  His  life  and  character  have  made  him  one  of  the  most  esteemed 
citizens  of  the  county.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Liberty  town- 
ship, July  2j,  1838,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Barbara  Uimer,  both  of  them 
natives  of  Germany.  They  came  to  Crawford  county  the  same  year  as  did 
the  Lutz  family.     The  mother  passed  out  of  life  May  1  1 ,  1898. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject,  David  A.  Lutz,  was  spent  upon  his  father's 
estate,  and  he  was  afforded  the  best  possible  opportunities  for  the  attainment  of 
an  education.  When  eighteen  years  old  his  father  entrusted  a  portion  of  the 
farm  to  his  care,  and  he  operated  it  on  shares.  On  December  10,  1891,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Luidhardt,  a  native  of  this  township,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Louisa  Luidhardt,  the  former  of  whom  was  bom  in  this  township. 
His  lather,  George  Luidhart,  came  to  Crawford  county  at  an  early  day. 
Mother  Luidhardt  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  was  brought  to  this  country 
when  she  was  but  a  child. 

Jn  September,  1891,  our  subject,  in  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law, 
W.  E.  Green,  purchased  the  old  Lutz  farm  in  Chatfield  township  and  also  the 
old  Keller  farm  of  seventy-two  acres  in  Liberty  township,  both  of  these  having 
been  the  property  of  Mr.  Lutz,  Sr.  During  one  summer  the  partners  engaged 
in  cultivating  together,  but  in  the  following  September  they  divided  their  in- 
terests, our  subject  acquiring  the  Keller  farm,  while  Mr.  Green  took  the  Chat- 
field  township  farm.  Mr.  Lutz  is  one  of  the  energetic  young  agriculturists  of 
this  county,  and  not  only  successfully  cultivates  his  own  land  but  also  tills 
eighty-six  acres  of  that  belonging  to  his  father.  Like  his  father,  he  is  a  stanch 
member  of  the  Democratic  party.  For  three  years  he  served  as  a  trustee  in 
the  Lutheran  church  and  is  highly  valued  there.  He  has  displayed  great 
ability  in  his  chosen  occupation,  and  his  success  has  been  very  gratifying  not 
only  in  a  pecuniary  way  but  also  in  the  position  it  has  given  him  as  a  worthy 
representative  of  an  honored  and  industrious  family.    • 

REV.  DANIEL  BROSE. 

Rev.  Daniel  Brose,  who  for  many  years  has  been  connected  with  agri- 
cultural and  industrial  interests  in  Crawford  county,  and  is  also  laboring  for 
the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people  among  whom  he  lives  as  a  minister  of  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  673 

Pietist  church,  makes  his  home  in  Chatfield  township,  and  upon  the  farm  where 
he  now  resides  his  birth  occurred  on  the  31st  of  October,  1849.  His  father, 
Michael"  Brose,  and  his  grandfather.  Andrew  Brose,  were  both  natives  of 
Wurtemberg,  Germany,  and  in  1832  the  latter  brought  his  family  to  the  new 
world,  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  a  sailing  vessel,  which  was  then  the  only  means 
of  navigation.  He  settled  in  Liberty  township,  Crawford  county,  but  his 
death  occurred  soon  afterward.  His  son.  Michael  Brose,  was  married  in  this 
county  to  Agnes  Steinhielber,  and  soon  afterward  they  took  up  their  residence 
in  Chatfield  township,  the  father  devoting  his  remaining  days  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  was  industrious,  energetic  and  determined  and  provided  a  com- 
fortable living  for  his  large  family.  He  died  in  1872.  at  the  age  of  sixty-five 
years  and  five  months,  and  his  wife  passed  away  at  the  age  of  sixty  years  and 
five  months.  They  were  members  of  the  Pietist  church  and  were  earnest 
Christian  people,  having  the  warm  regards  of  all  with  whom  they  were  asso- 
ciated. They  had  thirteen  children  :  Jacob,  who  is  living  in  Williams  county, 
Ohio;  Gottlieb,  of  Indiana;  Rebecca,  wife  of  Simon  Long,  of  Indiana;  Daniel, 
of  Chatfield  township;  Fridericka.  wife  of  Jacob  Reidle,  of  Chatfield  township: 
Catherine,  the  wife  of  Daniel  Long,  of  Chatfield  township;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
John  Baumgartner,  of  Chatfield  township;  David,  of  Cranberry  township; 
Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Calb,  of  Chatfield  township;  and  Lydia  S.,  the 
wife  of  Michael  Streib,  of  Whetstone  township.  Three  died  in  their  child- 
hood. 

Born  and  reared  on  the  old  home  farm,  on  attaining  his  majority  Mr. 
Brose,  of  this  review,  became  associated  with  his  father  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  fields  and  the  management  of  the  property,  and  so  continued  until  1878, 
when  he  began  the  manufacture  of  brick  and  tile  and  also  sawing  lumber. 
In  1889  he  extended  the  field  of  agricultural  pursuits,  and  to  this  dual  occupa- 
tion he  gives  his  attention  with  excellent  success.  He  now  owns  one  hundred 
acres  of  good  land  in  Chatfield  township  and  follows  general  farming  in  addi- 
tion to  his  other  pursuits.  He  is  active,  energetic  and  persevering,  and  his 
well-conducted  business  affairs  have  brought  to  him  a  good  profit.  In  the 
manufacture  of  tile  and  brick  he  has  been  associated  with  his  brother-in-law, 
J.  Baumgartner,  as  a  partner. 

On  the  15th  of  March,  188 1,  Rev.  Brose  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Levina  Bower,  of  Brownstown,  Illinois,  and  nine  children  grace  their  union, 
of  whom  seven  are  vet  living:  Alice  S.,  Ida  M.,  Fredericka  M.,  Lavina  K., 
Lizzie  L.,  Daniel  F.  and  Michael  S.     The  other  two  died  in  childhood. 

Air.  Brose  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  public  office.      For  nine  years  he 


674  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

has  been  a  minister  of  the  Pietist  church  of  his  neighborhood,  numbering  about 
forty-five  families,  and  he  also  acts  as  pastor  of  another  church  in  Todd  town- 
ship, numbering  about  forty-two  families.  His  influence  is  widely  felt  and  the 
work  which  he  has  performed  in  the  cause  of  Christianity  has  brought  forth 
rich  fruits. 

SIMON  SHADE. 

For  almost  a  third  of  a  century  Simon  Shade  has  resided  upon  the  farm  in 
Lykens  township  which  is  now  his  home.  He  was  born  in  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio,  April  7,  1834,  one  of  the  thirteen  children,  five  sons  and  eight  daughters, 
who  were  born  of  the  marriage  of  Samuel  and  Catherine  Shade.  Of  this  num- 
ber ten  reached  years  of  maturity.  In  1836  the  father  removed  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Venice  township,  where  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  that  had  been  owned  by  a  pre- 
vious purchaser  who  had  erected  a  log  cabin  upon  the  place.  Mr.  Shade  cut 
away  the  dense  forest,  prepared  the  land  for  the  plow  and  in  due  course  of 
time  garnered  abundant  harvests.  For  a  number  of  years  he  made  his  home 
thereon,  but  eventually  removed  to  Tiffin,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days, 
passing  away  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  His  wife  survived  him  and  reached 
the  advanced  age  of  ninety-six  years,  while  her  father  died  at  the  extreme  old 
age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years.  He  served  with  the  American  army  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution. 

Upon  the  home  farm  in  Seneca  county  Simon  Shade  spent  the  days  of  his 
boyhood  and  youth,  early  becoming  familiar  with  all  the  duties  and  labors 
which  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist.  He  was  married  in  1859  to  Miss 
Louisa  Kniemen,  and  their  union  has  been  blessed  with  four  children:  Clara, 
the  wife  of  R.  Brown,  of  Bloomville ;  Lizzie,  who  married  J.  F.  Runyon,  of 
Van  Wert,  Ohio:  S.  Andrew,  who  is  upon  the  home  farm;  and  Willie  E.,  at 
Cygnet. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Shade  located  upon  a  farm  of  eighty-six  acres, 
upon  which  he  resided  until  18O9,  when  he  came  to  his  present  home  in  Lykens 
township.  He  has  here  eighty  acres  of  land  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
in  Chatfield  township.  His  home  is  a  commodious  and  pleasant  farm  resi- 
dence, and  good  barns  and  outbuildings  furnish  shelter  for  grain  and  stock. 
Everything  about  the  place  is  kept  in  good  condition  and  the  well-tilled  fields 
yield  a  golden  return  for  the  care  and  labor  bestowed  upon  them. 

In  1900  Mr.  Shade  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  675 

was  si  ruck  by  lightning  on  the  18th  of  July  while  in  the  church  attending  a 
funeral.  She  was  a  most  estimable  lady  and  had  many  warm  friends.  Mr. 
Shade  belongs  to  the  German  Reformed  church,  and  in  his  political  affiliations 
is  a  Democrat.  He  entered  upon  his  business  career  without  capital  and  the 
success  he  has  achieved  is,  therefore,  the  merited  reward  of  his  own  labor,  for 
his  has  been  a  busy,  active,  useful  and  honorable  life. 

JAMES  DUNLAP. 

The  family  of  Dunlap  in  America  comes  of  Scotch  ancestry,  and  in  all 
generations  it  has  produced  men  and  women  of  exceptional  ability  and  worth. 
It  is  ably  represented  in  Ohio,  and  its  most  prominent  representative  in  Craw- 
ford county  is  James  Dunlap,  of  Texas  township,  a  progressive  and  prosperous, 
farmer  of  much  influence  and  importance  in  local  affairs. 

Tames  Dunlap  was  born  in  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania.  January  13, 
1832,  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (  Loeman)  Dunlap.  who  had  six  sons  and  two 
daughters.  The  following  data  concerning  different  members  of  this  family 
will  be  found  interesting:  James  Dunlap,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the 
first  in  order  of  birth.  Daniel  served  his  country  as  a  soldier  one  hundred  days 
in  the  Civil  war  and  lives  in  Kansas.  John  lives  in  Rchland  county.  Ohio. 
Samuel  was  during  a  greater  portion  of  the  Civil  war  a  member  of  the  Eighth 
Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  and  is  now  living  in  Oklahoma.  \\  illiam 
fought  for  the  flag  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  the  Third  Ohio  Cavalry 
and  is  now  living  in  Kansas.  Mary  and  Abbie  are  dead.  Jacob  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Twelfth  Ohio  Cavalry  and  saw  much  arduous  and  dangerous  service 
in  the  war  between  the  states. 

John  Dunlap  settled  in  Texas  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  in  1835,. 
and  bought  forty  acres  of  land,  on  which  there  was  a  clearing  of  a  few  acres 
and  a  small  log  cabin.  He  improved  the  property  and  died  there  in  1S7S.  at 
the  age  of  eigty-two  years.  His  wife  died  in  1846.  When  his  parents  went 
to  Texas  township  James  Dunlap  was  three  years  old.  He  remembers  having 
walked  a  mile  and  a  half  to  a  school  kept  in  a  log  school  house  and  states  that 
during  his  youth  game  was  plentiful  in  the  woods  round  about  and  Indians 
were  frequently  seen.  When  a  mere  boy  he  began  to  help  his  father  clear  land 
and  put  it  under  cultivation,  and  when  he  was  sixteen  yars  old  he  began  work- 
ing out  by  the  month,  but  made  his  home  with  his  father  until  1854.  when, 
December  2$<  he  married  Mary  Livensparger,  who  bore  him  eight  children. 
Their  daughter  Florence  married  a  Mr.  Dorrick,  of  Tiffin,  Ohio.    Their  daugh- 


676  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

ter  Laura  is  the  wife  of  Scott  Hoyellett,  of  Texas  township.  Their  daughter 
Jane  married  William  Tuttle,  of  Crawford  county.  Their  son  Elmer  lives  in 
Bucyrus,  Ohio.  Their  son  Sidney  lives  at  Shelby,  Ohio.  Their  daughter 
Minnie  is  dead.  Their  daughter  Elva  is  the  wife  of  Horace  Miller.  Their 
son  Ralph  lives  in  Sycamore,  Ohio. 

For  a  time  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Dunlap  lived  at  Bloomfield,  Ohio.  He 
then  moved  to  a  small  farm  in  Kent  county,  Ohio,  which  he  had  previously 
pre-empted.  Jt  was  heavily  timhered  and  he  made  a  small  clearing  there  and 
erected  a  log  cabin,  in  which  he  was  domiciled  for  two  years.  Then  he  re- 
moved to  Crestline,  Ohio,  where  for  one  year  he  was  employed  by  a  sawmill 
•company.  From  there  he  removed  to  Wyandot  county,  where  after  three 
years  he  bought  seventy  acres  of  land  in  Eaton  township,  on  which  he  lived 
until  the  spring  of  1862,  when  he  removed  to  Texas  township,  where  in  the 
September  following  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  the  farm  on  which  he  now 
lives. 

In  1864  Mr  .  Dunlap  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  C,  Eightieth  Regi- 
ment Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was  sent  to  North  Carolina,  where  it 
performed  picket  duty  until  the  spring  of  1865.  Thence  in  succession  it  went 
to  Xashville,  Tennessee,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Columbus,  Ohio,  Washington,  D. 
C,  and  Alexandria,  Virginia,  where  it  was  stationed  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
After  he  was  discharged  from  the  United  States  service  with  all  due  honor  he 
returned  to  his  farm  in  Texas  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  has  since 
given  his  attention  to  general  farming  and  stock-raising  with  such  success  that 
he  has  added  to  his  home  farm  until  it  now  contains  one  hundred  and  sixteen 
acres,  and  he  owns  fifty  acres  in  another  tract. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  wields  considerable  political  influence 
in  his  township  and  has  served  his  fellow  townsmen  for  many  years  as  a  school 
■director  and  for  six  years  as  township  trustee. 

HEXRY  D.  E.  JOFIXSTOX. 

Prominent  among  the  pioneer  families  of  Crawford  county  is  that  of 
Johnston,  of  which  Henry  D.  E.  Johnston,  deceased,  was  a  representative. 
His  father,  Thomas  F.  Johnston,  was  a  pioneer  settler  of  the  county,  coming 
here  in  1826  from  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1800.  He  was  a  son  of  an  Irish  emigrant  who  settled  in  Lycoming 
county.  In  1823  Thomas  F.  Johnston  married  Martha  L.  Walton,  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Elizabeth    (Rogers)   Walton,  and  was  born  in  Lycoming 


H.   D.   E.   JOHHSTOH. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  679 

county,  Pennsylvania,  May  11,  1803;  her  early  ancestors  in  America  were 
from  England.  It  was  soon  after  his  marriage  that  Thomas  F.  Johnston  emi- 
grated to  Crawford  county,  coming  by  wagon  and  team. 

On  coming  to  this  county  it  was  his  first  intention  to  follow  his  trade, 
that  of  cabinet-making,  in  Bucyrus,  then  a  village  of  some  eight  log  cabins 
and  two  frame  buildings.  The  place  not  promising  much  for  him  in  the  way 
of  remuneration  from  labors  at  his  trade,  because  of  which  he  turned  his 
attention  to  farming  in  Whetstone  township  until  the  year  1829,  he  removed 
to  Findlay,  Hancock  county,  this  state,  where  he  lived  for  three  years,  and 
then  returned  to  Crawford  county,  settling  in  Dallas  township.  While  in 
Hancock  he  served  as  county  auditor  one  term.  He  acquired  large  landed 
possessions  in  Crawford  count}'  and  his  farming  interests  grew  to 
larger  proportions.  He  also  became  a  large  stock-raiser,  especially  of  sheep. 
He  was  a  good  business  man  and  amassed  a  good  estate.  His  death  occurred 
November  1,  1862.  His  wife  survived  him  many  years,  dying  at  an  advanced 
age  in  Bucyrus,  to  which  city  she  removed  in  1865.  She  bore  her  husband 
the  following  children:  Henry  D.  E.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch; 
S.  G.  Johnston,  who  died  in  1870,  aged  forty-three  years;  Henrietta,  who 
married  Thomas  J.  Monnett  and  died  in  1871  ;  Lavina,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  years;  Josiah  S.,  who  died  in  infancy;  W.  H.  H.  Johnston,  who,  as 
a  member  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  the  Civil  war, 
served  for  a  short  time  and  was  honorably  discharged  on  account  of  failing- 
health,  and  who  died  in  1865;  James  O.  Johnston,  who  also  served  a  short 
time  in  the  Civil  war,  but  fell  a  victim  of  consumption  in  1865;  Oregon  John- 
ston, who  served  also  in  the  Civil  war  and  died  in  1876;  and  Agnes  J.  John- 
ston, the  youngest  of  the  family,  who  also  is  deceased.  Consumption  was 
hereditary  in  the  family  and  of  it  nearly  all  the  children  died. 

Henry  D.  E.  Johnston  was  born  in  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania, 
August  8,  1825,  and  was  reared  amid  the  scenes  of  pioneer  life,  obtaining  a 
limited  education.  He  was  brought  up  on  the  farm  and  farming  and  stock- 
raising  was  his  life  pursuit.  He  was  a  shrewd,  careful  and  successful  business 
man.  For  a  few  years  he  was  associated  with  his  brother,  S.  G.,  in  the  busi- 
ness of  dealing  in  stock.  In  1857  he  married  Miss  Jane  Ludwig.  the  youngest 
child  of  Samuel  Ludwig,  of  whom  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
For  two  years  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Johnston  was  engaged  in  both  farming 
and  stock-dealing,  but,  removing  to  Bucyrus,  he  engaged  exclusively  in  the 
stock  trade  for  three  years.  He  then  returned  to  the  farm  and  was  thereafter 
engaged  in  both  farming  and  the  stock  business  until  the  time  of  his  death, 


68o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

which  occurred  April  19,  1870.  He  left  three  children,  namely:  Nora,  Zua 
and  Mary  Agness.  In  politics  Mr.  Johnston  was  a  Republican,  and  a  short 
time  before  his  death  he  became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  was  possessed  of  many  sterling  qualities.  A  creditable  portrait  of  him 
appears  in  this  volume. 

BENJAMIN  F.  SIMMONS. 

Long  prominent  in  agricultural  life  of  Crawford  county,  Benjamin  F. 
Simmons  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  highly  esteemed  citizens.  His  birth  was 
in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  February,  1827,  and  he  was  a  son  of 
Lawrence  and  Alar}'  (  Rice)  Simmons.  They  had  a  family  of  four  children 
born  to  them,  but  our  subject  is  the  only  survivor. 

Lawrence  Simmons,  who  was  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  also  born  in 
the  Keystone  state,  about  1805,  and  was  married  in  that  state.  By  vocation  he 
was  a  farmer,  but  when  operations  on  his  land  were  interrupted  by  unfavorable 
weather  he  filled  up  his  time  in  the  manufacture  of  splint-bottomed  chairs,  for 
which  he  found  ready  sale.  About  1829,  when  our  subject  was  but  two  years 
of  age,  the  family  emigrated  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  a  devoted  aunt,  a  sis- 
ter to  the  mother  of  our  subject,  carrying  the  child  with  her  all  the  distance 
on  horseback.  Upon  arrival  in  Ohio  Father  Simmons  entered  eighty  acres  of 
land,  which  was  located  one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Sulphur  Springs,  in 
Liberty  township,  and  upon  this  land  he  erected  a  cabin  in  the  woods  and 
started  upon  the  task  of  clearing  this  land.  The  industry  of  Air.  Simmons 
seemed  to  have  no  limit,  for  in  addition  to  clearing  and  cultivating  his  land  he 
added  very  materially  to  the  income  by  making  the  comfortable  chairs  as  above 
mentioned,  also  looms,  which  were  needed  in  every  household,  and  in  working 
in  wood  generally,  possessing  a  natural  skill  in  this  line.  Naturally  he  pros- 
pered, and  was  soon  able  to  add  to  his  original  purchase  of  land,  buying  an 
adjoining  sixty  acres,  and  upon  this  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  he 
resided  until  1846,  at  that  time  selling  it  to  advantage  and  moving  to  Todd 
township,  where  he  bought  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which 
adjoins  the  present  farm  of  our  subject  on  the  south,  and  shortly  after  he 
bought  another  farm,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  lying  just 
across  the  highway  from  his  on  the  east.  Some  years  later  he  sold  one  of  these 
farms  and  removed  to  Bucyrus,  our  subject  taking  charge  of  the  other  farm. 

After  some  six  years  of  residence  in  Bucyrus,  Mr.  Simmons  returned  to 
the  farm,  but  shortly  after  a  fine  offer  was  made  him  which  resulted  in  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  68 1 

disposal  of  this  valuable  property.  Then  Mr.  Simmons  bought  a  small  home 
property  near  the  village  of  Nevada,  and  here  he  lived  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died  the  year  following  the  removal  of 
the  family  to  Ohio,  and  the  second  marriage  of  the  father  was  to  Miss  Cath- 
erine Swisher,  and  to  them  six  children  were  born,  all  of  whom  have  passed 
away,  Mrs.  Simmons  also  passing  out  of  life.  The  third  marriage  of  Mr.  Sim- 
mons was  to  Mrs.  Mclntvre,  but  there  was  no  issue  of  this  marriage,  and  she 
survived  her  husband  for  some  eighteen  years. 

In  public  affairs  Mr.  Simmons  was  prominent  and  was  a  leader  in  the 
Democratic  party,  but  he  is  best  remembered  as  one  of  the  enterprising  and  de- 
voted members  of  the  United  Brethren  church,  to  which  he  contributed  liberally 
and  gave  much  of  his  time  and  attention  for  a  long  period.  He  was  the  founder 
and  prime  mover  in  the  building  of  the  first  church  of  this  denomination  in 
Osceola,  which  is  now  in  course  of  rebuilding,  and  he  was  also  the  leading"  spirit 
in  the  erection  of  the  church  in  Nevada,  after  his  removal  there,  and  was  valued 
for  his  Christian  character. 

Despite  the  long  journey  from  his  native  state  Benjamin  F.  Simmons  grew 
to  robust  manhood  in  his  pioneer  home,  developing  a  strong  body  and  that  love 
for  agricultural  pursuits  which  certainly  gives  a  healthy  trend  to  the  mind 
as  well  as  to  the  body.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  pioneer  school-house, 
and  Mr.  Simmons  can  readily  recall  the  old  slab  benches  and  puncheon  floors, 
as  well  as  the  lessons  learned  within  its  walls. 

In  185 1  our  subject  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Souders,  who. 
was  a  native  of  Liberty  township,  in  this  county,  and  who  was  a  daughter  of 
"William  Souders,  who  was  one  of  the  old  pioneers  of  Libertv  township.  Short- 
ly before  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Souders,  the  father  and  sons  built  a  sawmill  on 
the  farm,  on  Broken  Sword  creek,  and  for  the  succeeding  nine  years  Benjamin 
gave  continued  attention  to  the  working  of  this  mill.  For  some  time  this  was 
only  a  sawmill,  but  later  Mr.  Simmons  became  its  sole  owner,  with  eleven  acres 
of  land,  and  he  then  added  a  set  of  buhrs  and  fitted  it  up  completely  as  a  flour- 
ing-mill.  For  a  number  of  years  he  made  as  excellent  flour  here  as  was  made 
in  any  other  place  in  the  state,  up  to  t86o.  At  that  date  he  exchanged  this 
mill  for  a  farm  of  forty  acres  and  a  residence  property  in  Oceola,  later  selling 
the  latter,  but  he  removed  his  family  to  the  farm.  At  that  time  the  land  was 
heavily  timbered  and  Mr.  Simmons  began  the  hard  work  of  clearing,  but  this 
was  given  up  on  account  of  the  death  of  his  wife,  at  which  time  he  broke  up. 
housekeeping. 

The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Simmons  was  two  vears  later,  to  Miss  Henri- 


682  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

etta  Chapman,  who  died  in  1892.  Three  children  were  born  to  the  first  union, 
but  all  of  them  have  passed  away.  Two  children  were  born  to  the  second  mar- 
riage, the  only  survivor  being  Lawrence  D.,  who  is  the  farmer  on  the  home 
farm  and  is  a  man  of  prominence  and  stability  in  the  township,  at  present  be- 
ing its  efficient  treasurer.  He  was  married  in  1894  to  Miss  Rice  Forest,  and 
two  children  have  been  born  to  this  union, — Ralph  and  Benjamin,  both  bright, 
intelligent  youths. 

For  some  time  following  his  second  marriage  our  subject  continued  on 
his  own  farm,  but  later  sold  it  and  took  charge  of  his  father's  farm  while  the 
latter  resided  in  Bucyrus.  Upon  the  return  of  the  elder  Mr.  Simmons  our  sub- 
ject purchased  his  present  farm  of  eighty  acres  and  has  resided  here  in  great 
•comfort  ever  since.  His  son  manages  the  operations  of  the  farm  and  Mr.  Sim- 
mons is  enabled  to  take  his  ease  after  a  busy  and  industrious  life  He  has  al- 
ways been  an  active  Democrat  in  politics  and  enjoys  the  esteem  of  the  county, 
through  which  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  highly  valued  of  its  citizens, 
a  man  whose  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond,  and  as  one  who  may  always  be  found 
exerting  an  influence  in  the  direction  of  morality  as  well  as  progress. 

•RICHARD  COVER. 

Richard  Cover  is  the  foreman  of  the  roundhouse  in  Crestline,  a  respon- 
sible position  which  he  capably  fills,  being  well  qualified  by  broad  experience, 
executive  force  and  sound  judgment.  Fie  was  born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio, 
December  24,  1846.  His  father,  Cyrus  K.  Cover,  was  a  native  of  Pottsville. 
Pennsylvania,  and  about  1835  emigrated  to  Richland  county,  Ohio.  He  be- 
came a  contractor  and  builder  and  followed  the  business  in  Richland  county 
until  1856.  About  1852  he  came  to  Crawford  county  and  the  following  year 
took  up  his  abode  in  Crestline,  where  he  opened  and  conducted  a  hotel  for  about 
a  year.  .  He  afterward  gave  his  attention  to  the  butchering  business  and  was 
following  that  business  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was 
fifty-two  years  of  age.  In  politics  he  was  a  stalwart  Democrat  and  for  two 
terms  served  as  constable.  His  wife,  Margaret  Pfiefer,  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, where  she  remained  until  her  marriage.  She  lived  to  be  eighty- 
two  years  of  age,  passing  away  in  Crestline.  This  worthy  couple  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  while  four  sons  are  yet 
living. 

Richard  Cover,  the  sixth  child  and  fourth  son  of  the  family,  was  about 
two  years  of  age  when  brought  to  Crawford  county.  He  was  reared  and  edu- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  683 

cateci  in  Crestline  and  worked  with  his  father  in  the  butchering  business  un- 
til 1869,  when  he  became  connected  with  the  railway  service  as  fireman  on  the 
Pittsburg,  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chicago  road,  acting  in  that  capacity  for  twenty-one 
months.  He  was  then  promoted  to  the  position  of  engineer,  serving  in  that  po- 
sition for  three  years,  running  between  Crestline  and  Alliance.  Subsequently 
he  was  made  foreman  of  the  roundhouse  at  Crestline  and  for  twenty-six  years 
has  thus  been  connected  with  the  road,  his  long  service  indicating  most  clearly 
his  faithfulness  to  duty  and  his  ability  in  the  discharge  of  the  work  devolved 
upon  him.  In  1901  he  asked  for  a  day  job,  which  the  company  granted  him. 
"Sir.  Cover  was  united  in  marriage  in  Crestline  in  1870  to  Miss  Amanda 
Richards,  a  native  of  this  city  and  a  daughter  of  B.  O.  and  Mary  Richards, 
early  settlers  of  Crawford  county,  now  living  in  Kansas.  Mrs.  Amanda  Cover 
died  in  1879.  Unto  our  subject  and  wife  were  born  two  daughters,  Viola, 
who  is  now  the  wife  of  James  Reecb  of  Crestline,  Ohio,  a  telegraph  operator; 
and  Ada,  wife  of  Horace  Burgett,  a  fireman  on  the  Pittsburg,  Ft.  Wayne  & 
Chicago  Railroad  at  Crestline.  There  are  also  two  grandchildren,  Xed  and 
Helen  Reed.  In  political  views  Mr.  Cover  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  firmly  advo- 
cating the  principles  of  the  party  as  set  forth  by  its  leaders  and  special  conven- 
tions, yet  he  has  never  sought  or  desired  office,  preferring  to  devote  his  entire 
attention  to-  his  business  interests. 

GEORGE  D.  ZIMMERMAN. 

The  prominent  citizen  of  Todd  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  whose 
familiar  name  is  above,  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  April  5,  1835,  a  son 
of  John  Zimmerman,  a  native  of  Union  county,  Pennsylvania,  who  married 
Eliza  Davidson.  The  father  of  John  Zimmerman  was  killed  when  the  latter 
was  five  years  old  and  John  was  brought  by  his  mother  to  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio,  and  thence  taken  to  Wayne  county,  also  in  this  state,  where  Mrs.  Zim- 
merman and  her  sons  bought  military  land  from  the  United  States  government 
and  where  John  was  married. 

John  and  Eliza  (Davidson)  Zimmerman  had  children  as  follows,  all  liv- 
ing in  this  state :  George  D. ;  Ephraim,  who  lives  in  Bucyrus  ;  Israel,  who  lives 
in  Wyandot  county;  Nathan,  who  lives  in  Defiance;  Albert,  of  Findlay ;  and 
Hannah,  who  married  B.  H.  Clendenin,  of  Antrim  township,  Wyandot  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zimmerman  and  their  family  removed  to  Crawford  county, 
Ohio,  in  1846,  settling  in  Todd  township,  and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  from  Judge  Swan,  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  the  village  of  Lem- 


684  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

ert  has  since  grown  up.  Thirty  acres  of  the  tract  had  been  cleared  and  a  log 
house  had  been  built  upon  it.  There  John  Zimmerman  lived  out  the  remainder 
of  his  days  and  died  December  20,  1878,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 
From  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  he  acted  with  it  in 
all  questions  of  public  policy.  He  served  his  township  as  trustee  and  filled  other 
important  offices.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
was  liberal  in  the  support  of  its  various  interests.  His  wife  died  February 
25,  1887,  aged  about  seventy-one  years. 

When  John  Zimmerman  brought  his  family  to  Todd  township  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  about  eleven  years  old.  He  remained  with  his  father  until 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  assisting  him  about  his  farm  work  and  attend- 
ing the  common  schools  near  his  home  as  opportunity  afforded  during  the 
years  of  his  youth.  In  1856  he  went  to  the  far  west  by  way  of  the  Nicaragua 
route.  He  engaged  in  prospecting  for  minerals  on  the  north  fork  of  the 
American  river  and  later  on  Bear  river,  but  made  his  headquarters  about 
sixteen  miles  from  Sacramento,  California.  He  remained  on  the  coast  about 
four  years,  during  which  time  he  took  up  several  mining  claims,  and  then 
returned  to<  Ohio  with  the  expectation  of  going  back  to  California,  but  at  the 
request  of  his  father  he  remained  and  for  two  years  was  with  him  on  his  home 
farm.  He  married  Phoebe  Jane  Caughey,  of  Sycamore,  Ohio,  and  after  his 
marriage  he  located  on  the  farm  in  Todd  township  which  he  has  since  owned 
and  operated.  The  place  comprises  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  land,  well 
improved  and  very  productive,  much  of  which  Mr.  Zimmerman  devotes  to 
general  farming.     Mr.  Zimmerman  is  a  Republican. 

Mrs.  Zimmerman,  who  died  January  6,  1900,  bore  her  husband  si-x  chil- 
dren, as  follows :  Alida  C,  who  is  the  wife  of  William  Lambright,  of  Nevada, 
Ohio ;  Viola,  who  is  the  wife  of  Scott  Ekleberry.  of  Todd  township ;  and  Clara. 
Amy,  Annie  and  Daisy,  who  are  members  of  their  father's  household.  Clara 
is  a  milliner  and  Viola  and  Daisy  and  Annie  have  achieved  an  enviable  repu- 
tation as  school  teachers. 

JOHN  DILLINGER. 

A  representative  of  one  of  the  honored  pioneer  families  of  Crawford 
county,  John  Dillinger  has  resided  within  its  borders  for  more  than  sixty 
years  and  throughout  a  long  period  has  been  a  most  active  factor  in  its  sub- 
stantial development  and  improvement.  He  was  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio. 
September  24,  1827,  the  family  residing  at  that  time  near  Canton.     His  father, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  685 

Joseph  Dillinger,  was  a  native  of  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  of 
German  descent.  He  was  reared  upon  a  farm  and  in  early  life  learned  the 
miller's  trade.  When  a  young  man  he  emigrated  westward  to  Stark  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  married  Susanna  Smith,  and  as  honored  pioneer  people  of 
Ohio  they  aided  in  laying'  the  foundation  for  the  development  and  upbuilding 
of  the  commonwealth.  They  had  six  children,  namely  :  John,  of  this  review  ; 
Hiram,  who  is  living  in  Putnam  county,  Ohio ;  David,  Harriet,  Emeline  and 
Manais,  all  now  deceased. 

In  the  year  1834  Joseph  Dillinger  came  with  his  family  to  Crawford 
county  and  located  in  Lykens  township,  where  he  entered  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  from  the  government — the  farm  upon  which  Henry  Ob- 
lander  now  resides.  He  then  contracted  with  Ben  Huddle  to  build  him  a  log- 
cabin  for  thirty  dollars,  but  on  account  of  illness  Huddle  was  unable  to  per- 
form the  work  and  when  the  Dillinger  family  arrived  in  the  county  there  was 
no1  house  awaiting  their  occupancy.  They  unloaded  their  goods  in  the  woods 
and  erected  a  shanty  of  clapboards  and  later  built  of  round  logs  a  cabin  con- 
taining one  room.  They  had  to  clear  a  place  on  which  to  build,  so  heavily 
was  the  timber.  There  were  few  roads  in  the  county  and  everything  was  yet 
in  a  primitive  condition.  The  father  cleared  and  improved  his  farm  and  made 
his  home  thereon  until  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  fifty-seven  years 
of  age.     His  wife  died  a  few  years  later. 

Mr.  Dillinger,  of  this  review,  was  a  little  lad  of  seven  summers  when  the 
family  came  to  Lykens  township.  He  was  reared  upon  the  pioneer  farm  and 
aided  in  clearing  and  cultivating  the  land.  He  never  had  the  privilege  of 
attending  school  until  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  his  advantages  were  v 
then  very  meager,  but  experience,  observation  and  reading  have  added  greatly 
to  his  knowledge.  In  1850  he  rented  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  and  after  culti- 
vating it  for  three  years  purchased  the  property  upon  which  he  resided  until 
1867,  when  he  came  to  his  present  farm.  His  landed  possessions  aggregate 
two  hundred  acres,  and  the  place  is  well  improved  with  all  modern  accessories 
and  conveniences.  A  substantial  residence,  with  barns  and  good  outbuildings 
in  the  rear,  stands  in  the  midst  of  highly  cultivated  fields  and  neatness  and 
thrift  characterize  everything  about  the  place.  Mr.  Dillinger  carries  on  gen- 
eral stock-raising.  He  has  been  buying  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep  for  thirty  years 
and  has  been  shipping  since  1872.  Since  1892  he  has  been  engaged  in  buying 
stock  at  Sycamore,  and  his  business  endeavors  have  been  crowned  with  a 
gratifying  degree  of  success. 

In  1847  Mr.  Dillinger  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mariah  Lister,  and 


686  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

unto  them  have  been  born  nine  children  :  Marilda,  the  wife  of  Enoch  Watson, 
of  Clyde,  Ohio;  James,  a  stock-buyer  of  Lykens ;  Delilah,  the  deceased  wife 
of  James  Fenchner;  Arlita,  the  wife  of  E.  R.  Runyon,  of  Van  Wert,  Ohio; 
Alary  A.,  the  wife  of  Moses  Vance,  also  a  stock-buyer  of  Lykens;  David,  who 
is  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  stock  at  Bloomville ;  John,  who  is  living  in  the 
same  place ;  Laura,  the  wife  of  Milo  McClelland,  their  home  being  on  her 
father's  farm;  and  Leonora,  the  wife  of  William  Salty,  of  Clyde,  Ohio. 

Air.  Dillinger  gives  his  political  support  tu  the  men  and  measures  of  the 
Union  Reform  party.  Since  1863  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  likewise  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  He 
is  a  most  enterprising  and  progressive  citizen  and  no  resident  of  Lykens  town- 
ship has  done  as  much  for  its  welfare  and  progress  as  Mr.  Dillinger,  who 
withholds  his  co-operation  from  no  movement  calculated  for  the  general  good. 
He  is  generous  and  genial  in  disposition  and  wherever  known  he  has  won 
many  warm  friends. 

HORATIO  W.  MARKLEY. 

Horatio  W.  Markley  is  one  of  the  progressive  and  prominent  men  of 
Crawford  county,  and  is  a  descendant  of  several  of  the  most  distinguished 
families  of  this  part  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Markley  was  born  in  Liberty  township, 
Crawford  county,  on  July  24,  1848,  and  was  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth 
(Stough)  Markley.  The  paternal  great-grandparents  were  Joseph  and  Susan- 
nah (Wigley)  Markley.  They  came  to  what  is  now  Ashland  county,  then 
Richland,  Ohio,  in  181 5,  entering  about  three  hundred  acres  of  land  on  the 
present  site  of  the  city  of  Ashland.  Here  he  erected  and  later  conducted  an 
extensive  distillery  business,  and  as  the  years  passed  became  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial men  of  the  locality.  Both  he  and  wife  were  unusually  corpulent,  their 
accumulated  weight  being  metre  than  five  hundred  pounds.  Every  year, 
arrayed  in  a  peculiar  riding  costume,  one  feature  of  which  were  beaver  hats, 
they  made  a  horseback  trip  to  the  eastern  relatives,  where  they  were  expected 
with  pleasure  on  account  of  their  many  admirable  traits  of  character.  They 
reared  a  family  of  eleven  boys  and  two  girls,  all  of  them  being  of  more  than 
average  weight  and  size.  The  smallest  of  the  boys,  faceciously  called  "the 
runt."  weighed  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  All  of  the  family  lived  to 
marry  and  rear  families  of  their  own.  The  extraordinary  strength  of  five  of 
these  sons  excited  general  comment,  as  each  one  could  take  a  full  barrel  of  whis- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  687 

key  up  in  his  hands  and  drink  from  the  bung.  Perhaps  the  strongest  of  all  was 
Horatio,  who  was  born  in  Somerset  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1804,  and  was 
considered  the  strongest  man  in  the  county.  Shortly  after  his  marriage  he 
came  to  Craw  ford  county  and  entered  one  hundred  and  forty-four  acres  of 
land  in  Liberty  township,  where  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Teel,  now  re- 
sides. With  the  assistance  of  his  brother  Mathias,  who  had  preceded  him 
here  some  years,  assisted  also  by  the  two  wives,  a  comfortable  log  cabin  was 
built  and  on  this  farm  he  spent  his  whole  life.  Pie  became  prosperous  and 
was  able  to  leave  his  children  very  well  situated,  giving  each  one  a  farm  at 
the  time  of  maturity.  He  was  long  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  English  Lutheran 
church  and  was  known  through  the  county  for  his  kindness  and  liberality. 
No  call  for  help  was  ever  disregarded,  and  when  death  came,  in  1880,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six,  the  mourners  extended  far  beyond  those  of  his  own  family. 
He  married  Nancy  Link,  who  was  the  daughter  of  Adam  Link,  also  a  remark- 
able man.  He  was  born  in  Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  where  he  owned  six 
hundred  acres  of  land  on  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Wheeling.  Pie  was  a 
veteran  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Plis  father  was  killed  by  the  Indians  dur- 
ing the  early  days.  Being  surrounded  by  Indians,  he  and  a  friend  bargained 
for  their  lives,  and,  as  the  Indians  promised  safety,  they  came  out,  only  to  be 
tomahawked  by  the  savages,  who  destroyed  everything  they  could  find,  tore 
open  feather  beds  to  see  the  feathers  fly,  killed  the  cattle  and  cut  up  the  leather 
in  the  tan  yards.  Adam  Link  lived  over  a  century,  dying  in  1864,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years,  nine  months  and  twenty-seven, 
days. 

The  maternal  great-grandparents  of  our  subject  were  also  well-known: 
people,  John  Stough  being  a  Lutheran  minister,  who  first  married  Mary  Hag- 
myer,  and  later  Catherine  Troutman.  The  great-grandfather,  Thomas  Charl- 
ton, was  of  English  birth,  and  married  Elizabeth  Mercer.  John  G.  Stough,. 
the  maternal  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Perry  count)'',  Pennsylvania,  and 
came  tO'  Crawford  county  shortly  after  his  marriage  to  Sarah  Charlton,  a  native 
of  Washington  county,  Maryland.  Air.  Stough  settled  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  the  Widow  Moderwell,  entering  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
forest  land,  built  him  a  log  cabin  in  the  forest  and  hung  up  a  quilt  for  shelter 
in  place  of  a  door.  When  meat  was  wanted  for  the  larder  he  took  his  gun, 
stepped  a  few  paces  away  from  his  home  and  soon  shot  a  deer,  so  plentiful 
were  they  at  that  time.  His  family  went  through  every  phase  of  pioneer  life, 
but  in  this  wilderness  he  reared  a  fine  family  and  remained  until  advanced  in 
years,  when  he  moved  to  Vernon  township  and  died  there  at  the  age  of  eightv- 

38 


6SS  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

four  years.      Both  he  and  wife  had  been  life-long  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church. 

Joseph  Markley,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  on  the  old  Horatio 
Markley  homestead,  on  December  4,  1824.  and  grew  up  at  home,  early  doing 
his  part  of  work  on  the  farm.  His  education  was  necessarily  limited,  but 
through  life  he  was  a  great  reader  and  in  time  became  self-educated  and  was 
thoroughly  informed  concerning  the  public  events  of  the  day.  His  marriage 
was  to  Elizabeth  Stough,  in  Liberty  township,  who  was  born  on  October  21, 
J 827,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  John  G.  and  Sarah  (Charlton)  Stough. 
After  his  marriage  he  located  on  seventy-two  acres  of  land  one  and  one-half 
miles  north  of  the  Markley  homestead  and  during  the  second  year  realized 
enough  from  the  sugar  maples  on  the  farm  to  pay  for  it.  Here  Air.  Alarkley 
resided  until  his  death,  in  May,  1858.  at  the  age  of  thirty-three.  His  life  had 
been  ;*  busy  one  and  he  had  succeeded  well.  He  was  very  active  in  the  affairs  of 
the  English  Lutheran  church,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Republican  part)'. 
\fter  the  death  of  Mr.  Markley  his  widow  married  Peter  Rutan  and  now  re- 
sides in  this  township.  One  daughter  was  born  of  this  marriage:  Anna,  the 
wife  of  Oliver  Wheaton,  a  pattern  maker  of  Mansfield. 

Horatio  \Y.  Markley,  the  bearer  of  an  honored  name,  was  reared  on  the 
home  farm  and  acquired  hut  a  limited  education.  He  was  married  on  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1871,  to  Miss  Maria  C.  Rader,  who  was  bora  in  Northampton 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Aaron  and  Sabina  (Bower; 
Rader,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  The}-  came  to  Crawford 
county  previous  to  1850.  After  his  marriage  our  subject  and  wife  went  to 
Columbiana  county  and  located  on  a  farm  belonging  to  Michael  Charlton,  but 
two  years  later  the}"  returned  to  Crawford  county  and  purchased  a  farm  of 
seventy-two  acres  two  miles  north  of  Sulphur  Springs,  where  the  family  re- 
sided for  four  years.  Then  Air.  Markley  sold  that  and  bought  eighty  acres 
in  Cranberry  township,  on  which  farm  he  remained  for  three  years,  later  selling 
that  also.  For  the  following  nineteen  years  he  successfully  operated  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  belonging  to  his  sister-in-law.  Airs.  Julia  Rader. 
In  1884  he  bought  forty  acres  located  one-fourth  mile  south  of  his  present 
home,  and  this  land  he  retained  four  years  and  then  exchanged  it  for  the  farm 
he  now  occupies.  This  consists  of  sixty-two  and  one-half  acres  and  upon  it 
he  has  erected  a  most  desirable  set  of  buildings,  modern  in  construction  and 
attractive  in  appearance.      He  removed  to  this  place  in  1899. 

Air.  Markley  has  been  very  successful  during  these  years  of  industry,  has 
become  well  known  and  esteemed  in  the  county  and  has  reared  a  most  estimable 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  689 

family,  viz.:  Franklin  A.,  city  solicitor  for  the  B.  &  O.  Railroad  at  Toledo, 
Ohio;  Hattie  E.,  a  millinery  trimmer  at  Toledo;  Bert  \Y.,  deceased;  Esther 
B.  and  Ross  \Y.,  both  at  home.  In  politics  our  subject  has  always  been  a 
stanch  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Liberty  Lodge.  No. 
845.  K.  of  H.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  L.  O.  T.  M.  and  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  He  is  one  of  the  progressive  and  energetic  men  whose  example  in  a 
community  is  for  its  benefit,  and  all  through  Crawford  county  live  those  who 
most  hisrhlv  esteem  Horatio  YV.  Markley. 


lSJ 


ELIJAH  LYONS. 

Elijah  Lyons,  who  is  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  a  good  farm  in  Cran- 
berry township,  has  always  resided  in  Crawford  county,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  the  township  which  is  still  his  home,  on  the  22d  of  May.  1850,  his 
parents  being  Jacob  and  Susan  (Robison)  Lyons.  The  father  was  born  in 
Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1822,  and  was  a  son  of  Adam  and  Barbara 
Lyons,  who  came  to  Ohio  about  1830,  settling  in  Richland  county,  near  Shelby, 
where  his  father  leased  a  tract  of  land  for  several  years.  He  was  then  in 
limited  financial  circumstances  and  on  the  expiration  of  his  lease  he  came  to 
Crawford  county,  residing  in  Cranberry  township  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 
Adam  Lyons'  children  were  George,  John  B.,  Jacob  and  Susan.  The  father 
of  our  subject  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Ohio,  and  eight 
vears  later  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  the  farm  upon  which  his  son  Elijah 
now  resides.  Soon  afterward  he  further  completed  his  arrangements  for  a 
home  of  his  own  by  his  marriage  to  Miss  Susan  Robison,  who  was  born  in 
Perry  counv.  Pennsylvania,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Christina  (  Zeigler) 
Robison,  who  came  to  Ohio  about  the  same  time  the  Lyons  family  removed  to 
this  state.  They  took  up  their  abode  in  what  is  now  Auburn  township,  Craw- 
for  countv.  then  a  part  of  Richland  county,  and  later  removed  to  Cranberry 
township,  spending  their  last  days  upon  the  farm  where  Mr.  French  now  re- 
sides. George  Robison,  an  uncle  of  Mrs.  Lyons,  was  an  officer  in  the  war  of 
1 81 2,  and  for  many  years  thereafter  was  a  leading  figure  in  military  circles. 
Two  of  her  brothers,  William  C.  and  Thomas  Henry,  were  loyal  supporters  of 
the  Union  cause  during  the  Civil  war.  and  the  latter  died  near  Arkansas  Post 
while  in  the  army. 

At  the  time  of  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lyons  located  on  the  farm 
which  he  had  purchased  and  later  he  added  to  this  a  tract  of  ten  acres.  To  the 
further  development  and  improvement  of  his  property  he  devoted  his  energies 


690  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

until  his  death.  His  study  of  political  issues  led  him  to  give  his  support  to  the 
Democracy,  but  he  was  never  an  office  seeker.  In  early  life  he  held  member- 
ship in  the  Presbyterian  church,  but  hi  later  years,  as  there  was  no  church  of 
that  denomination  in  the  neighborhood,  he  united  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  He  was  an  energetic  and  persevering  man  and  bravely  faced  the 
hardships  of  frontier  life.  He  secured  school  land  covered  with  a  dense  forest, 
built  a  cabin,  cleared  away  the  trees  and  in  due  course  of  time  had  a  comfortable 
home  for  his  family.  He  died  in  1891,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1894. 
She,  too,  was  a  loyal  and  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Four  children  were  born  unto  them,  but  only  two  are  now  living,  the  sister  of 
our  subject  being  Matilda,  widow  of  Thomas  Baer,  of  New  Washington. 

Elijah  Lyons  enjoyed  the  sports  in  which  boys  of  the  period  usually  in- 
dulged, pursued  his  education  in  the  district  schools  and  assisted  in  the  work 
of  the  home  farm.  His  earl}-  educational  advantages,  however,  were  supple- 
mented by  study  in  the  Plymouth  high  school,  in  the  Delaware  University  and 
in  a  Presbyterian  seminary  at  Lexington,  Ohio.  Prior  to  his  seventeenth  year 
he  began  teaching  and  for  nine  terms  followed  that  profession  through  the 
winter  months.  In  the  spring  he  would  then  attend  school  in  order  to  perfect 
his  own  education  and  in  the  summer  he  assisted  in  the  work  of  the  home  farm. 
In  the  fall  after  he  had  attained  his  majority  he  went  to  La  Salle  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  remained  for  eighteen  months,  after  which  he  engaged  in 
teaching  school  for  one  term  and  also  worked  on  a  farm.  He  then  took  charge 
of  the  home  farm,  operating"  it  on  the  shares  up  to  the  time  of  his  marriage. 

In  1880  Mr.  Lyons  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Susan  J.  Holtz,  of 
Huron  county,  and  then  took  his  bride  to  Van  Wert  county,  Ohio,  settling  on 
forty  acres  of  land  which  he  had  purchased  only  a  short  time  previous. 
Twenty-two  months  later  his  wife  died,  and  after  bringing  the  remains  to 
Huron  county  for  interment  he  returned  to  Van  Wert  count}-,  disposed  of  his 
farm  and  chattel  property  and  then  again  went  to  his  old  home.  In  the  fol- 
lowing autumn  he  purchased  a  farm  of  fifty  acres,  now  owned  by  Albert  Nye.. 
It  was  then  all  covered  with  underbrush,  but  with  characteristic  energy  he  be- 
gan to  prepare  it  for  the  plow,  and  in  due  course  of  time  abundant  harvests 
rewarded  his  labors.  He  was  again  married,  February  14,  1886,  his  second 
union  being  with  Miss  Susannah  Smith,  a  native  of  Crawford  county  and  a 
daughter  of  Jesse  and  Eva  (  Shoup)  Smith.  Their  union  was  blessed  with 
two  children.  Clarence  E.  and  Wilbert  W.,  but  the  latter  is  now  deceased. 

After  his  second  marriage  Mr.  Lyons  erected  a  residence  upon  his  farm 
and  there  made  his  home  until  1892.     In  the  year  previous  his  father  had  died 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  691 

•and  Mr.  Lyons  then  traded  his  farm  to  his  sister  for  her  share  in  the  old  home 
place  and  also  handsomely  provided  for  his  mother.  He  is  now  the  owner  of 
the  old  home  farm, — a  valuable  and  desirahle  property,  attractive  in  appearance 
by  reason  of  the  excellent  buildings  and  richly  cultivated  fields.  He  usually 
votes  the  Republican  ticket,  but  is  not  strongly  partisan,  believing,  however,  in 
clean  politics  and  the  support  of  men  who  will  secure  purity  in  government. 
His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  to  the  support  of 
which  he  contributes,  also  attending  its  services.  He  belongs  to  Hyperion 
Lodge,  No.  651,  K.  P.,  and  has  passed  all  the  chairs.  As  a  member  of  the 
school  board  he  has  manifested  his  friendship  fur  the  cause  of  education  and 
as  a  citizen  he  is  public-spirited,  heartily  endorsing  all  movements  for  the 
general  good. 

EZEK1EL  C.  McNUTT. 

One  of  the  well-known  and  highly  esteemed  residents  of  Auburn  township, 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is  Ezekiel  C.  McNutt,  who  is  a  representative  of  one 
of  the  old  pioneer  settlers  of  this  couny.  The  birth  of  Ezekiel  McNutt,  who  is 
the  subject  of  this  biography,  was  on  June  2,  1839,  in  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio,  and  he  was  the  son  of  Abraham  and  Mary  J.  (Craton)  McNutt,  and  he 
was  one  of  seven  children  born  to  them,  the  five  surviving  members  of  the 
family  being :  Alexander,  a  resident  of  Bucyrus ;  Abraham,  a  resident  of  Lib- 
erty township,  in  this  county;  Mary  J.,  the  wife  of  Aaron  Darr,  of  Sulphur 
Springs;  Rachael,  the  wife  of  Aaron  Park,  of  Gabon,  Ohio;  and  Ezekiel  C, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Abraham  McNutt  was  born  in  Lawrence  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  181 2, 
and  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  leaving  the 
parental  roof  for  the  town  of  Petersburg,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  tanner 
and  engaged  in  that  business  until  1840,  at  which  time  he  became  a  resident  of 
Crawford  county,  Ohio.  Here  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-seven  acres  of  land  in  Liberty  township,  near  the  Cranberry  township 
line,  and  settled  in  a  small  log  house  in  the  woods,  this  cabin  having  been 
erected  by  the  original  settler.  The  land  had  not  been  either  cleared  or  im- 
proved, and  Mr.  McNutt  immediately  engaged  in  the  labor  of  preparing  the 
land  lor  cultivation.  He  built  a  comfortable  hewed-log  cabin,  which  in  time 
gave  place  to  a  substantial  brick  residence  that  was  his  home  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1874,  when  he  was  sixty-two  years  of  age.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  McNutt  was  a  stanch  Whig,  but  later  became  identified  with  the 


692  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Republican  party.  He  was  a  man  noted  for  his  sound  judgment  and  deep  con- 
viction, but  was  of  that  temper  that  enabled  him  to  live  through  the  trying- 
times  of  the  Civil  war  in  perfect  amity  with  his  neighbors,  although  he  w.as 
surrounded  by  those  of  differing  political  opinion.  So  well  was  he  known 
and  so  highly  esteemed  that  his  views  were  never  questioned.  Mr.  McNutt 
had  been  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Methodist  church,  but  did  not  formally  con- 
nect himself  with  any  religious  body,  although  he  was  a  God-fearing  man  and 
a  regular  attendant  upon  church  services. 

F.zekiel  C.  McNutt  was  the  youngest  son  of  the  family  and  was  afforded 
good  educational  advantages.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  began  to  teach 
the  district  school  during  the  winter  season  and  spent  the  summer  on  the  farm, 
and  this  quiet,  useful  life  was  suddenly  changed  by  his  enlistment  for  service 
in  the  Union  army.  On  August  I,  1864,  he  became  a  member  of  Company 
G,  Twenty-fifth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  under  the  command  of  General 
Hatch.  The  latter  had  charge  of  about  ten  thousand  men  on  the  coast  of 
South  Carolina,  where  they  were  stationed  until  April,  1865,  guarding  Con- 
federate prisoners.  In  April  of  that  year  our  subject's  regiment  started  for 
Savannah  and  took  part  in  the  engagement  at  Honey  Hill  and  Red  Hill,  and 
also  some  sharp  skirmishes,  receiving  his  honorable  discharge  at  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  on  Jul}-  15.  1865. 

After  his  war  experience  our  subject  returned  home  and  resumed  his  old 
life,  teaching  and  farming,  as  previously,  continuing  until  1872,  at  which  time 
he  and  his  brother-in-law  erected  a  building  in  New  Washington,  where  they 
opened  up  a  grocery  and  provision  store.  For  three  years  our  subject  was 
connected  with  this  business,  having  the  entire  management  of  it,  remaining 
one  year  after  his  marriage. 

Mr.  McNutt  was  married  en  July  7,  1875,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  McKee.  who 
was  born  in  Waynesburg,  Auburn  township,  and  she  was  the  daughter  of 
James  McKee,  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction,  who  was  born  in  Perry  county, 
Pennsylvania.  Mr.  McKee  came  to  Crawford  county  about  1833  and  settled 
in  Auburn  township,  spending  his  life  in  this  and  Cranberry  township.  One 
year  after  marriage  Mr.  McNutt,  in  1876,  removed  to  the  farm  of  his  father- 
in-law,  in  Cranberry  township,  the  latter  desiring  the  presence  of  his  daughter, 
her  mother  having  died  in  April  of  that  year.  For  seven  years  our  subject 
farmed  on  shares  for  his  father-in-law,  and  he  made  his  home  with  our  sub- 
ject's family,  where  he  received  devoted,  filial  care.  In  1883  Mr.  McNutt  re- 
moved to  a  farm  of  forty  acres  in  Cranberry  township,  which  he  purchased 
some  time  prior  to  this  date,  and  remained  on  this  tract  for  four  years,  at  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  693 

end  of  that  time  selling  it  and  purchasing  forty-one  acres  just  across  the  line, 
in  Auburn  township,  remaining  here  until  1895,  when  he  also  sold  that  farm 
advantageously  and  removed  to  his  present  one  of  eighty  acres.  This  is  hue 
farm  land,  and  here  our  subject  and  family  enjoy  all  the  comforts  of  country 
life.  Two  of  their  three  children  survive,  these  being:  Edna  E.,  who  mar- 
ried Levi  Lash,  in  this  township;  and  James  Wesley,  who  was  horn  on  De- 
cember 12,  1886,  hence  is  only  fourteen  years  of  age.  but  is  remarkable  for 
intellectual  gifts,  as  he  has  successfully  passed  the  Boxwell  examination  and 
is  a  vouth  of  great  promise.  Frederick  E.,  the  second  child,  has  passed  away. 
In  politics  Mr.  McNutt,  like  his  honored  father,  is  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican partv.  Both  he  and  wife  were  reared  in  the  Methodist  church,  but 
as  there  is  no'  organization  of  that  kind  here  they  attend  and  support  the  Lu- 
theran church,  where  they  are  highly  valued. 

J.  J.  GEARHART. 

Too  much  cannot  be  said  in  favor  of  that  excellent  German  stock  whicii 
has  produced  some  of  our  best  citizenship  in  all  parts  of  America.  Industry, 
honesty  and  frugality  are  leading  traits  in  the  German  character  and  they  are 
qualities  which  make  for  success  anywhere. 

Tacob  Gearhart  was  a  pioneer  in  Jefferson  township,  Crawford  county, 
Ohio",  in  1834.  He  was  born  November  30,  1813.  in  Elshoff,  Rhine  province, 
district  of  Wettinstein,  Germany.  He  was  reared  and  educated  and  learned 
the  wagonmaker's  trade  in  his  native  land.  April  13,  the  year  mentioned, 
with  his  brother  George,  he  came  to  America  in  a  sailing  vessel,  which  con- 
sumed seven  weeks  in  making  the  voyage,  landing  at  the  American  port  June 
4.  He  located  in  Jefferson  township,  where  he  entered  eighty  acres  of  govern- 
ment land,  on  which  he  erected  a  log  cabin  and  on  which  he  lived  a  bachelor 
life  for  about  a  year,  when  he  married  an  old  German  sweetheart  who  had  come 
out  to  this  country.  Jacob  Gearhart  and  Mary  Elizabeth  Baetzel  were  mar- 
ried September  8,  "1834,  in  Crawford  county,  and  have  had  children  as  follows : 
J.  T.,  who  was  born  in  Jefferson  township,  February  11,  1837;  Mary,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  John  Heitzman,  who  is  now  a  retired  farmer  living  at  294 
Evans  street.  Bucyrus,  Ohio:  Lewis  and  Adam,  who  are  dead:  Lena,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Henry  Edler,  of  Crestline,  Ohio:  Emanuel,  who  lives  on  his  father's 
old  home  farm ;  and  Joseph,  who  died  young. 

Jacoh  Gearhart  lived  at  his  place  of  original  settlement  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship the  remainder  of  his  life  except  during  two  years.     He  cleared  and  im- 


694  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

proved  the  farm  and  established  a  brewery  on  it,  which  he  managed  success- 
fully for  several  years.  From  time  to  time  he  was  engaged  in  butchering. 
He  was  a  citizen  of  influence  and  a  member  of  the  German  Reformed  church. 
He  died  September  4,  1889,  aged  seventy-five  years,  nine  months  and  five  days. 

J.  J.  Gearhart  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  assisted  him  in  his 
various  enterprises,  and  as  opportunity  afforded  attended  school  in  a  log  school 
house  near  his  home.  In  the  winter  months  the  big  boys  took  turns  at  chopping 
wood  with  which  to  keep  the  school-room  warm.  In  1859  he  married  Ja- 
cobina  Iseman,  and  they  had  eight  children,  concerning  whom  we  make  the 
following  observations :  Henry  F.  lives  in  Jefferson  township.  Clara  A.  is 
the  wife  of  Calvin  Knell,  of  Jefferson  township.  Charles  F.  lives  at  Leesville, 
Ohio.  Xettie  is  the  wife  of  John  Kiebler,  of  Jefferson  township.  Lena  E.  is 
the  wife  of  Samuel  Kiebler  and  they  have  a  home  with  her  father.  Lewis  is 
dead.      Adolphus  and  Edward  died  in  infancy. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Gearhart  removed  to  his  present  farm  of 
eighty  acres,  eighteen  acres  of  which  was  improved,  and  for  two  years  he  lived 
in  the  little  log  cabin  which  stood  on  the  place  and  which  was  superseded  by  a 
more  modern  residence.  He  now  owns  one  hundred  and  ninety-seven  acres 
of  land  and  is  a  progressive  and  successful  general  farmer  and  stock-raiser. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  he  has  always  been 
liberal  in  his  contributions  toward  its  support.  Politically  he  is  of  the  Demo- 
cratic faith,  and  his  public  spirit  has  led  him  to  favor  every  movement  for  the 
general  good  of  the  people  of  his  township  and  county.  He  has  many  times 
served  on  juries  and  he  is  the  present  incumbent  of  the  office  of  road  commis- 
sioner of  Jefferson  township. 

ROBERT  GREGG. 

That  sensible,  practical,  industrious  and  successful  Pennsylvania  stock 
which  has  been  a  factor  in  the  development  of  the  civilization  of  nearly  every 
section  of  our  country  has  been  especiallv  potent  in  Ohio,  and  among  its  best- 
known  representatives  in  Crawford  county  is  Robert  Gregg,  of  Texas  township. 

Robert  Gregg  was  born  on  the  old  Gregg  homestead  in  the  township 
above  mentioned,  September  23,  1839,  a  son  of  William  Gregg,  who  was  born 
in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1802,  and  was  brought  by  his  father, 
'Andrew  Gregg,  to  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  in  1804.  There  Robert  Gregg's 
grandfather  acquired  government  land  and  improved  a  farm  on  which  his  son 
William  was  brought  up  to  manhood,  attending  such  schools  as  were  then 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  695 

available  to  him  in  that  then  new  country  and  doing  his  part  in  the  work  of 
clearing  wild  land  and  putting  it  under  cultivation.  He  married  Margaret 
Smith  and  they  had  ten  children.  Of  these  Catharine  Achsah  and  Lewis  died 
young.  John  lives  in  Sycamore  township,  Wyandot  county,  Ohio.  Nancy 
married  James  McClung  and  lives  in  Iowa.  James  is  dead.  Robert  was  the 
next  in  order  of  birth.  William  S.  and  Andrew  are  dead,  and  Minerva  E., 
the  youngest,  married  George  Tuttle  and  lives  in  Crawford  county.  Robert, 
John  and  William  S.  all  served  their  country  as  soldiers  in  the  Civil  war. 
The  parents  of  these  children  went  to  Crawford  county  in  1828  and  settled  in 
Texas  township,  where  the  father  entered  a  claim  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  government  land,  on  which  he  built  a  two-room  house  of  round  logs. 
He  made  the  journey  to  the  county  with  an  ox-team  and  settled  in  the  midst  of 
a  dense  wilderness,  in  which  game  was  plentiful  and  Indians  were  often  seen, 
and  he  was  so  handy  with  his  rifle  that  he  soon  achieved  a  reputation  as  an 
expert  squirrel  hunter.  He  was  prominent  in  local  affairs,  and  helped  lay  out 
roads  and  organize  school  districts,  and  in  a  general  way  aided  in  putting  the 
wheels  of  civilization  in  motion.  He  gradually  improved  his  farm  in  every  way 
and  died  there  in  April,  1879.  His  wife  died  about  1854.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  church,  in  which  to  the  end  of  his  days  Mr.  Gregg  was 
an  active  worker. 

Robert  Gregg  was  brought  up  to  farm  life,  was  educated  in  the  common 
^schools  and  lived  with  his  father  until  the  spring  of  1861,  when  he  went  to 
Minnesota,  and  where  a  few  months  later  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company 
G,  First  Regiment  Minnesota  Volunteer  Infantry,  to  serve  for  three  years  or 
during  the  war.  After  the  affair  at  Bull  Run,  where  he  had  his  first  experi- 
ence of  actual  warfare,  he  went  to  Alexandria,  Virginia,  and  thence  to  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  and  not  long  afterward  he  was  sent  to  a  hospital  at  Georgetown, 
and  after  four  weeks  there  he  was  sent  to  another  hospital  at  Annapolis,  Mary- 
land, where  after  nine  weeks  he  was  appointed  to  the  hospital  staff,  on  which 
he  served  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1863  he  rejoined  his  regiment  in  Virginia 
and  served  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  until  honorably  discharged  from  the 
service  in  April,  1864. 

Returning  to  Crawford  county,  Mr.  Gregg  farmed  with  his  father  for 
one  year  and  then  removed  to  the  place  on  which  he  now  lives.  His  home 
farm  consists  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  he  owns  another  farm  of 
the  same  size,  and  he  is  a  very  successful  general  farmer  and  stock-raiser. 
He  is  a  prominent  Republican  and  has  served  his  fellow  citizens  as  township 
trustee  for  two  years.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


696  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

In  1864  'ie  married  Miss  Eliza  J.  Magoffin,  who  has  borne  him  seven  children, 
the  eldest  of  whom,  Clarence  E.,  is  dead,  and  the  others  are  named,  respect- 
ively. Layton  H.,  Willis  C,  Addie,  Blanche,  Albert  C.  and  Walter  B.  Mr. 
Gregg  is  a  man  of  much  public  spirit,  who,  having  a  vivid  recollection  of  the 
old  subscription  schools  taught  in  log  school  houses  by  incompetent  teachers, 
has  a!!  his  life  done  everything  in  his  power  to  advance  the  cause  of  education 
in  his  township  and  who  has  been  ready  at  all  times  to  assist  to  the  extent  of 
his  ability  all  movements  which  in  his  good  judgment  have  promised  to  benefit 
his  fellow  citizens. 

AARON  CARRICK. 

The  prominent  citizen  of  Chatfield  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
whose  name  is  above  is  deserving  of  the  honor  which  by  common  consent  is 
accorded  to  veterans  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  born  in  Huron  county,  Ohio, 
June  2~ ,  1836,  the  third  child  of  Joseph  and  Frederica  ( Harklerhodis)  Car- 
rick,  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  His  father  was  born  July  16.  1808.  his  mother 
September  8,  1809,  in  Bedford  county,  and  they  were  married  in  Stark  county, 
Ohio,  April  6,  1829,  and  some  time  afterward  removed  to  Columbiana  county, 
this  state.  They  had  children  named  Laura  A.,  William,  Aaron  and  Sarah. 
William  lives  in  Tiffin,  Seneca  county,  Ohio.  Sarah  married  R.  Piatt,  of 
Michigan. 

The  Carrick  family  located  in  Chatfield  township.  Crawford  county,  in 
184^),  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Joseph  Carrick 
had  been  a  carpenter  by  occupation,  but  he  then  bought  one  hundred  and  five 
acres  of  land  and  devoted  himself  to  farming,  in  which  he  was  successful  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  November  12,  1877.  He  left  a 'record  as  a  worthy 
and  respected  citizen  of  much  enterprise  and  public  spirit,  an  honest  man,  who 
loved  his  wife,  his  children  and  his  neighbors. 

Aaron  Carrick  passed  his  boyhood  in  attending  school  and  in  work  on 
the  I  arm.  In  August,  1862,  when  civil  war  was  rife  in  our  land  and  brave  and 
stalwart  men  were  needed  to  crush  the  spirit  of  rebellion,  he  responded  to  the 
nation's  call  and  for  three  years  nobly  did  a  soldier's  duty  in  defense  of  the 
starry  banner.  His  regiment  was  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry  and  was  included  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Winchester.  Newmarket,  Fisher's  Hill,  Staunton, 
Perryville,  Lynchburg,  Richmond  and  Snicker  Gap.  At  Perryville  he  drove 
an  ambulance  in  which  wounded  soldiers  were  conveyed  to  Harper's  Ferry, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  697 

and  while  in  that  service  was  captured  by  the  Confederate  general,  Mosby, 
under  the  following  interesting"  circumstances  :  While  returning  from  Harper's 
Ferry  and  driving  through  a  small  village  young  Carrick  noticed  a  fine  horse 
that  was  tied  to  a  hitching-post  at  the  side  of  the  street,  and  in  a  laughing  way 
he  said  to  the  man  driving  the  ambulance  next  behind  his :  "There's  Mosby's 
horse.  I  wonder  where  he  is?"  Not  long  after  the  ambulance  train  had 
passed  through  the  village  the  owner  of  the  horse  appeared  on  the  scene,  and, 
joining  the  officers  in  command  of  the  party,  rode  with  them  nearly  ten  miles, 
when,  in  a  strip  of  woods,  Mosby's  men  dashed  down  upon  them  and  captured 
the  train  and  its  escort.  Mr.  Carrick  soon  escaped,  however,  and,  dodging 
through  the  woods,  gained  a  cornfield,  where  he  hid  for  some  time.  That 
night  he  slept  under  a  pile  of  rails  and  early  in  the  morning  he  set  out  for  the 
Union  lines.  Some  negroes  living  in  a  cabin  gave  him  some  cornbread  for 
breakfast,  for  which  he  was  especially  grateful,  considering  that  they  had  no 
other  food  in  the  house.  When  he  rejoined  his  command  he  found  that  a 
detachment  of  Union  troops  had  during  the  night,  after  a  brisk  skirmish,  re- 
captured the  entire  ambulance  train.  He  served  until  honorably  discharged 
from  the  service  in  1865,  and  then  returned  to  Ohio  and  engaged  in  farming. 
In  1868  Mr.  Carrick  married  Lucy  Ann  Fike,  a  native  of  Venice  township, 
Seneca  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Peter  Fike,  and  she  has  borne  him  three 
children,  only  one  of  whom,  their  son,  Jacob  A.  Carrick,  survives..  Mr.  Car- 
rick is  a  man  of  commendable  public  spirit,  who  to  the  extent  of  his  ability 
aids  eveiw  movement  having  for  its  object  the  general  good,  and  he  is  known 
as  a  friend  of  education,  a  liberal  supporter  of  religious  worship  and  an  advo- 
cate of  good  roads. 

DANIEL  GREEN. 

For  twenty  years  Daniel  Green  has  resided  upon  the  farm  which  is  now 
his  home.  The  place  comprises  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres  of  land  in  Chat- 
field  township,  and  is  highly  cultivated,  bringing  to  him  a  good  return  for  his 
labor.  Throughout  his  entire  life  he  has  been  connected  with  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  was  born  upon  his  father's  farm  in  Liberty  township,  Crawford 
county,  June  25,  1846,  and  when  eighteen  years  of  age  came  to  Chatfield  town- 
ship. He  entered  upon  an  independent  business  career  when  twenty-seven 
years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  purchased  his  present  farm,  but  he  continued 
to  live  at  home  until  his  marriage,  which  occurred  in  1877,  Miss  Elizabeth 
Heiby  becoming  his  wife.     Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  six  children :. 


6gi5  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Adam,  Louisa,  Matilda,  William,  Harrison  and  Emma,  and  the  family  circle 
yet  remains  unbroken  by  the  hand  of  death. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Green  purchased  a  farm  in  Chatfield  town- 
ship, upon  which  he  resided  for  about  four  years,  when,  in  1881,  he  purchased 
his  present  farm.  He  owns  altogether  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  acres  of  rich 
land,  of  which  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres  is  comprised  within  the  home 
place.  He  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock-raising  and  has  good  grades 
of  cattle,  horses  and  hogs  upon  his  place,  while  the  cultivation  which  he  be- 
stows upon  his  fields  leads  them  to  return  to  him  excellent  crops.  Thus  he 
adds  continually  to  his  capital.  He  belongs  to  the  Lutheran  church,  and  in 
his  political  views  he  is  a  Democrat,  voting  with  that  party  but  never  seeking 
office,  preferring  to  give  his  time  and  energies  to  his  farming  operation,  be- 
lieving such  labor  to  be  a  more  sure  source  of  income. 

WILLIAM   BENDER. 

There  are  few  men  whose  lives  are  crowned  with  the  honor  and  respect 
which  is  universally  accorded  to  William  Bender,  but  through  many  years'  con- 
nection with  Crawford  county's  history  his  has  been  an  unblemished  character. 
With  him  success  in  life  has  been  reached  by  his  sterling  qualities  of  mind  and 
a  heart  true  to  every  manly  principle.  He  has  never  deviated  from  what  his 
judgment  would  indicate  to  be  right  and  honorable  between  his  fellow  men 
and  himself,  has  never  swerved  from  the  path  of  duty,  and  now,  after  a  long 
and  useful  career,  he  can  look  back  over  the  past  with  pride  and  enjoy  the  re- 
maining years  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage  with  a  consciousness  of  having  gained 
lor  himself  by  his  honorable,  straightforward  career  the  confidence  and  respect 
of  the  entire  communitv  in  which  he  lives. 

A  native  son  of  the  Buckeye  state,  he  was  born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio, 
on  the  26th  of  March,  1850,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Hoffman)  Bender. 
In  his  youth  he  enjoyed  only  the  educational  privileges  afforded  by  the  pioneer 
log  school  houses  of  his  day.  but  in  later  life  he  greatly  added  to  his  knowledge 
by  reading,  study  and  practical  experience,  thus  becoming  a  well-informed 
man.  After  his  marriage  he  located  on  eighty  acres  of  his  present  home  farm, 
then  the  property  of  his  father-in-law,  which  he  rented  for  eleven  years,  and 
during  that  time  he  also  dealt  quite  extensively  in  stock,  thus  greatly  augment- 
ing his  income.  In  1882  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  four  acres  adjoining 
his  present  farm  on  the  east,  and  in  1885  he  purchased  of  his  father-in-law  his 
present  homestead,  thus  making  the  home  farm  to  consist  of  one  hundred  and 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  699. 

eighty-four  acres.  He  also  owns  three  other  tracts  of  land,  aggregating  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  all  of  which  is  located  in  Auburn  township  with  the 
exception  of  fifteen  acres  in  Vernon  township.  Mr.  Bender  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful in  his  farming  and  stock-raising  interests,  and  he  is  to-day  accounted 
one  of  the  substantial  and  leading  citizens  of  his  locality.  During  his  many 
years  of  labor  he  secured  a  competence  sufficient  to  enable  him  to<  lay  aside  the 
active  cares  of  a  business  life  and  to  rest  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  his 
former  toil.  In  1889  he  erected  a  handsome  and  commodious  farm  residence, 
and  in  the  following  year  he  rebuilt  his  barn,  his  place  being  now  supplied  with 
all  the  accessories  and  conveniences  known  to  the  model  farm. 

On  the  3d  of  September,  1873,  Mr.  Bender  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Cornelia  Sawyer,  a  daughter  of  Albanus  Sawyer.  Three  children  have 
graced  the  marriage  of  our  subject  and  wife,  namely:  Rilla  May,  the  wife  of. 
John  W.  Hutt,  of  Richland  county ;  Minnie  Luella,  who  is  now  sixteen  years  of 
age ;  and  Ruth  lone,  a  little  lady  of  eight  years.  Mr.  Bender  gives  his  political 
support  to  the  Democracy,  and  although  he  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  po- 
litical honors  he  has  served  for  many  years  as  supervisor  of  his  district,  dis- 
charging- the  duties  of  that  position  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 
He  is  not  connected  by  membership  with  any  religious  denomination,  but  he  has 
been  a  liberal  contributor  of  both  time  and  means  to  the  Lutheran  church,  hav- 
ing assisted  materially  in  the  erection  of  the  house  of  worship  in  Tiro.  He  gen- 
erously co-operates  with  all  movements  or  measures  intended  for  the  better- 
ment of  humanity.  No  trust  reposed  in  him  has  ever  been  betrayed,  and  in 
every  relation  of  life  he  is  true  to  duty  and  to  the  right, — a  loyal  and  patriotic 
citizen. 

HIRAM  SHALTER. 

The  name  of  Shalter  has  been  well  known  in  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  since 
John  Shalter  settled  there  in  1832,  taking  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
government  land  in  Lykens  township.  Hiram  Shalter,  John  Shalter's  eldest 
son,  is  a  prominent  farmer  in  Texas  township,  and  was  born  on  his  father's 
homestead  in  Lykens  township,  [March  23,  1834. 

John  Shalter,  of  whom  a  brief  biographical  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  work,  married  Elizabeth  Albaugh,  of  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  who  bore 
him  thirteen  children.  The  first  born  of  these,  Hiram,  was  reared  on  his  fa- 
ther's farm,  in  the  work  of  which  he  assisted  his  father  until  he  was  twenty- 
four  years  of  age.    He  then  removed  to  Huron  county,  Ohio,  where  he  bought 


700  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

eighty  acres  of  wood  land  and  lived  a  year  and  a  half.  Disposing  of  his  inter- 
ests there  he  moved  to  Texas  township,  Crawford  county,  where  he  bought 
of  his  father-in-law  his  present  home  farm,  of  which  he  has  cleared  thirty 
acres,  which  he  devotes  to  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  now  owns 
altogether  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land. 

When  he  was  twenty-four  years  old  Mr.  Shalter  married  Miss  Mary  Clark, 
who  has  borne  him  five  children.  Their  son  Robert  is  dead.  Their  son  Frank 
lives  at  Sycamore,  Ohio.  Their  daughter  Laura  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Oder. 
Their  son  George  is  dead,  as  is  also  their  daughter  Minnie.  In  politics  Mr. 
Shalter  is  a  stanch  Republican,  but  he  has  never  sought  nor  consented  to>  hold 
office.  He  and  his  wife  are  consistent  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  is 
a  man  of  much  public  spirit  who  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  cause  of  educa- 
tion and  has  done  whatever  he  has  been  able  to  do  to  improve  the  common 
schools  of  his  neighborhod.  In  his  youth  he  enjoyed  few  educational  advan- 
tages, and  he  is  largely  self-educated.  The  first  school  of  which  he  has  any 
recollection  was  taught  at  Bulgo,  as  the  original  settlement  of  Lykens  was 
called,  in  a  little  log  building  with  no  floor,  all  the  appointments  of  which  were 
of  the  crudest  description,  and  on  account  of  sickness  only  one  day  of  school- 
ing was  available  to  him  that  summer.  He  next  attended  school  in  another  log 
school  house  which  was  not  much  of  an  improvement  on  the  one  just  referred 
to,  and  the  information  imparted  in  which  was  scant  and  somewhat  vague  in 
character.  The  following  items  concerning  his  brothers  and  sisters  will  be 
found  interesting.  His  sister  Delia  was  formerly  a  successful  teacher.  For 
several  years  she  and  her  sisters  Nancy  and  Lizzie  have  owned  millinery  stores 
at  Bloomville  and  at  other  points  in  Ohio.  His  brothers  Levi  and  David  and 
his  sisters  Mary  A.,  Catharine,  Emma  and  Susanna  are  dead.  His  sister  Sa- 
loma  married  Daniel  Savage.  His  brother  John  lives  in  Putnam  county,  Ohio, 
his  brother  Abraham  in  Seneca  county,  and  D.  Savage  lives  at  Cripple 
Creek,  Colorado. 

CHARLES  TOBIX. 

Upon  the  farm  where  he  now  resides  Charles  Tobin  first  opened  his  eves 
to  the  light  of  day  on  the  20th  of  January.  1855.  He  is  now  the  only  sur- 
vivor of  the  three  children  born  unto  William  J.  and  Margery  (Stewart) 
Tobin.  The  family  is  of  Irish  lineage,  and  the  father  of  our  subject  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Letter  Kenny,  in  County  Donegal,  Ireland,  about  1820. 
His  parents  died  within  one  week  of  typhoid  fever,  and  he  was  thus  left  an 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  701 

orphan  at  the  age  of  eight  years.  He  then  became  an  inmate  of  the  home  of 
an  uncle,  Mr.  John  Gibson,  with  whom  he  remained  until  twenty  years  of  age. 
Attracted  by  the  opportunities  afforded  in  the  land  of  the  free,  he  made  his  way 
to  the  new  world  in  1840,  landing  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  after  a  voy- 
age of  four  weeks  upon  the  sailing  vessel  ''The  Lazy  Hulk,"  so>  named  because 
of  her  slowness  in  travel.  When  he  reached  the  shores  of  the  new  world  Mr. 
Tobin  had  but  one  English  guinea,  and  this  he  changed  into  United  States 
money,  receiving  four  dollars  and  eighty-four  cents.  For  ten  days  he  re- 
mained in  Philadelphia  and  then  went  up  the  Delaware  river  about  thirty  miles, 
where  he  secured  employment  as  a  farm  hand,  working  in  that  capacity  until 
the  spring  of  1841  and  during  the  winter  attended  school.  He  then  came  to 
Ohio  by  way  of  the  Ohio  river  to  Pittsburg  and  by  stage  to  Richland  county, 
locating  in  Rome,  where  Ins  uncle.  Dr.  Gustavus  Allen,  then  resided.  Our 
subject  worked  upon  his  uncle's  farm  during  the  summer  months  and  in  the 
winter  again  took  up  his  educational  work  in  the  district  schools  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. In  the  spring  of  1853  ne  entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  to  the  car- 
penter's trade  under  a  Mr.  Haymaker,  of  Franklin  township,  with  whom  he 
remained  for  two  years.  He  afterward  went  to  Mansfield,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed at  his  trade  for  a  similar  period  during  the  fall  and  winter  months, 
while  in  the  summer  he  worked  at  farm  labor.  About  1845  he  entered  the 
employ  of  a  Mr.  Barnett,  a  wagon-maker  of  Franklin  township,  in  whose  ser- 
vice he  continued  for  two  winters.  He  then  obtained  work  with  Charles  Stewart 
as  a  farm  hand,  and  in  1847  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  his  employer's  daugh- 
ter, Miss  Margorie  Stewart,  who  was  born  in  Franklin  township,  Richland 
county.  Her  mother  was  Airs.  Catherine  (  Sweeney)  Stewart,  and  both  of 
her  parents  were  natives  of  County  Donegal,  Ireland.  Immediately  after  their 
marriage  they  came  to  the  United  States  and  for  a  short  period  were  residents 
of  Pennsylvania,  coming  thence  to  Ohio.  The  father  entered  land  on  Black 
Fork,  in  Franklin  township,  Richland  county,  being  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
this  portion  of  the  state.  The  Indians  were  yet  numerous  and  the  country  was 
wild  and  unimproved. 

After  his  marriage  William  J.  Tobin  remained  upon  his  father-in-law's 
farm  as  a  farm  hand  for  three  years,  in  connection  with  his  brother-in-law. 
In  the  spring  of  1850  he  came  with  his  young  wife  and  one  child  to  his  present 
home,  having  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  during  the  previous  winter. 
This  was  practically  virgin  forest,  for  only  a  small  patch  of  four  acres  had  been 
cleared,  and  upon  it  a  log  cabin  had  been  erected.  This  little  pioneer  home 
furnished  shelter  for  the  Tobin  family  until  the  spring  of  1861,  when  the  resi- 


7o2  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

dence  in  which  our  subject  is  now  located  was  erected.  In  the  following 
autumn  he  built  a  substantial  bank  barn,  and  in  the  course  of  time  made  his 
farm  one  of  the  best  improved  country  seats  in  this  portion  of  the  state,  re- 
claiming the  land  from  the  forest  and  the  swamps  and  transforming  it  into 
richly  cultivated  fields,  whose  golden  harvests  returned  to  him  a  gratifying 
income  each  year.  During  the  '50s  Mr.  Tobin  also  purchased  an  additional 
tract  of  forty-one  acres  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south 
of  his  home.  He  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  but  the  honors  and  emoluments  of 
office  have  not  had  attraction  for  him,  as  he  has  preferred  to  devote  his  energies 
to  his  farming  interests.  Of  the  Presbyterian  church  he  is  a  consistent  mem- 
ber, and  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  has  faithfully  served  as  one  of  its 
elders.  Although  he  has  traveled  life's  journey  for  more  than  eighty  years  he 
is  yet  in  possession  of  all  his  faculties  and  enjoyed  remarkably  good  health  until 
the  past  winter,  when  his  constitution  w?as  somewhat  undermined  by  la  grippe. 
Throughout  the  community  in  which  he  has  resided  he  is  venerated  and  re- 
spected and  enjoys  the  warm  friendship  of  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor. 
His  wife  passed  away  in  July,  1883,  when  fifty-five  years  of  age. 

Charles  Tobin  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  in  the  usual  manner  of  farmer 
lads  of  that  period.  In  the  winter  months  he  carried  his  text-books  to  the 
nearest  school  and  there  mastered  the  common  branches  of  English  learning. 
He  worked  upon  his  father's  farm  as  health  and  strength  would  permit,  and 
in  the  winter  of  1889-90  he  went  to  southern  California  for  the  purpose  of 
recuperating  his  health.  The  trip  proved  quite  beneficial  and  in  the  spring  he 
returned  home.  In  the  same  year  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Chloris 
Beattie  Turrittin,  a  native  of  Le  Seuer  county,  Minnesota,  and  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Kendall)  Turrittin.  Her  father  was  born  in  County 
Donegal,  Ireland,  and  her  mother  was  a  native  of  Maine.  The  marriage  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tobin  has  been  blessed  with  two  children,  but  the  son  died  in 
infancy.     The  daughter,  Margie  Elizabeth,  was  born  May  6,  1894. 

In  the  spring  following  his  marriage  Mr.  Tobin  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  home  farm,  which  he  has  since  operated  on  the  shares.  He  has 
placed  the  land  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  the  neat  and  thrifty  ap- 
pearance of  the  place  indicates  his  careful  supervision.  In  politics  he  is  quite 
prominent  in  Democratic  circles,  and  in  1892  was  appointed  township  trustee 
to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  John  Bland.  In  the  spring  of  1893 
he  was  regularly  elected  to  the  office,  and  in  1896  was  re-elected,  so  that  he  has 
served  for  more  than  two  terms.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  and  also  belong  to  Cranberry  Grange,  No.   1435,  Patrons  of 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  703 

Husbandry.  Mr.  Tobin  is  accounted  one  of  the  progressive  agriculturists  of 
his  community.  His  entire  life  has  been  passed  within  the  borders  of  Craw- 
ford county,  and  the  fact  that  many  of  his  wannest  friends  are  numbered 
among  those  who  have  known  him  from  childhood  is  an  indication  of  his  up- 
right and  straightforward  career. 

JOHN  HILBORN. 

John  Hilborn,  one  of  the  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Crawford  county,. 
Ohio,  now  engaged  in  the  coal  and  draying  business  in  the  town  of  Tiro,  was 
born  in  Liberty  township,  in  this  county,  on  November  16,  1838.  He  was  a 
son  of  Isaac  and  Nancy  (George)  Hilborn.  and  was  a  member  of  a  family  of 
nine  children,  the  two  survivors  being  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  his 
brother  Samuel,  who  now  resides  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Auburn  township. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  which  is  located  within 
one  mile  of  his  present  home  in  Tiro.  He  received  an  excellent  common- 
school  education,  and,  as  his  father  was  growing  old  and  he  was  the  youngest 
son,  he  remained  under  the  parental  roof.  When  he  was  twenty-two  years  of 
age  his  father  gave  him  forty  acres  of  timber  land  and  he  went  to  work  clearing 
this  property.  Into  his  peaceful  life,  as  into  that  of  many  another  farmer  boy, 
sounded  the  call  to  arms  in  defense  of  his  country,  and  our  subject  was  quick 
to  respond.  On  September  7,  1861,  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army, 
entering  Company  I,  Fifteenth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  soon  they  were 
sent  from  Mansfield  to  Camp  Dennison  to  be  trained  in  the  arts  of  war. 
Shortly  after,  our  subject  and  his  companions  were  sent  to<  Covington,  Ken- 
tucky, and  camped  there  for  a  short  time,  going  then  to  Camp  Nevin,  where 
they  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  winter.  "While  here  our  subject  was  at- 
tacked with  a  serious  illness  which  necessitated  a  season  in  the  hospital,  and  a 
month,  later  he  obtained  a  furlough  for  twenty-six  days'  leave,  on  condition 
that  some  one  would  take  charge  of  him.  A  brother-in-law  came  for  him  and 
brought  him  home.  One  week  after  his  return  he  broke  out  with  small-pox, 
but  this  did  not  prevent  his  reporting  for  duty  on  the  day  before  the  expiration 
of  his  furlough.  However,  under  the  circumstances  his  services  were  not 
needed  in  camp  and  he  was  sent  back  home  with  orders  to  remain  there  until 
he  was  fit  for  duty.  About  ten  days  later  lie  again  reported,  but  was  then  sent 
to  what  was  known  as  Hospital  No.  4,  but  his  condition  was  such  that  he  could 
not  be  received  there  and  he  was  sent  to  Park  Barracks,  and  here  he  was  later 
detailed  as  assistant  waiter  in  the  officers'  mess. 
39 


;o4  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Some  three  weeks  later  our  subject  was  permitted  to  join  his  regiment, 
which  was  but  one  day's  march  from  Corinth,  and  the  battle  at  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing had  been  fought  but  a  few  days  previously.  Our  subject  crossed  the  field 
of  carnage  on  his  way  to  join  his  regiment,  and  soon  after  reaching  it  his 
company  was  detailed  to  guard  a  bridge  near  Huntsville.  Here  the  regiment 
threw  up  breastworks  and  then  returned  to  Louisville  with  the  idea  of  pre- 
venting the  Confederate  General  Bragg  from  crossing  the  river.  A  few  weeks 
later  they  pursued  General  Bragg  and  broke  up  his  plans  in  that  locality.  Our 
subject  took  part  in  the  greater  number  of  the  battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland. In  the  one-hundred-day  fight  in  the  march  from  Chattanooga  to 
Atlanta  our  subject  was  wounded  at  Pumpkin  Vine  creek,  suffering  both  in 
the  face  and  also  in  the  left  hand,  but  he  declined  to  leave  his  company,  although 
for  several  days  he  was  totally  unable  to  handle  his  gun. 

Mr.  Hilborn  had  his  endurance  tried  again  the  first  clay  following  his  again 
accepting"  his  gun,  as  he  was  then  severely  wounded.  He  was  on  the  picket 
line  at  what  was  known  as  Picket's  Mills  or  New  Hope  church,  and  found  it 
necessary  to  shoot  an  intruder,  and  before  he  had  an  opportunity  to  load  his 
gun  a  party  of  the  enemy  came  upon  him,  demanding  his  surrender,  but  he 
declined  to  do  that  and  ran  as  fast  as  he  could  toward  the  camp,  reaching  there 
alive  but  with  two  bullets  in  his  body.  He  was  then  sent  to  the  division  hos- 
pital, where  he  endured  agonies  from  the  operations  necessary,  and  three  weeks 
later  was  removed  to  Chattanooga,  and  four  weeks  later  was  passed  on  to  the 
hospital  in  Nashville.  Four  weeks  after  he  was  sent  home  on  a  furlough  and 
remained  for  twenty  days.  Returning  to  his  company,  our  subject  found  it 
at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  but  before  he  reached  there  he  had  an  encounter  with 
Confederate  scouts  which  almost  prevented  this  gallant  and  faithful  soldier 
from  giving  more  service  to  his  country. 

At  Atlanta  the  Fourth  Army  Corps  and  the  Twenty-third  Army  Corps 
were  left  to  pursue  General  Hood.  Our  subject's  command  belonged  to  the 
former,  and  they  pressed  on  to  Nashville  and  later  the  country  heard  of  the 
fierce  battle  of  Franklin,  and  later  the  battle  of  Nashville.  Our  subject  re- 
ceived his  honorable  and  well-earned  discharge  on  December  24,  1865,  after 
having  been  five  months  in  camp  in  Texas. 

After  Mr.  Hilborn' s  return  from  the  army  he  resumed  farming,  and  gn 
July  to,  1866,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emmeline  Clark,  and  to  this  marriage 
one  child  was  born,  which  died  when  five  months  old,  and  Mrs.  Hilborn  died 
S(  M.n  after  its  birth.  On  June  29,  1869,  our  subject  was  married  to  Miss  S.  J. 
Davis,  and  the  one  child  of  this  marriage  died  in  infancy. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  705 

In  1868  Air.  Hilborn  sold  his  farm  and  bought  eighty  acres  located  five 
miles  north  of  his  former  farm,  residing'  there  for  six  months,  then  disposing 
of  it  and  removing  to  Mechanicsburg,  where  he  purchased  two  and  one-half 
acres.  This  tract  he  also  sold  and  then  bought  three  acres  and  built  upon  it 
a  good  house  and  barn,  making  excellent  improvements,  and  there  he  resided 
for  four  years  and  then  sold  and  purchased  rive  acres  of  land  in  Tiro.  This 
he  laid  out  in  town  lots  and  has  sold  all  but  his  home  place.  Mr.  Hilborn  has 
done  well  in  his  real  estate  transactions  and  has  displayed  excellent  judgment 
in  every  sale  and  purchase. 

For  about  ten  years  Mr.  Hilborn  engaged  in  truck  gardening,  but  for  the 
past  few  years  he  has  conducted  a  coal  and  draying  business  in  Tiro,  where 
he  is  well  and  favorably  known.  For  many  years  our  subject  has  been  a  lead- 
ing member  of  the  United  Brethren  church  and  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
same.  In  political  sympathy  he  has  ever  been  an  ardent  Republican,  and  has 
efficiently  served  on  the  town  council  for  two  terms.  Socially  he  is  connected 
with  the  G.  A.  R.  organization,  and  both  in  this  community  and  through  the 
county  where  he  is  well  known  he  is  universally  esteemed. 

JOHX  BURGER. 

One  of  the  substantial  and  successful  farmers  as  well  as  much  respected 
citizens  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is  John  Burger,  who  was  born  in  Alsace 
while  it  was  still  a  province  of  France,  in  the  year  1845.  He  was  one  of  a 
family  of  twelve  children  born  to  John  and  Mary  (Shearer)  Burger,  five  of 
whom  still  survive,  as  follows :  Horace,  of  this  township;  John,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Margaret,  the  wife  of  Louis  Phillips,  of  Norwalk,  Ohio;  George, 
a  resident  of  this  township ;  and  Mathias,  also  of  this  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  Burger  were  also  natives  of  Alsace,  where  the  former  was  born  on  May 
25,  1810,  and  the  latter  was  born  on  February  2,  1816.  There  they  grew  to 
maturity,  in  the  same  neighborhood,  and  there  the  father  learned  the  trade  of 
weaver.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  entered  the  army  and  served  in  it  for 
seven  years,  marrying  soon  after  his  discharge.  During  the  summer  months 
it  was  his  custom  to  engage  in  farming,  while  the  winter  months  were  em- 
ployed in  work  at  his  trade.  In  1846  Mr.  Burger  brought  his  family,  by  sail- 
ing vessel,  to  America.  The  voyage  consumed  forty-two  days  and  after  land- 
ing in  New  York  city  they  came  direct  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio. 

After  coming  to  Ohio  Mr.  Burger  bought  a  farm  of  forty  acres,  in  Cran- 
berry township,  consisting  of  forest  land.     For  this  he  paid  two  hundred  and 


706  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

forty  dollars,  and  here  he  built  a  cabin  and  was  busily  engaged  during  the  suc- 
ceeding eight  years  in  clearing  and  improving  this  land,  succeeding  in  getting 
the  larger  portion  of  it  ready  for  cultivation.  In  1853  Mr.  Burger  exchanged 
this  farm  for  one  of  eighty  acres  in  Auburn  township,  this  property  adjoining 
the  farm  of  our  subject  on  the  west,  and  here  he  resided  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  in  1873.  Mr.  Burger  was  a  man  of  great  energy  and  endurance,  but  was 
stricken  with  paralysis  seven  years  prior  to  his  death,  and  this  entirely  incapaci- 
tated him  for  further  work.  For  a  man  of  his  industry  this  was  a  heavy  af- 
fliction, but  he  bore  it  with  Christian  fortitude.  His  wife  survived  him  some 
twenty-two  years,  dying  in  1895,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  her  age.  Both  par- 
ents had  been  worthy  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

John  Burger,  of  this  biography,  grew  up  at  home,  but  received  only  lim- 
ited educational  advantages,  his  whole  time  at  school  being  included  in  the 
eight  or  nine  months  when  he  was  able  to  receive  instruction  in  a  subscription 
school.  However,  reading  and  association  with  others  have  done  their  work, 
and  Air.  Burger  is  now  able  to  take  his  place  with  the  most  intelligent  and  best 
informed  farmer  citizens  in  his  neighborhood.  He  was  not  more  than  eighteen 
years  of  age  when  the  management  of  the  home  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ninety 
acres  fell  upon  his  youthful  shoulders,  but  he  possessed  much  of  his  father's 
energy  and  industry  and  managed  so  well  that  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  took 
entire  charge  of  affairs  and  farmed  the  land  on  shares. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  was  on  November  22,  1870,  to  Miss  Louisa 
Fisher,  who  was  a  native  of  Erie  county,  Ohio,  and  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Anthony  Fisher,  who  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany.  After  marriage  our  sub- 
ject continued  to  manage  the  home  farm  for  the  three  succeeding  years,  but 
in  1876  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  where  he  now  re- 
sides and  removed  to  this  place.  With  the  additions  he  has  since  made,  this 
farm  now  consists  of  some  two  hundred  and  seventeen  acres,  but  this  does  not 
represent  all  the  land  owned  by  Air.  Burger.  Two  other  farms  in  this  town- 
ship belong  to  him,  one  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  an- 
other of  eighty  acres,  while  in  Huron  county  he  owns  one  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  seventeen  acres  and  another  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  acres,  making 
his  landed  possessions  amount  to  six  hundred  and  fifty-nine  acres.  Air.  Burger 
has  been  very  successful  in  his  land  transactions,  possessing  good  judgment 
and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  value  of  property  in  the  different  parts  of  the 
county. 

Three  children  were  born  to  Air.  and  Airs.  Burger,  namely:  Amelia,  the 
wife  of  Adam  Miller,  a  merchant  of  Xew  Washington,    Ohio;    Edward,    at 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  707 

home;  and  Josephine,  a  student  in  New  Washington.  In  his  political  belief 
Mr.  Burger  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  and  has  taken  a  great  interest  in  the 
success  of  his  party.  He  is  a  leading  member  of  the  Catholic  church,  in  which 
he  is  a  trustee,  and  is  one  of  the  solid  and  reliable  citizens  of  Auburn  town- 
ship, where  he  is  widely  known  and  universally  respected. 


Mrs.  CATHERINE  B.  BROWX. 

Prominent  among  the  residents  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  in  Sandusky 
township,  is  Mrs.  Catherine  B.  Brown,  the  widow  of  the  late  Christian  Brown, 
who  during  life  was  one  of  the  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  this  township. 
Mrs.  Brown  was  born  in  Liberty  township,  on  April  23,  1834,  and  she  was  a 
daughter  of  Caleb  and  Magdalena  (  Brosie)  Schieber. 

Mrs.  Brown  grew  to  womanhood  under  paternal  care  and  acquired  her 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  the  neighborhood  and  became  thoroughly 
fitted  to  assume  the  position  of  farmer's  wife,  skilled  in  housewifery  and  pos- 
sessed of  those  estimable  qualities  which  through  life  have  won  for  her  warm 
and  appreciative  friends.  On  January  10,  1853,  she  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mr.  Christian  Brown.  The  latter  was  a  native  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany, 
where  he  was  born  on  July  28,  1825,  and  he  was  a  son  of  John  and  Rosanna 
Brown,  who  came  into  Sandusky  township  at  an  early  day,  where  Mr.  Brown, 
the  father,  purchased  the  farm  upon  which  our  subject  now  resides. 

Mr.  Brown  was  seven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  America, 
and  his  education  was  pursued  in  the  common  schools.  Shortly  after  reach- 
ing his  majority  Mr.  Brown  began  farming  operations  on  the  home  farm, 
working  on  shares.  After  his  marriage  in  1853  he  settled  with  his  bride  on  the 
home  farm  and  continued  to  follow  agricultural  pursuits  until  the  death  of  his 
parents.  The  father  died  first,  passing  from  life  as  one  of  the  esteemed  men 
of  his  locality.  The  mother  resided  with  her  son  until  she  also  passed  away. 
Both  had  been  most  worthy  members  of  the  German  Reformed  church  and  in 
that  church  Christian  Brown  was  also  a  leading  and  valued  member. 

After  coming  into  possession  of  the  home  farm  Mr.  Brown  bought  twen- 
ty-six acres  which  adjoined  it,  making  the  farm  to  consist  of  one  hundred  and 
six  acres,  and  in  addition  to>  this  he  bought  another  farm,  comprising  sixty 
acres,  upon  which  his  son  Oscar  now  lives.  Eight  children  were  born  to  Mrs. 
Brown  and  her  lamented  husband,  these  being  as  follows :  Oscar,  a  farmer ; 
Rosanna,  the  wife  of  H.  J.  Shupp,  of  Holmes  township;  Autillie,  deceased; 


7o«  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Alary  E.,  at  home;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Lincoln  Majors,  the  manager  of  the  home 
farm;  Charles,  at  home;  and  two  infants,  who  died  early. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Brown  on  January  23,  1873,  removed  from  the  town- 
ship one  of  its  most  worthy  citizens.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat, 
although  he  never  sought  office,  and  was  highly  regarded  by  all  who  knew 
him  for  his  many  fine  traits  of  character.  Airs.  Brown  is  surrounded  by  her 
children  and  is  a  lady  well  and  favorably  known  both  in  the  church  and  in  the 
neighborhood. 

JOHN  R.  ECKERT. 

The  Eckert  family  has  long  been  prominent  in  Germany  and  is  ably 
represented  in  America,  east  and  west.  John  Eckert  and  his  wife,  who  was 
Annie  M.  Renter,  came  to  America  in  1847,  anc^  located  at  Lancaster,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  John  R.  Eckert,  their  only  child,  was  born  October  3,  1849. 
John  R.  Eckert,  who  is  a  well-known  farmer  of  Jefferson  township,  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  is  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  his  career  will  be 
treated  more  at  length  further  on. 

In  1866  John  Eckert  came  with  his  family  from  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, to  Jefferson  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  bought  fifty 
acres  of  land,  which  is  now  comprised  in  his  son's  homestead.  Later  he 
bought  seventy-eight  acres  more.  He  was  a  thrifty  and  successful  farmer 
and  a  good  business  man  and  he  and  his  wife  were  devout  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church.  He  died  in  1886,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  His  wife 
died  in    1883. 

John  R.  Eckert  was  in  his  seventeenth  year  when  his  father  located  on 
the  Eckert  farm  in  Jefferson  township.  He  received  a  good  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  early  became  a  valuable  assistant  to  his  father.  He 
now  owns  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  acres  of  valuable  farming  land  which 
he  devotes  to  miscellaneous  crops  and  to  stock-raising.  He  is  a  man  of  in- 
fluence in  the  township,  who  consistently  votes  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  was 
elected  land  appraiser  in  1890  and  again  in  1900,  and  filled  the  office  of  town- 
ship trustee  from  1892  to  1898,  and  for  three  years  has  been  central  com- 
mitteeman. His  public  spirit  has  impelled  him  to  ally  himself  with  many 
movements  for  the  general  good  and  he  is  an  active  and  helpful  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church. 

In  1 87 1  Air.  Eckert  married  Miss  Barbara  Vulkmar,  and  thev  have  had 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  7°9< 

nine  children,  named  as  follows :  Jacob,  George  Henry,  Annie  Margaret, 
Elizabeth  Eva,  John  William,  Albert  Carl,  Ernest  Paul,  Maud  Mae  and 
Ruth  Oleona.     Elizabeth  Eva  is  dead. 

FREDERICK    PRY. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  in  1803, 
emigrated  to  this  country  in  1828  and  settled  in  Xew  Lisbon,  Columbiana 
county,  Ohio.  There  he  resided  one  year  and  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Rica  Bowman,  who,  with  her  parents,  emigrated  to  this  country  the  same 
year.  Soon  after  their  marriage  they  moved  to  Liberty  township.  Air.  Pry 
bought  a  small  farm  of  forty  acres,  built  a  log  cabin  in  the  woods  and  com- 
menced to  clear  the  ground  for  a  farm,  upon  which  he  resided  until  1840, 
when  he  removed  to  Sandusky  township,  Crawford  county,  and  purchased  a 
larger  farm,  on  which  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1893,  in 
the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age. 

He  had  thirteen  children,  five  of  whom  were  deceased  over  thirty  years 
ago.  The  family  Bible  in  which  their  records  were  kept  was  burned  about 
ten  years  ago,  at  the  burning  of  his  son  Lewis'  house.  The  other  children, 
(if  whom  a  record  was  preserved,  are  as  follows:  John,  of  Richland  county; 
Eliza  Heller,  a  resident  of  Williams  county;  Christ,  who  resided  in.  Auburn 
township,  Crawford  county,  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1898;  Jacob, 
who  resides  in  Sandusky  township  on  the  old  homestead;  Lewis,  a  resident 
of  Sandusky  township;  Christena,  now  Mrs.  Lewis  Dapper,  who  resides  in 
Leesville,  this  county;  William,  who  lives  in  Liberty  township,  this  county; 
and  Celia,  the  youngest,  who  was  married  to  J.  M.  Solinger  in  the  year  1876. 
They  lived  with  her  parents  until  their  death.  In  the  year  T894  she,  with  her 
husband,  moved  to  a  point  near  Crestline,  on  which  place  she  resided  until  her 
death,  which  occurred  in  1900. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  also  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  in 
181 1,  and  died  in  1887,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Margaret  Bowman,  who  came  to  this  country  about  the  same  time 
as  did  the  Pry  family,  and  they  located  in  Vernon  township,  Crawford  county. 

John  Pry  acquired  a  common-school  education  and  early  began  assisting 
his  father  on  the  farm,  remaining  with  him  until  his  marriage.  On  December 
1,  1859,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Alary  Cole,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Barnet  Cole,  the  latter  being  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  He  came  to  Craw- 
ford county,  Ohio,  when  he  was  a  young  man,  was  married  in  this  state  and 


710  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

here  reared  his  family.  After  marriage  Mr.  Pry  moved  to  Plymouth,  Ohio, 
and  there  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  for  one  year,  returning  then  to  a 
farming  life.  His  father-in-law  wished  him  to  take  charge  of  his  farm  and 
conduct  operations  on  shares,  and  this  our  subject  consented  to  do  for  the 
follow  ing  three  years.  After  this  period  he  rented  a  farm  from  James  En- 
glish, later  one  from  Thomas  Mickey,  and  followed  agricultural  pursuits  on 
these  tracts  until  1866.  At  this  time,  in  association  with  his  brother,  Jacob 
Pry,  lie  purchased  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  upon  which 
he  now  resides,  and  for  twelve  years  the  brothers  farmed  in  partnership,  and 
then  our  subject  bought  his  brother's  interest,  the  latter  removing  to  San- 
dusk}:  township.  This  farm  shows  the  care  and  attention  which  has  been 
given  it  and  ranks  with  the  best  in  the  county.  Our  subject's  eighty-acre  farm 
lies  in  Crawford  county,  and  forty  acres  lie  in  Richland  county,  both  tracts 
being  highly  improved  and. most  desirable  property.  Mr.  Pry  is  known  as  a 
most  industrious  and  worthy  citizen  and  has  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  In 
politics  his  vote  is  always  given  to  the  candidates  of  the  Republcan  party  and 
he  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  its  principles.  Socially  he  has  long  been  connected 
with  the  Odd  Fellows  order,  and  both  he  and  wife  are  leading  members  in  the 
Methodist  church. 

Our  subject  and  wife  have  reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  six  of  whom 
still  survive,  namely:  Lewis  Franklin,  born  September  15,  i860;  Albert 
Wilis,  born  May  3,  1865;  Lucy  Jane,  who  was  born  October  18,  1862,  and 
was  married  to  Henry  J.  Kahl  in  1884:  John  Crowvalia,  born  October  13, 
1875;  Charles  C,  January  1.  1877;  Rica  Maudesta,  born  April  18,  1880; 
Barnet  J.  C,  who  was  born  July  13,  1870,  and  died  August  27,  1886;  and 
Meda  Belle,  who  was  born  February  18,  1868,  and  died  August  7,  following. 

BENJAMIN  STEVENS. 

The  Stevens  family  has  been  one  of  the  most  prominent  in  the  develop- 
ment of  Crawford  count}',  Ohio,  and  no  member  of  it  stood  higher  in  the 
esteem  of  the  community  in  which  his  useful  life  was  passed  than  did  Benja- 
min Stevens,  whose  death  occurred  on  December  4,  1893. 

Benjamin  Stevens  was  born  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  on  April  4, 
1820,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Amos  and  Hannah  (Cummings)  Stevens,  of  whom 
a  more  extended  mention  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  Jacob  Stevens,  which  may 
be  found  in  another  part  of  this  volume.  Mr.  Stevens,  of  this  sketch,  was 
fourteen  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  Crawford  county,  and  here 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  711 

he  grew  to  manhood  and  took  advantage  of  every  educational  opportunity. 
Through  life  he  was  a  reflective  reader  and  gained  thus  much  knowledge, 
while  his  association  in  later  years  with  men  of  affairs  widened  his  stock  of 
information,  rendering  his  education  both  practical  and  useful.  During  years 
of  invalidism  his  books  were  companions. 

He  assumed  control  of  the  home  farm  when  he  was  about  twenty-five 
years  old,  his  parents  making  their  home  with  him,  and  he  looked  after  their 
comfort  as  long  as  they  survived.  In  1850  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Eliza  A.  S.  Barker,  who  was  a  native  of  Geauga  county,  Ohio,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Asa  and  Roby  (Adams)  Barker,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Con- 
necticut, where  they  grew  to  maturity  and  were  married,  and  five  of  their  six 
children  were  born  in  that  state  prior  to  the  birth  of  the  late  Mrs.  Stevens. 
The  Barker  family  came  to  Geauga  county,  Ohio,  but  later  removed  into 
Richland  county,  where  they  resided  for  a  number  of  years,  finally  removing 
to  Illinois,  to  which  state  two  sons  had  preceded  them.  They  continued  to  re- 
side there  until  their  lives  ended,  and  the  only  member  of  the  family  still  sur- 
viving is  Sidney  Barker,  of  Illinois. 

Following  his  marriage  the  late  Mr.  Stevens  farmed  on  the  home  place 
and  took  a  prominent  position  in  the  county  for  the  succeeding  fifteen  years. 
His  father  had  passed  away  in  1852  and  the  old  home  place  reverted  to  him, 
consisting-  of  one  hundred  and  sixtv  acres  of  land,  with  buildings  and  so 
forth.  Here  Mr.  Stevens  remained  until  April  4,  1865,  when  he  celebrated 
his  birthday  by  removing  to  the  farm  he  last  occupied,  consisting  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  he  having  sold  the  former  one.  This  place  possessed 
many  attractions  for  our  subject,  as  he  had  helped  to  clear  the  land  and  as- 
sisted in  the  building  of  the  first  cabin  on  it.  The  land  had  been  entered  by 
a  Mr.  Wells  and  was  intended  for  his  daughter  at  that  time.  This  was  the 
comfortable  and  attractive  home  in  which  the  remainder  of  the  life  of  Mr. 
Stevens  was  spent.  His  attention  was  given  to  this  property  and  it  is  one  of 
the  best  improved  and  most  desirable  estates  in  Crawford  county. 

Two  children  were  torn  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevens,  one  of  whom  died  in 
infancy,  the  other  being  Minelva  G.,  who  resides  on  the  farm,  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  most  esteemed  citizens  of  the  community.  The  mother 
of  Miss  Stevens  died  in  1854  and  some  years  later  the  father  married  Miss 
Ann  McCracken,  who  was  a  native  of  Bucyrus,  where  she  resided  until  her 
eighth  year,  at  which  time  her  parents  removed  to  a  farm  that  was  located 
one  mile  east  of  Bucyrus,  where  her  parents  resided  during  the  rest  of  their 


712  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

lives.     Mrs.  Stevens  survived  her  husband  for  six  years,  dying  on  September 
24,   1899. 

In  politics  Mr.  Stevens  was  an  ardent  Republican,  but  his  tastes  never 
caused  him  to-  desire  office,  although  he  always  performed  his  duty  as  a  citizen. 
Neither  was  he  formally  connected  with  any  church  organization,  having 
early  taken  the  Golden  Rule  as  his  guide  through  life  and  conscientiously  fol- 
lowing its  leadings.  Although  leading  a  quiet  life  and  rarely  assuming  a 
conspicuous  position  even  in  county  affairs,  he  was  always  to  be  found  when 
charitable  or  benevolent  objects  were  to  be  furthered  or  action  taken  in  edu- 
cational or  moral  movements.  The  sterling  qualities  which  made  him  a  man 
above  his  fellow's  have  in  great  degree  been  displayed  in  the  character  of  his 
only  surviving  child,  and  she  is  both  highly  esteemed  and  much  respected 
through  Sandusky  township. 


FRANKLIN  D.  HEINLEN. 

The  agricultural  interests  of  Crawford  county  are  well  represented  by 
Franklin  D.  Heinlen,  one  of  the  leading  and  foremost  citizens  of  the  locality. 
He  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  still  resides,  on  the  24th  of  June,  1858,  a 
son  of  Matthias  and  Elizabeth  (Bickle)  Heinlen.  The  father  was  born  in 
Wurtemberg,  Germany,  in  181 5,  and  in  1837,  m  company  with  his  brother 
George,  he  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  in  New  York  city 
after  a  voyage  of  seventy  days.  On  his  arrival  in  this  country  his 
worldly  possessions  consisted  of  but  one  dollar,  which  he  spent  for  his  night's 
lodging,  and  on  the  following  day  he  and  his  brother  borrowed  enough  money 
from  a  friend  who  was  coming  to  Crawford  county  to-  accompany  him  to  this 
locality.  The  brother  remained  in  Crawford  county  and  worked  out  their 
indebtedness,  while  Matthias  proceeded  north  to  the  Maumee  canal,  where  he 
worked  on  the  construction  of  the  canal  for  a  year,  after  which  his  health 
failed  and  he  then  returned  to  Crawford  county  and  secured  employment  at 
farm  labor  south  of  Bucyrus,  where  he  remained  for  eight  years.  He  was 
then  married  and  purchased  a  small  farm  of  twenty  acres,  now  known  as  the 
Nussbaum  farm,  in  Bucyrus  township,  where  he  remained  for  another  six 
years,  when  he  sold  that  property  and  purchased  forty  acres  near  Glenville, 
now  known  as  the  Benjamin  Simm  farm,  and  after  residing  there  for  five 
years  he  sold  that  tract,  and  on  the  1st  of  March,  1858,  secured  possession 
of  the  present  Heinlen  farm,  then  known  as  the  McLain  farm.     It  contained 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  713 

a  tract  of  eighty  acres,  and  by  hard  work  and  persistent  effort  Mr.  Heinlen 
was  enabled  to  add  another  eighty  acres  thereto,  making  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  there  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  his  death 
occurring  on  the  16th  of  September,  1897.  The  brothers  deserve  great  credit 
for  the  success  that  they  attained  in  life.  They  arrived  in  this  country 
without  money  and  without  friends,  "strangers  in  a  strange  land,"  and  by 
perseverance  and  economy  they  both  succeeded  in  acquiring  a  com- 
petency, and  were  numbered  among  Crawford  county's  most  honored  citi- 
zens. Matthias  Heinlen  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views,  and  was  a 
worthy  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  Ger- 
man)-, in  1820,  came  to  America  with  her  parents,  Simon  and  Elizabeth  Bickle, 
when  a  child  of  eight  years,  the  family  locating  in  the  cranberry  marsh  in 
Ohio,  but  later  removed  to  Bucyrus  township,  where  they  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  Mrs.  Heinlen  is  still  living  and  now  makes  her  home  with  our 
subject.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heinlen  became  the  parents  of  nine  children,  eight  of 
whom  still  survive,  namely:  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Absalom  Bolinger,  of 
Wyandot  county,  Ohio;  John,  of  Bucyrus  township,  Crawford  county;  Simon 
M.  and  Samuel,  also  of  Bucyrus  township;  Lena,  wife  of  Byron  Kent,  a  resi- 
dent of  Bucyrus  township;  Matilda,  widow  of  Henry  Ochse,  of  Nevada.  Ohio; 
Lucinda,  wife  of  J.  S.  Murphy,  of  Dallas  township;  and  Franklin  D.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review. 

The  latter  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  but  received  very  limited  school 
privileges,  for  at  the  early  age  of  five  years  he  began  working  on  the  farm, 
riding  a  horse  in  the  fields  for  plowing  corn,  and  as  he  grew  older  more  im- 
portant tasks  were  assigned  him.  Thus  when  most  boys  enter  upon  the  active 
duties  of  life  he  was  a  leading  factor  in  the  conduct  of  the  home  farm.  In 
1 88 1  he  assumed  full  management  of  the  old  homestead,  working  on  the 
shares,  and  in  1889,  with  the  accumulation  of  his  former  years  of  hard  and 
incessant  toil,  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  a  farm  of  his  own,  consisting  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  in  Dallas  township.  The  land  was  then  in  its  primi- 
tive condition,  but  he  cleared  and  improved  the  tract,  erected  substantial  farm 
buildings,  and  not  only  has  he  cleared  it  of  all  indebtedness,  but  has  also  made 
it  one  of  the  most  desirable  farms  of  the  county.  However,  he  has  never  re- 
sided on  this  property,  it  being  conducted  by  a  tenant.  He  has  always  made 
his  home  on  the  old  Heinlen  homestead,  which  after  the  father's  death  was 
divided,  the  mother  retaining  a  dower  interest  in  the  original  tract  of  eighty 
acres,  while  our  subject  purchased  the  remaining  eighty  acres.  On  the  10th 
of  October,  190-1,  be  purchased  a  farm  of  thirty  acres  of  his  neighbor  and 


7i4  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

friend,  Frank  M.  Harvey,  who  was  obliged  to  sell  owing  to  the  poor  health 
of  his  sister,  Minnie,  and  move  to  town. 

On  the  ioth  of  February,  1901,  Mr.  Heinlen  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Mrs.  Mary  Harris,  a  native  of  Antrim  township,  Wyandot  comity,  Ohio, 
and  a  daughter  of  A.  E.  Miller.  By  her  marriage  to  Arthur  Harris  she  became 
the  mother  of  three  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  now  living,  Chester  A.  A. 

In  his  political  affiliations  our  subject  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in 
support  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Democracy.  For  the  past  nineteen 
years  he  has  been  a  correspondent  for  the  Nevada  Enterprise,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing journals  of  the  locality,  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  school  board,  now 
serving  on  his  second  term.  Fie  is  also  a  prominent  and  active  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity,  No.  234,  of  Nevada,  Ohio,  in  which  he  has 
filled  nearly  all  of  the  chairs.  He  served  one  term  as  outer  guard,  one  term 
as  inner  guard,  one  term  as  master  at  arms,  one  term  as  prelate,  one  term  as 
vice  chancellor  commander,  two  terms  as  chancellor  commander,  one  term  as 
deputy  grand  chancellor,  and  at  the  present  time  is  serving  as  master  at  arms. 
He  is  one  of  the  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  residents  of  Crawford  county, 
and  all  measures  for  the  public  good  receive  his  hearty  support  and  co-opera- 
tion. 

JOHN  J.  WEAVER. 

Among  the  prominent  and  well  known  citizens  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
John  J.  WTeaver  takes  a  leading  position,  having  for  a  number  of  years  been 
identified  with  the  public  affairs  of  Vernon  township.  John  J.  Weaver,  Esq., 
was  born  in  the  township  and  county  where  he  resides,  on  January  31,  1857, 
and  he  was  a  son  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Baublitz)  Weaver,  and  was  the  eldest 
in  their  family  of  eight  children,  the  others  of  the  family  being:  George,  a  resi- 
dent of  Jackson  township  in  Richland  county ;  David,  of  this  township ;  Henry, 
of  Shelby,  Ohio;  William,  of  Crestline;  Samuel,  of  Shelby;  and  Anna,  the 
wife  of  Clement  Bodley,  of  Shelby,  Ohio. 

Peter  Weaver,  who  is  our  subject's  honored  father,  is  a  native  of  Germany, 
born  there  in  the  province  of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  on  August  8,  1831,  and  when 
he  was  a  lad  of  eleven  years  accompanied  his  parents  to  America.  They  located 
in  Jefferson  township,  in  Crawford  county,  later  removing  to  Vernon  town- 
ship. There  the  grandfather  of  our  subject  acquired  a  farm  of  seventy  acres, 
this  now  being  a  part  of  the  Knapp  farm  The  grandparents  passed  their  last 
•days  on  this  property.     Peter  Weaver  grew  to  manhood  on  this  farm  and  mar- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  715 

ried  while  living  there,  but  one  year  later  he  removed  to  Wyandot  county  and 
bought  a  farm  of  forty  acres,  in  Eden  township.  At  a  later  date  he  sold  this 
and  bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  which  was  located  one  mile  from  his  former 
property  and  for  six  years  he  made  this  the  family  home.  In  1869  he  sold 
this  property  and  returned  to  Crawford  county,  at  this  time  buying  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  section  9,  in  Vernon  township,  and  here  he  lived, 
until  1 88 1,  when  he  also  sold  this  farm  in  order  to  purchase  the  one  consisting 
of  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  this  being  the  property  upon  which  our  sub- 
ject now  resides.  For  the  following  six  years  Mr.  Weaver  managed  this  large 
estate  and  then  sold  it  to-  his  sons  and  removed  to  Shelby,  where  he  has  since 
resided,  living  a  somewhat  retired  life,  enjoying  the  results  of  many  years  of 
industry.  In  politics  Mr.  Weaver  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  but  he  has  never  been 
willing  to  accept  any  party  preferment.  Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  have 
long  been  leading  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  and  are  among  the 
most  respected  of  the  older  residents  of  Shelby. 

John  J.  Weaver,  familiarly  known  as  Esquire  Weaver,  on  account  of  his 
long  and  honorable  service  as  justice  of  the  peace,  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  and  acquired  an  excellent  common-school  education,  and  later  had  the 
advantage  of  one  term  in  the  Ada  Academy.  He  was  about  twenty  years  of 
age  when  he  became  a  teacher  in  the  district  schools,  continuing  to1  follow  this 
profession  in  districts  one,  four  and  five  for  some  seven  years. 

On  August  1,  1880,  our  subject  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Susie 
Esterline,  who  was  a  native  of  this  township  and  who  was  the  daughter  of  Eli 
Esterline,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Crawford  county,  coming  from 
Pennsylvania,  which  was  his  native  state.  After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weaver 
established  their  home  on  our  subject's  present  farm,  which  then  consisted  of 
forty  acres,  but  since  then  he  has  added  to  this  until  he  now  owns  eighty-nine 
and  one-fourth  acres,  all  of  which  has  been  bought  of  his  father.  Mr.  Weaver, 
is  an  excellent  farmer  and  owns  one  of  the  most  desirable  tracts  in  the  township. 
As  a  leading  member  of  the  Democratic  party,  our  subject  has  been  identi- 
fied with  public  affairs  in  no  small  degree  and  has  been  honored  by  his  fellow- 
citizens  by  election  to  many  of  the  local  offices.  In  the  spring  of  1885  he  was. 
elected  assessor  and  efficiently  served  for  two  terms,  and  in  1889  he  was  made 
justice  of  the  peace  and  has  shown  such  excellent  judgment  and  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  duties  of  this  position,  that  he  has  been  called  on  to  serve  con- 
tinuously ever  since.  In  1890  he  was  also  elected  township  clerk  and  served  in 
that  capacity  for  two  successive  terms,  and  he  is  still  serving  as  truant  officer, 
to  which  position  he  was  appointed  in  1893.     In  1900  Mr.  Weaver  was  called 


716  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

upon  to  serve  as  land  appraiser  of  the  township  and  his  careful  and  just  atten- 
tion to  the  duties  of  this  position  gained  for  him  the  commendation  of  all  con- 
cerned, his  report  passing-  both  hoards  of  equalization  without  a  single  change 
being  made  in  his  work.  In  1893  Mr.  Weaver  was  appointed  an  agent  in  the 
Crawford  County  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company,  of  Bucyrus, 
Ohio,  a  position  in  which  he  still  serves. 

Three  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weaver,  namely :  Maud 
Leone,  the  wife  of  Charles  R.  Warner,  of  Vernon  township ;  Anna  Elizabeth 
and  Fstella  May.  They  also  have  a  son  named  Wilber  W.  Weaver,  of  whom 
they  feel  very  proud.  The  Lutheran  church  has  long  had  the  support  of  our 
subject  and  family,  and  in  it  as  well  as  in  business  and  political  circles,  Mr. 
Weaver  is  regarded  as  a  just  and  honest  man,  a  useful  citizen  and  one  who 
well  represents  the  leading  class  in  Crawford  county. 

EMORY  JAY  DWIRE. 

A  leading  educator  and  also  a  prominent  business  man  of  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  is  Emory  J.  Dwire,  who  is  a  well  known  and  esteemed  resident 
of  Tiro.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Dwire  was  near  Clyde,  Sandusky  county,  Ohio, 
on  November  28,  1874,  and  he  is  a  son  of  John  S.  and  Lucy  A.  (Beard) 
Dwire,  who  reared  a  family  of  five  children.  Our  subject  is  one  of  the  three 
survivors,  the  others  being:  Lumetta  B.,  the  wife  of  William  G.  Setterfield, 
O'f  Richland  county;  and  Dr.  Harry  E.,  of  Oceola,  Ohio. 

The  Dwire  family  is  one  of  the  old  and  leading  ones  in  this  part  of  the 
state  of  Ohio.  Great-grandfather  William  Dwire  was  for  many  years  an  or- 
dained minister  of  the  Methodist  church,  as  well  as  a  prominent  merchant  in 
Ashland.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  traits  of  character  and  was  most  highly 
esteemed.  His  son,  Isaac  Dwire,  grew  to  manhood  a  worthy  successor  to  his 
father.  He  was  born  near  Ashland,  then  Richland  county,  Ohio,  in  1808, 
and  was  thoroughly  educated,  his  father  being  a  man  of  superior  intellectual 
qualifications.  Very  early  in  life  he  became  a  teacher.  When  near  his  twenty- 
first  year  he  was  married,  and  about  1835  he  removed  to  Seneca  county,  where 
he  entered  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  forest  land,  built  there  a  cabin  and 
labored  there  until  his  land  was  cleared  and  improved,  and  there  his  useful  and 
blameless  life  ended  in  1874,  when  sixty-six  years  of  age.  In  politics  Grand- 
father Isaac  was  a  Whig,  but  later  on  he  became  a  Republican,  although  he  was 
never  an  office-seeker.  At  one  time  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  but  held 
the  position  but  a  short  time,  resigning  it  in  order  to  give  his  attention  to  more 


CENTENNIAL  B10GRAPEIICAL  HISTORY.  7^7 

congenial  duties.     For  very  many  years  he  was  a  leading'  member  of  the 
Methodist  church,  where  he  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem. 

The  birth  of  John  S.  Dwire,  who  was  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  in 
Seneca  count}-,  Ohio,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  (Whitting- 
ton)  Dwire,  and  was  reared  in  Seneca  county.  A  family  of  fifteen  children 
were  born  to  his  parents,  fourteen  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  and  became  prom- 
inent in  many  walks  of  life,  eight  of  them  being  teachers.  Their  father  lookc  1 
carefully  after  their  education,  as  the  school  advantages  in  the  neighborhood 
were  poor.  At  night  he  gathered  them  around  him  and  instructed  them,  giv- 
ing them  the  personal  care  that  they  would  not  have  received  in  any  public 
establishment.  He  was  well  rewarded,  for  they  all  grew  to  intelligent  manhood 
or  womanhood.  John  Dwire  began  to  teach  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen  years, 
and  seemed  so  well  fitted  for  the  profession  that  he  continued  an  instructor  for 
twenty-six  years.  During  this  time,  however,  he  also  engaged  in  farming, 
bought  and  sold  land,  owning  at  different  times  hve  farms  in  various  localities, 
but  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life  he  spent  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson  township,  in 
Crawford  county,  where  he  died  on  February  5,  1899.  In  his  early  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Republican  part)',  but  he  was  a  man  of  strong  tem- 
perance principles  and  during  his  later  life  he  worked  and  voted  in  sympathy 
with  the  Prohibition  party.  In  religion  Mr.  Dwire  was  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist church  and  the  last  twelve  years  of  his  life  were  given  to  Christian  work. 
As  a  husband,  father  and  friend  he  reached  the  highest  point  of  Christian 
manhood.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Seneca  county  in  1841, 
and  was  the  daughter  of  David  Beard,  who  came  to  Seneca  county  from  Mary- 
land, and  was  of  Pennsylvania-German  stock.  Her  death  occurred  on  18th 
of  August,  1898.  She  had  been  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  church 
from  her  youth. 

Emory  J.  Dwire,  of  this  biography,  grew  to  manhood  under  the  parental 
roof,  and  until  his  sixteenth  year  he  attended  the  country  schools.  He  was 
ambitious  and  found  honorable  methods  of  earning  enough  to  permit  his  at- 
tendance at  select  school  at  Crestline,  Ohio,  where  he  improved  his  oppor- 
tunities and  after  passing  his  first  county  examination  with  credit  was  per- 
mitted to  enroll  himself  among  the  educators  of  his  native  state.  After  one 
term  in  the  school-room  he  used  the  money  thus  earned  in  attendance  at  the 
Fostoria  Academy,  where  he  perfected  himself  in  the  higher  branches,  and 
the  following  winter  he  was  one  of  the  acceptable  teachers  of  Richland  county. 
After  this  his  next  educational  movement  was  a  summer  spent  at  the  National 


7i8  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Normal  University  at  Lebanon,  Ohio,  and  following  this  he  was  continually 
employed  in  the  district  schools  until  1896. 

Mr.  Dwire  is  one  of  those  deeply  intellectual  men  who  always  remain 
students,  and  his  next  course  was  at  the  Ohio  Normal  University  at  Ada, 
Ohio,  and  there  he  graduated  in  the  summer  of  1897,  although  he  did  not  take 
out  his  diploma  until  1900,  at  which  time  he  reviewed  his  studies  prepara- 
troy  to  accepting  a  position  in  the  Charleroi  (Pennsylvania)  high  school.  From 
1897  he  taught  three  more  terms  in  the  district  schools,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1900,  after  making  all  preparations  to  undertake  the  duties  of  the  Pennsylvania 
position,  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  the  Tiro  schools,  and  decided  to 
remain  in  his  native  state.  So  satisfactory  was  his  management  of  the  schools 
of  Tiro  that  a  re-election  followed  in  1901,  a  testimonial  to  the  scholarship 
and  executive  ability  of  our  subject,  most  gratifying  to  his  wide  circle  of 
friends. 

In  April,  1897,  our  subject  purchased  an  interest  in  the  old  home  place 
in  Wyandot  county,  and  in  April,  1899,  he  bought  a  residence  property  in 
Clyde,  Ohio.  In  August,  1900,  in  company  with  his  brother  Harry,  he  pur- 
chased the  drug  store  in  Tiro,  and  thus  he  is  the  manager  of  one  of  the  leading 
business  lines  in  this  place. 

The  marriage  of  Professor  Dwire  was  on  July  15,  1900,  to  Miss  Grace 
M.  Champion,  a  native  of  Richland  county  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  D. 
Champion,  who  came  to  Tiro  in  1888.  In  politics  Professor  Dwire  is  non- 
partisan, and  he  is  fraternally  connected  with  the  Junior  Order  of  United 
American  Mechanics.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  leaders  in  the  social  circles  of 
the  village  and  are  highly  valued  in  the  United  Brethren  church.  Mr.  Dwire 
has  won  an  enviable  reputation  through  the  state  as  an  educator,  and  is  thor- 
oughly representative,  not  only  of  a  fine  old  family,  but  also  of  the  most  in- 
telligent citizens  of  one  of  the  leading  states  of  the  Union. 

MARTIN  V.  B.  WOOD. 

One  of  the  highly  esteemed  and  honored  citizens  of  Crawford  county, 
Ohio,  is  Martin  Y.  15.  Wood,  who  was  born  in  Huron  county,  Ohio,  on  April 
14,  1842,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Jotham  C.  and  Almira  (Petrie)  Wood,  and  was 
one  of  a  family  of  five  children  born  to  them,  four  of  whom  still  survive.  The 
names  of  these  are  as  follows:  John  J.,  of  this  township;  Susan  A.,  the 
widow  of  Peter  Blystone,  of  Polk  county,  Missouri;  Nancy  J.,  the  widow  of 
Nancy  Akers,  of  this  township;  and  Martin,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  719 

Jotham  C.  Wood  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  New  York,  about  18 10, 
the  family  being  an  old  and  highly  respected  one  in  his  native  state.  Here 
he  grew  to  manhood  and  graduated  in  the  study  of  medicine,  coming  to  Huron 
county,  Ohio,  to  engage  in  practice.  With  him  came  his  wife  and  two  chil- 
dren, and  there  Dr.  Wood  and  his  family  resided  until  1845,  at  which  time 
he  came  to  Crawford  county  and  located  in  West  Liberty,  where  he  lived 
until  his  death  in  1847.  In  religious  belief  he  was  a  Methodist,  while  in 
politics  he  belonged  to  the  Democratic  party.  Dr.  Wood  was  widely  known 
and  universally  esteemed,  and  was  a  man  of  broad  views,  well  educated,  and 
highly  gifted  in  oratory. 

The  birth  of  the  mother  of  our  subject  was  in  the  state  of  New  York,  on 
January  27,  1810,  and  she  came  of  Holland  ancestry.  After  the  death  of  her 
husband,  the  father  of  our  subject,  she  was  marrid  to  Enoch  Baker,  but  of 
this  union  there  was  no  issue. 

At  the  age  of  eight  years,  Martin  V.  B.  Wood,  who  is  our  immediate  sub- 
ject, was  taken  to  the  home  and  made  a  member  of  the  family  of  Mr.  Jonas 
Ashley,  and  there  he  remained  until  the  breaking  out  of  the-  Civil  war.  In 
October,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Fifty-seventh  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, re-enlisting  at  Larkinsville,  Alabama,  in  January,  1864,  then  entering 
Company  I,  Ohio  Volunteer  Veteran  Infantry,  and  serving  faithfully  until  the 
close  of  hostilities,  on  August  15,  1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out  at  Camp 
Chase.  During  his  double  service,  Mr.  Wood  participated  in  many  of  the 
greatest  battles  of  the  war,  among  these  Shiloh,  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Arkansas 
Post,  Resaca  and  the  Atlanta  campaign,  besides  many  minor  engagements,  and 
he  was  with  General  Sherman  on  his  march  to  the  sea,  returnig  thence  to  Wash- 
ington, by  way  of  Richmond. 

For  three  months  following  his  return  from  the  wars,  our  subject  worked 
as  a  farm  hand,  but  the  same  autumn  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  in 
Auburn  township  and  engaged  in  farming  for  himself.  On  September  6,, 
1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Melissa  Daugherty,  who  was  a  daugh- 
of  Ezekiel  Daugherty,  the  latter  being  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  where  he  was 
born  in  18 18.  On  February  5,  1842,  Mr.  Daugherty  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Elizabeth  White,  and  in  1832  they  removed  to  Auburn  township,  in 
Crawford  county,  where  Mr.  Daugherty  died.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Wood 
died  December  15,  1893,  at  her  own  home  in  Tiro.  Her  youngest  daughter, 
Clara,  lived  with  her.  Mrs.  Daugherty  is  a  descendant  of  Peregrine  White, 
of  Plymouth  Rock  notoriety,  and  they  are  all  upright  and  much  respected 
people. 

40 


720  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

On  the  first  of  the  month  of  November  following  the  marriage  of  our  sub- 
ject the  young  couple  went  to  housekeeping  in  a  log  house  on  Mr.  Wood's 
farm  of  forty  acres,  but  in  the  following  April  removal  was  made  to  a  portion 
of  Mr.  Daugherty's  land,  where  our  subject  and  his  brother-in-law  farmed  on 
shares  for  two  summers  and  then  Mr.  Wood  went  back  to  the  farm  on  which 
he  was  reared,  and  for  three  years  farmed  there  for  Mrs.  Ashby,  her  husband 
having  died  in  1862. 

In  1 87 1  Mr.  Wood  bought  his  first  sixty  acres  of  the  farm  he  now 
•operates,  and  later  he  added  to  it  until  his  acres  now  number  one  hundred  and 
eight  and  one-half.  This  has  been  admirably  improved.  In  1881  he  erected 
one  of  the  handsomest  houses  in  the  township,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most  at- 
tractive estates  in  this  part  of  Crawford  county.  Three  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Sarah,  is  deceased.  The 
two  survivors  are:  Mary  O.,  the  wife  of  Howard  Griffith,  a  commercial  trav- 
eler, of  Indianapolis,  Indiana;  and  Irving  S.,  a  druggist.  In  politics  Mr. 
Wood  is  a  Republican  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  public  affairs.  Mrs.  Wood 
is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  Mr.  Wood  also  attends  services  there 
and  is  liberal  in  his  support.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  town- 
ship, where  he  is  highly  esteemed  on  account  of  his  upright  and  exemplary 
character. 

BENJAMIN  F.  ALLEN. 

Benjamin  F.  Allen,  of  this  biography,  has  been  one  of  the  leading  busi- 
ness men  of  Crawford  county  for  the  past  twenty  years,  and  is  now  one  of  the 
largest  buyers  and  shippers  of  lumber  in  this  part  of  the  state  of  Ohio.  The 
birth  of  Mr.  Allen  was  in  Concord,  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  Septem- 
ber 23,  1849,  ancl  ne  was  a  son  of  Wraltei  and  Barbara  (Emery)  Allen,  who 
had  a  family  of  ten  children  born  to  them,  six  of  these  still  surviving.  These 
are:  Priscilla  J.,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Beaston,  a  farmer  of  Perry  county, 
Pennsylvania;  Benjamin  F.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  John,  a  resident  of 
East  Waterford,  Juniata  county,  Pennsylvania  ;  George,  on  the  old  home  farm  ; 
Walter,  a  resident  of  Cambria  county,  Pennsylvania ;  and  Anna,  the  widow  of 
A.  A.  Channing,  of  Plymouth,  Ohio. 

Walter  Allen  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  about  1822,  and  he 
was  nine  years  old  when  he  started  with  his  parents  for  the  frontier.  Upon 
reaching  Baltimore  both  parents  were  taken  ill  and  died  there  and  the  father 
of  our  subject  was  taken  to  the  home  of  a  wealthy  tanner  named  McClelland, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  72  r 

of  Strasburg,  Pennsylvania,  while  two  other  kind  families  furnished  homes 
for  the  other  two  children,  Benjamin  and  Priscilla.  Mr.  Allen  never  heard 
from  either.  He  knew  that  his  parents  were  people  of  means,  but  was  never 
able  to  learn  anything  more  of  his  family. 

With  Mr.  McClelland  Mr.  Allen  found  a  good  home.  He  was  a  man 
of  large  means,  owning  a  tannery,  farms  and  stores  and  controlling  much  of 
the  business  then  carried  on  in  Strasburg.  Mr.  Allen  was  afforded  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  good  common-school  education,  and  was  taught  the  trade  of 
tanner.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  left  the  care  of  his  foster-father  and 
started  out  for  himself,  well  equipped,  for  he  had  an  education,  a  trade  and 
good  health  and  friends.  Going  to  Concord,  Pennsylvania,  he  began  work  as 
a  journeyman,  and  so  well  performed  his  duties  that  he  was  soon  made  fore- 
man of  the  tanning  yards,  and  continued  in  this  line  of  work  until  1872.  Then 
he  retired  to  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  near  Concord,  this 
property  having  belonged  to  his  (our  subject's)  grandfather.  Here  he  lived 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1896.  In  his  political  convictions  he  was 
formerly  a  Know-nothing,  then  became  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican,  but 
he  was  never  a  seeker  for  office.  During  his  later  years  he  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Methodist  church  and  was  unusually  well  informed  on  all  Bible 
literature. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  near  Concord,  Pennsylvania,  on 
April  16,  1824,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Jane  (Steward) 
Emery.  This  was  one  of  the  old  and  influential  families  of  Franklin  county. 
The  honored  mother  still  resides  on  the  old  home  farm,  where  she  was  married 
and  where  she  took  up  her  residence  after  the  death  of  her  parents,  Mr.  Allen 
having  bought  the  property  from  the  heirs. 

Benjamin  F.  Allen,  of  this  sketch,  was  brought  up  in  a  good  home  under 
the  care  of  a  just  father  and  an  excellent  mother.  His  education  was  acquired 
in  the  common  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  entered  a  tannery 
and  under  his  father's  instruction  learned  the  trade  at  Spring  Run.  Here  he 
worked  for  five  years ;  eight  months  in  the  summer  and  four  months  in  the 
winter  were  given  to  attendance  at  school.  In  1866  his  apprenticeship  was  fin- 
ished and  then  he  went  to  "Horse  Valley,"  where  he  worked  as  a  journeyman 
until  1870,  going  from  there  to  Liberty  Valley,  Perry  county.  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  was  emplo3red  at  his  trade  until  1875.  From  there  Mr.  Allen  went 
to  Elmwood,  Illinois,  and  became  identified  with  the  stock  interests  of 
J.  P.  Ryner,  remaining  with  him  one  year.  Then  he  returned  to  Perry 
county  and  formed  a  partnership  with  an  uncle,  James  Emery,  in  farming, 


722  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

but  eighteen  months  later  sold  his  interests  there  to  his  uncle  and  came  to 
Shelby,  Ohio.  Here  he  was  employed  by  B.  F.  Lash  on  a  farm  for  some  three 
years,  leaving  there  to  embark  in  the  lumber  business. 

From  the  start  Mr.  Allen  has  been  successful  in  this  business,  buying  and 
selling  great  quantities  of  timber.  In  1881  he  came  to  Tiro,  and  since  then  has 
been  one  of  the  leading  factors  in  industrial  trade.  His  operations  in  lumber 
are  very  large,  and  sometimes  he  has  as  many  as  eleven  mills  engaged  in 
cutting  for  him.  For  many  years  he  has  conducted  the  sawmill  in  this  place 
and  is  one  of  the  largest  shippers  in  this  county  of  ash  timber. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Allen  was  on  October  13,  1873,  to  Miss  Fannie 
E.  Snyder,  who  was  the  daughter  of  Francis  and  Mary  A.  (Swartz)  Snyder, 
the  former  of  whom  was  a  miller  by  trade,  but  later  entered  the  mercantile 
business,  and  for  twenty-two  years  he  was  postmaster  of  Honey  Grove, 
Juniata  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  died.  He  had  given  the  name  to 
Honey  Grove  and  he  was  one  of  the  well-known  and  highly  esteemed  citizens 
of  the  county.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen,  the  two 
survivors  being. — Ray  and  Ethan.  In  his  political  belief  he  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, but  is  better  known  as  a  business  man  than  as  a  politician.  His 
standing  in  the  county  is  high  and  his  circle  of  both  business  and  personal 
friends  is  large. 

GEORGE  W.  WICKHAM. 

The  state  of  New  York  was  recruiting  ground  of  early  settlers  in 
western  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio*  and  from  those  points  descendants  of  early 
settlers  from  New  York  have  gone  to  all  parts  of  the  great  west  and  southwest, 
and  wherever  they  have  planted  the  banner  of  civilization  development  and 
prosperity  have  followed  until  literally  the  desert  has  been  made  to  bloom  like 
the  rose.  Some  of  the  early  settlers  in  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  were  New 
Yorkers,  who  trace  their  lineage  to  old  and  honorable  colonial  families,  and 
one  of  the  best  known  of  these  was  Willard  Wickham,  father  of  George  \Y. 
Wickham,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Texas  township. 

George  W.  Wickham  was  born  in  Texas  township,  Crawford  county, 
Ohio,  on  the  farm  on  which  Mrs.  David  Bonks,  his  sister,  now  lives,  Novem- 
ber it,  1841.  His  father.  Willard  Wickham,  was  born  in  Columbia  county, 
New  York,  and  was  taken  early  to  Ithaca,  in  central  New  York,  where  he  was 
reared  to  manhood.  In  1837  he  went  with  his  father,  David  Wickham,  to 
Ohio,  and  they  bought  an  eighty-acre  improvement  in  Texas  township,  Craw- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  723 

ford  county,  on  which  a  few  acres  had  been  cleared  and  a  log  cabin  had  been 
erected.  There  David  Wickham  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  For 
three  years  after  his  arrival  in  Ohio  Willard  Wickham  taught  winter  terms  of 
school.  He  served  his  fellow  citizens  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  twelve  years 
and  held  other  important  local  offices.  He  was  a  devout  member  of  and  an 
active  worker  in  the  United  Brethren  church.  He  married  Phebe  Pennington 
and  they  had  nine  children.  He  died  in  Texas  township,  December  15,  1900, 
aged  eighty-five  years,  and  his  good  wife  died  in  1888. 

The  following  facts  concerning  their  children  will  be  of  interest  in  this 
connection :  William  H.  Wickham,  their  eldest  child,  died  at  the  age  of  three 
•  years.  George  \Y.  Wickham,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the 
second  in  order  of  birth.  Margaret  married  Peter  Huffman,  of  Texas  town- 
ship. M.  W.  is  well  known  in  Texas  township.  Anson,  a  lawyer,  lives  at 
Bucyrus,  Ohio.  Mary  F.  married  David  Banks,  of  Texas  township.  William 
H.,  the  second  son  of  that  name,  is  a  practicing  physician  of  Sycamore,  Ohio. 
Wallace  M.  is  ticket  agent  for  the  Ohio  Central  Railroad  Company  at  Pem- 
berville.  Wood  county,  Ohio.     Grant  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years. 

George  W.  Wickham  was  born  in  1841,  in  Texas  township,  and  later  dur- 
ing that  year  his  father  removed  with  his  family  to  Lykens  township,  where 
the  boy  grew  to  manhood.  August  22,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Com- 
pany H,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. The  regiment  was  stationed  for  a  time  at  Parkersburg,  West  Vir- 
ginia. It  participated  in  the  battle  of  Winchester,  where  most  of  its  members, 
Mr.  Wickham  among  them,  were  made  prisoners  of  war.  After  being  con- 
fined in  Libby  prison  for  two  days  they  were  taken  to  the  Belle  Isle  prison. 
After  about  a  month's  confinement  there  they  were  paroled.  Mr.  Wickham 
went  to  Annapolis,  Maryland,  where  he  was  clerk  for  the  adjutant  of  the 
federal  camp,  and  thence  he  went  home  to  Ohio  on  a  furlough.  He  rejoined 
his  regiment  at  Martinsburg,  Virginia,  and  participated  in  the  battle  at  New- 
market. Afterward  he  fought  at  Piedmont  and  at  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  and 
after  being  in  camp  for  a  time  at  Harper's  Ferry  his  regiment  participated  in 
the  fight  at  Snicker's  Gap,  the  engagement  near  Winchester,  the  battle  of 
Berryville,  and  fought  under  Sheridan  at  Opequan.  After  that  he  fought  at 
Fisher's  Hill  and  at  Cedar  Creek.  His  regiment  was  transferred  to  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  under  Grant,  and  was  encamped  at  Deep  Bottom,  Virginia, 
until  April,  1865.  Next,  under  General  Ord,  it  helped  to  storm  and  take 
Petersburg  and  Richmond.  After  the  fall  of  Richmond  that  regiment  and 
the  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry,  were  detached 


724  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

to  cross  the  river  and  burn  a  bridge  to  prevent  the  escape  of  Lee's  army.  In 
this  expedition  he  was  again  made  a  prisoner  of  war  and  was  under  guard 
with  Lee's  command  when  Lee  surrendered.  At  the  battle  of  Newmarket  a 
minie  ball  penetrated  his  thigh,  wounding  him  severely- 
After  the  war  Mr.  Wickham  returned  to  Ohio  and  attended  college  at 
Westerville.  After  a  year  as  a  student  there  he  became  a  school-teacher. 
He  taught  three  years  in  Ohio  and  then  went  to  Cass  county,  Missouri,  where 
he  taught  three  years  and  a  half.  Then,  returning  to  Ohio,  he  located  on  his 
present  farm  in  Texas  township.  He  owns  eighty  acres  of  good  land  and  de- 
votes himself  to  general  farming.  He  is  a  member  of  Roberts  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Benton,  and  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Sycamore,  Ohio. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  exerts  a  recognized  influence  in  the  councils 
of  his  party,  and  he  has  served  six  years  as  justice  of  the  peace,  three  years  as 
assessor  and  six  years  as  township  trustee. 

Lie  was  married  March  12,  1872,  to  Mary  Coder,  and  they  have  had 
seven  children,  named  :  Fleta ;  Dock  D.,  deceased;  Elizabeth;  Josie  C. ; 
Ulysses ;  Georgia ;  and  Jerome  G. 

VALEXTIXE  UXDERWOOD. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  is  mentioned  above  is  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Todd  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  is  known  not  only  in  connection 
with  local  farming  interests  but  in  connection  with  milling  interests  at  Lemert 
and  elsewhere. 

Valentine  Underwood  was  born  in  Crawford  count)-,  Ohio,  September  6, 
1 844,  a  son  of  Lorenzo  D.  and  Martha  (Warner)  Underwood,  who  had 
four  sons  and  two  daughters,  three  of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  Under- 
wood's father  removed  to  Crawford  county  in  the  pioneer  period  of 
its  history,  and  in  1852  he  went  to  Illinois.  Thence  after  a  year 
he  removed  to  Centerville,  Iowa,  where  he  took  up  government  land 
and  remained  until  1859,  when  he  started  for  the  California  gold  fields, 
Pike's  Peak  being-  his  objective  point,  driving  a  team  of  horses  overland, 
but  sickened  and  died  by  the  way.  In  i860  his  widow  took  her  family  to  Lib- 
erty township,  Crawford  county.  Ohio,  where  her  son  Valentine  learned  the 
miller's  trade,  in  the  old  Warner  Hour  mill,  in  which  he  was  employed  con- 
tinuously for  seven  years.  After  that  for  two  years  he  operated  the  old  Taylor 
water-power  gristmill  in  Sycamore  township,  Wyandot  county,  Ohio,  under 
lease.     Then,  in  company  with  B.  W.  Warner,  his  brother-in-law,  he  built  a 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  725 

flouring  mill  at  Melmore,  Ohio,  which  he  operated  for  six  years,  when,  on 
account  of  failing  health,  he  sold  his  interest  in  it  to  his  partner  and  bought 
a  farm  of  seventy-five  acres  in  Todd  township,  Crawford  county,  where  he  has 
since  lived,  devoting  himself  to  general  farming  and  since  his  health  has  im- 
proved somewhat  to'  the  manufacture  of  flour.  He  leased  the  Oceola  mills 
for  four  years,  and  since  1897  has  operated  the  Lemert  roller  mills,  which 
have  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  barrels. 

April  13,  1865,  Mr.  Underwood  married  Miss  Lucetta  Quaintance,  who 
has  borne  him  two  children,  Tilley  Edwin,  who  is  a  coal  operator  near  Corn- 
ing, Perry  county,  Ohio;  and  Benjamin  F.,  who  is  an  engineer  in  the  Lemert 
mill  for  his  father.  In  politics  Mr.  Underwood  is  a  Republican,  but  he  is  not 
an  active  politician,  and  has  always  been  too  busy  to*  trouble  himself  with 
office-holding,  but  he  is  not  without  a  recognized  influence  in  his  party  coun- 
cils, and  is  known  as  a  man  of  public  spirit,  who-  feels  much  solicitude  con- 
cerning important  interests  of  his  township  and  county. 

GEORGE  L.  JEXXER. 

George  Lewis  Jenner  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  most  en- 
terprising and  successful  farmers  and  stock-raisers  in  Crawford  county.  A 
native  son  of  the  Buckeye  state,  his  birth  occurred  in  Liberty  township,  Craw- 
ford county,  in  1852,  a  son  of  John  George  and  Mary  A.  (Ackerman)  Jenner. 
The  father  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  in  18  r 6,  but  came  with  his 
parents  to  the  United  States  when  sixteen  years  of  age,  the  family  locating  in 
Whetstone  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  but  some  years  later  removed  to 
Liberty  township,  one  and  a  half  miles  southwest  of  Sulphur  Springs,  where 
the  grandfather  purchased  a  farm  of  seventy  acres.  There  he  spent  his  re- 
maining days.  After  one  year  spent  in  Sulphur  Springs  the  father  of  our 
subject  removed  to  a  farm  of  forty  acres  south  of  the  town,  which  he  owned 
and  operated  for  about  ten  years.  He  had  learned  the  manufacture  of  spin- 
ning wheels  in  his  young  manhood,  and  he  divided  his  time  between  that  oc- 
cupation and  the  work  of  clearing  and  improving  his  farm,  which  was  covered 
with  a  native  growth  of  timber.  He  subsequently  sold  that  land  and  purchased 
ninety-four  acres  of  the  farm  where  our  subject  now  resides,  to  which  he  after- 
ward added  sixty-six  and  a  half  acres,  making  him  the  possessor  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  and  a  fraction  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  stanch  Democrat  in 
his  political  views,  and  was  an  active  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  also  a  native  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,. 


726  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

but  when  ten  years  of  age  she  came  to  America  with  her  parents,  the  family 
locating  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio.  Her  father  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and 
followed  that  occupation  as  a  means  of  support  for  himself  and  family.  He 
passed  away  in  early  life,  his  death  occurring  about  1840,  and  his  wife  was 
called  to  the  home  beyond  some  years  prior  to>  her  husband's  death.  Mrs. 
Jenner  is  still  living,  and  now  makes  her  home  with  the  subject  of  this  review. 
By  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Jenner  she  became  the  mother  of  eight  children, 
only  three  of  whom  survive,  and  the  two  daughters,  Mary  C.  and  Amelia, 
still  reside  on  the  old  homestead  with  their  mother. 

George  Lewis  Jenner,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  reared 
upon  the  home  farm,  and  the  educational  advantages  which  he  enjoyed  in  his 
youth  were  extremely  limited.  As  he  was  the  only  son  of  the  family  the  work 
of  the  farm  early  fell  upon  his  young  shoulders.  When  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age  he  assumed  the  entire  management  of  the  homestead,  farming 
the  same  on  shares,  during  the  first  two-  years  receiving  one-third  of  the  crops, 
but  the  farm  implements  becoming  badly  worn  he  purchased  new  ones  and 
from  that  time  on  received  one-half  of  the  proceeds.  After  the  father's  death, 
through  the  liberality  of  the  children,  the  farm  was  given  to  the  mother  during 
her  life-time,  but  our  subject  has  ever  since  continued  its  management.  In 
political  matters  Mr.  Jenner  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  Democratic  principles, 
and  was  the  choice  of  his  party  for  township  treasurer,  in  which  he  served  for 
one  term,  refusing  to  again  become  an  incumbent  in  the  office.  Mr.  Jenner 
is  one  of  the  practical  and  progressive  farmers  of  the  county,  his  fields  being 
under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation,  the  place  stocked  with  the  best  grades  of 
cattle  and  horses,  and  everything  about  the  farm  indicates  its  owner  to  be  a  man 
of  wise  judgment,  perseverance  and  excellent  business  ability. 

ALLEN  B.   MULFORD. 

The  name  above  will  be  recognized  by  readers  of  this  work  throughout 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  as  that  of  a  prominent  farmer  of  Texas  township,  now 
living  in  well-earned  retiracy  after  many  years  of  useful  and  fruitful  endeavor. 

Allen  B.  Mulford  was  born  at  Monroeville,  Huron  county,  Ohio,  March 
4,  1839,  an(l  came  to  Crawford  county  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years.  He  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  near  his  parents' 
home  and  early  became  an  assistant  to>  his  father  in  his  agricultural  enterprises, 
and  after  his  father's  death  he  acquired  the  ownership  of  the  old  family  home- 
stead of  one  hundred  and  forty-two  acres.     He  devoted  himself  to>  greneral 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  727 

farming  and  stock-raising  until  1892,  and  since  that  time  has  rented  his  farm 
but  has  retained  his  residence  upon  it. 

During  the  Civil  war  Mr,  Mulford  offered  his  services  to  the  country 
but  they  were  rejected  because  of  his  physical  disability.  Later  he  became  a 
member  of  the  home  guards,  and  as  such  performed  such  duties  as  devolved 
upon  him,  regretting  that  he  had  been  unable  to  go  to  the  front  and  participate 
in  the  more  stirring  and  dangerous  scenes  of  the  war.  He  is  a  member  of 
D.  A.  Roberts  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Benton,  Ohio.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Republican,  but  he  never  sought  nor  accepted  office  or  has  been 
especially  active  in  political  work,  but  his  public  spirit  has  impelled  him  to 
further  so  far  as  has  been  possible  all  measures  having  for  their  object  the 
enhancement  of  the  public  weal.  He  was  married  November  16,  1893,  to 
Miss  Christine  Beard. 

WILLIAM   F.    McCONNELL. 

Crawford  county,  Ohio,  has  many  public-spirited  and  progressive  citizens 
who  have  long  had  her  best  interests  at  heart,  and  one  of  these  is  William  F. 
McConnell,  who-  is  a  native  of  this  county,  born  in  Auburn  township,  on  April 
23,  1858.  His  parents  were  Samuel  and  Charity  A.  (Lash)  McConnell,  who 
reared  a  family  of  three  children,  these  being  as  follows :  Jennie,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Francis  M.  Wilford  and  they  reside  on  the  home  farm  in  Auburn  town- 
ship; Mary  M.,  who  is  the  widow  of  Frank  Stock,  of  Tiro,  Ohio;  and  William 
F.,  who'  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Samuel  McConnell  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  near  Steubenville,  Ohio, 
on  February  19,  1827,  and  he  was  the  son  of  Charles  and  Nancy  (TaggarO 
McConnell.  When  about  twelve  years  of  age  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
Richland  county,  Ohio,  settling  in  Auburn  township,  and  here  Samuel  grew 
to  manhood.  In  1850  his  uncle,  William  Taggart,  decided  to  go-  to  California 
and  proposed  to  take  Samuel  with  him,  the  latter  agreeing  to  pay  to  his  uncle 
one-half  of  all  he  earned  during  the  first  year  to'  reimburse  him.  They  made 
the  trip  by  way  of  the  isthmus,  and  Samuel  remained  in  California  for  three 
years,  during  which  time  he  was  very  successful.  Upon  his  return  to  Craw- 
ford county,  in  1853,  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  six  acres  of  land  in 
Auburn  township  and  engaged  in  farming,  and  lived  in  this  same  place  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  in  December,  1890.  In  his  immediate  neighborhood 
he  was  regarded  with  esteem  and  was  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  United 
Brethren  church. 


728  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

William  F.  McConnell,  of  this  sketch,  grew  up  at  home  and  acquired  his 
education  in  the  common  schools.  After  his  marriage  he  located  in  Mechanics- 
burg  and  there  engaged  for  a  time  in  farming,  but  in  September,  1883,  he  pur- 
chased a  butcher  shop  and  removed  to  Tiro,  where  he  did  a  retail  meat  business 
for  the  following  six  years.  In  1889  Mr.  McConnell  changed  his  business 
from  a  retail  to  a  wholesale  trade,  and  began  the  buying  and  shipping  of  stock, 
in  which  business  he  is  still  engaged,  finding  a  market  in  Chicago1.  He  has 
been  the  means  of  bringing  much  fine  stock  into  Crawford  county,  while  his 
shipments  from  the  county  have  created  a  great  agricultural  industry.  Dur- 
ing the  spring  and  summer  of  1893  our  subject  was  employed  by  Armour  & 
Company  as  a  traveling  salesman,  but  being  a  man  of  family  and  fond  of 
domestic  life  he  resigned  that  position.  In  connection  with  his  stock  interests 
Mr.  McConnell  also  operates  a  farm  of  eighty  acres. 

On  August  9,  1882,  our  subject  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lucy 
Daugherty,  who  was  a  native  of  Auburn  township,  and  was  the  daughter  of 
Aaron  Daugherty.  To  this  marriage  six  children  were  born,  these  being: 
Sherman  C,  deceased;  Donna  M.,  Claude,  Blanche,  George  S.,  Glenna  E.  and 
Genevieve.  The  children  are  all  attending  school,  as  Mr.  McConnell  advo- 
cates a  thorough  education  for  all.  For  four  years  he  was  the  capable  marshal 
of  the  town. 

In  1892  Mr.  McConnell  built  a  large  grain  elevator  in  Tiro,  which  he 
successfully  operated  for  one  year,  but  his  other  business  required  his  attention 
and  he  sold  that  property.  He  is  a  valued  member  of  Tiro  Lodge,  No.  592, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  is  one  of  the  progressive  and  truly  representative  men 
of  Crawford  county.  His  energy  and  his  thoroughgoing  business  methods 
have  opened  up  avenues  of  industry  through  the  county  and  he  is  well  known 
and  appreciated  by  a  large  circle  of  both  personal  and  business  friends. 


JOHN    BROWN,   Jr. 

John  Brown,  one  of  the  wealthy  and  influential  agriculturists  of  Crawford 
county,  is  a  native  son  of  the  Buckeye  state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Ver- 
non township,  Crawford  county,  on  the  27th  of  February,  1849.  His  father, 
John  Brown,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  on  the  12th  of  March, 
1 819.  His  father  died  when  he  was  but  an  infant,  and  his  mother,  Catherine 
Brown,  reared  her  family  of  five  children,  two  of  whom,  Gottlieb,  of  Ottawa 
county,  Ohio,  and  John,  still  survive.     The  latter  grew  to  manhood  in  his 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  729 

native  country,  and  there  learned  the  baker's  trade,  which  he  there  followed 

until  1847. 

In  that  year,  in  company  with  his  brother  Gottlieb,  he  came  to  America, 
sixty-four  days  having  been  spent  on  the  water,  and  they  landed  in  New  York 
in  May  of  that  year.  Mr.  Brown  made  his  way  to  Ohio,  settling  in  Vernon 
township,  Crawford  county,  where  he  purchased  ninety-three  acres  of  land, 
the  property  being  now  owned  by  his  son  Philip.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  here 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Weidemeyer,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Catherine  Kinney.  She  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  in  1819,  and  was 
there  married  to  a  Mr.  Weidemeyer,  four  children  having  been  born  unto  this, 
union  after  they  came  to  the  United  States.  Three  of  the  number  still  sur- 
vive—Barbara, wife  of  Jacob  Glower,  of  Vernon  township;  Leonard,  also  a 
resident  of  this  township ;  and  Catherine,  wife  of  Emanuel  Knapp,  of  Henry 
county,  Ohio.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  were  born  five  children,  namely : 
John," the  subject  of  this  review;  William,  a  farmer  of  Vernon  township;  Ja- 
cob and  Philip,  who  also  make  their  home  in  Vernon  township ;  and  Charlie, 
a  resident  of  Toledo,  Ohio. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Brown,  Sr.,  located  on  forty  acres  of  land  belong- 
ing to  his  wife,  where  he  remained  until  her  children  reached  adult  age,  when 
heVu-chased  ninety-three  acres  in  Vernon  township,  making  his  home  thereon 
from  1858  until  1899.  In  the  latter  year  he  removed  to  the  home  of  his  son 
Philip,  where  he  still  resides.  His  wife  was  called  to  the  home  beyond  on 
the  1 6th  of  December,  1896.  Both  she  and  her  husband  were  active  members 
of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  in  which  the  latter  has  served  as  a  trustee  and 
treasurer  for  many  years.  In  political  matters  he  affiliates  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  for  six  years  he  held  the  office  of  township  treasurer.  Mr. 
Brown  has  long  held  rank  among  the  leading  citizens  of  Crawford  county,  and 
in  all  the  relations  of  life  he  has  borne  himself  as  a  kind  husband  and  father, 
a  true  friend  and  an  honest  man  of  business. 

John  Brown,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  to  manhood 
in  his  parents'  home,  acquiring  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
neighborhood.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  left  the  parental  roof  and 
began  the  active  battle  of  life  as  a  farm  hand,  continuing  that  occupation  until 
after  his  marriage,  when  he  located  on  one  of  his  father-in-law's  farms, 
making  his  home  there  for  two  years.  The  place  was  then  sold  and  our  sub- 
ject took  up  his  abode  upon  the  Brown  homestead,  his  father-in-law  removing 
to  Tiro,  and  there  he  resided^until  1895,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  loca- 
tion, this  farm  being  also  the  property  of  his  father-in-law  and  contains  one 


73o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

hundred  and  sixty-nine  acres.  Some  time  in  the  '80s  Mr.  Brown  purchased 
land  in  Vernon  township,  the  purchase  price  being  seventeen  thousand  dollars, 
and  this  land  is  now-  operated  by  his  brother  Philip,  who  also  has  charge  of 
their  father's  farm. 

On  the  28th  of  April,  1874,  Mr.  Brown  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  A.  Brown,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  D.  Brown,  whose  history  will  be  found 
on  another  page  of  this  volume.  Four  children  have  been  born  unto  this 
union,  namely:  Eva  M.,  who  was  first  married  to  Frank  Turner,  by  whom 
she  had  two  children,  John  Fl.  and  Hazel  L.,  and  she  is  now  the  wife  of  Ed 
Lucabaugh,  of  Crestline,  Ohio;  Sarah  Josephine;  Florence  C. ;  and  Nora 
Luella.  Mr.  Brown  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  many  times  he  has  served  as  a  delegate 
to  county  conventions,  while  at  the  present  time  he  is  serving  his  fourth  term 
as  treasurer  of  the  township.  In  his  social  relations  he  is  a -member  of  Tiro 
Lodge,  Xo.  592,  K.  P.  He  was  reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith  but  is  not  a 
member  of  any  religious  denomination,  although  his  wife  and  children  hold 
membership  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  The  family  is  highly  esteemed  in  the 
community.  Mr.  Brown  has  now  reached  the  plane  of  affluence,  but  his  pos- 
sessions represent  his  own  earnings.  He  is  honorable  and  upright  in  all  that 
he  does,  thus  deserving  the  respect  and  esteem  which  are  accorded  him  as  one 
of  the  substantial  and  representative  citizens  of  Crawford  county. 

SAMUEL   HILBORN. 

One  of  the  prominent  farmer  citizens  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  who  is 
well  known  and  highly  esteemed,  is  Samuel  Hilborn,  who  was  born  in  Rich- 
land county,  Ohio,  on  June  28,  1826.  His  parents  were  Isaac  and  Nancy 
(George)  Hilborn,  and  both  of  them  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  where  the 
former  was  born  in  1798,  and  the  latter  on  May  22,  1801.  They  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  these  being  as  follows  :  Polly,  Robert,  Samuel,  Amos, 
William,  Elizabeth  Isabella,  John  and  Sarah.  The  father  died  April  30,  1865, 
and  the  mother  April  17,  1841.  Isaac  Hilborn  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Auburn  township. 

Samuel  Hilborn,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  and  received  the  best  education  possible  in  that  locality.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  years  he  left  the  parental  roof  and  apprenticed  himself  to  the 
blacksmith  trade,  remaining  three  years  under  instruction.  Then  he  opened 
a  shop  of  his  own  on  the  cross  roads  in  Auburn  township,  which  was  later 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  731 

known  as  Mechanicsburg  from  the  fact  of  the  establishment  there  of  a  shoe- 
maker, a  wagonmaker  and  a  blacksmith,  the  combination  being  very  satisfac- 
tory to  the  surrounding  farming  region. 

For  ten  years  Mr.  Hilborn  conducted  his  blacksmith  shop  and  then  gave 
up  his  trade  in  order  to  engage  in  farming  on  his  father's  place  on  shares.  In 
1856  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Cranberry  township,  removed  to 
the  same  and  resided  there  for  two  years.  Selling  that,  he  then  bought  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Auburn  township,  which  was  timber  land, 
located  one  mile  north  of  the  home  farm,  and  here,  in  company  with  two  others, 
our  subject  erected  a  sawmill,  which  was  operated  by  them  for  several  years. 
When  this  mill  was  sold  to  other  parties  our  subject  built  a  log  cabin  on  the 
land  and  resided  upon  it  for  a  short  period  and  then  returned  to  the  home 
farm.  Later,  through  exchange  of  land  and  a  money  consideration,  our  sub- 
ject acquired  the  home  farm,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and 
here  has  been  the  permanent  family  home  ever  since. 

In  185 1  Mr.  Hilborn  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Irwin,  a  native  of 
Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of  Israel  H.  Irwin,  who  came 
to  Crawford  county  about  1834,  settling  in  Auburn  township.  To  our  sub- 
ject and  wife  live  children  were  born,  these  being  as  follows:  Ellsworth  I., 
who  conducts  the  home  farm  in  Auburn  township;  Zella  M.,  the  wife  of  James 
Michener,  of  Tiro,  Ohio;  Charles  M.,  of  Massillon ;  and  Isaac  N.  and  Emma 
L.,  both  deceased. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hilborn  is  a  stanch  and  outspoken  Republican,  and  in  his 
religious  belief  he  is  a  Lutheran  and  is  one  of  the  liberal  supporters  of  that 
church.  His  reputation  in  Auburn  township  is  that  of  a  man  whose  word  is 
just  as  good  as  his  bond,  and  he  well  deserves  the  high  regard  in  which  he 
is  held. 

WILLIAM  MORROW, 

Holding  marked  prestige  among  the  prominent  agriculturists  of  Craw- 
ford county  is  William  Morrow,  who  was  born  in  Auburn  township,  this 
county,  on  the  13th  of  June,  1832,  a  son  of  James  and  Margaret  (Kumler) 
Morrow.  The  father  was  born  in  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1809, 
a  son  of  Charles  and  Mary  (Cummings)  Morrow,  also  natives  of  the  Kev- 
stone  state.  In  181 7  they  came  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  locating  in  Auburn 
township,  having  been  the  third  family  to  settle  in  this  locality.  The  grand- 
father was  a  powerful  man  physically,  and  to  him  the  word  fear  was  unknown. 


732  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

The  Indians  stood  in  constant  dread  of  him,  and  on  one  occasion  he  ran  six 
of  them  from  his  house  with  a  wagon  whip,  while  at  another  time,  the  Indians 
having  stolen  some  of  his  horses,  he  pursued  them  on  horseback,  and  when  they 
saw  him  coming  with  his  rifle  in  hand  they  abandoned  the  horses  and  lied. 
His  death  occurred  in  1865,  having  been  of  Irish  descent.  Unto  Charles 
and  Alary  (Cummings)  Morrow  were  born  the  following  children:  Davis, 
who  served  as  postmaster  and  justice  of  the  peace  of  Tiro  for  many  years; 
James,  the  father  of  our  subject;  Nancy,  who>  became  the  wife  of  James 
Dixon;  Eliza,  the  wife  of  Walter  Dleen,  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Crawford 
county;  and  Mary  J.,  the  wife  of  Barber  Robinson.  Unto  the  parents  of  our 
subject  were  born  four  children, — William,  James,  Charles  and  John.  The 
father  died  in  1875.  In  political  matters  he  gave  his  support  to  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

William  Morrow,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  reared  to  man- 
hood on  the  home  farm,  and  his  education  was  acquired  in  the  pioneer  log 
school  house  of  the  neighborhood.  He  remained  at  home  until  after  his  mar- 
riage, when  he  purchased  and  located  on  seventy-four  acres  of  his  present 
farm.  He  afterward  purchased  the  eighty  acres  of  land  where  William  Ben- 
der now  resides,  where  he  conducted  a  tavern  for  four  years,  and  after  re- 
siding on  that  property  for  ten  years  he  sold  the  tract  and  purchased  four 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  Auburn  township.  He  also  spent  ten  years  on  that 
property,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period  he  disposed  of  the  land  and  re- 
turned to  his  original  purchase  of  seventy-four  acres,  where  he  now  makes  his 
home. 

In  October,  1859,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Morrow  and  Miss  Lucy 
A.  Trux,  a  daughter  of  Michael  Trux,  who  emigrated  to  Richland  county, 
Ohio,  locating  in  Plymouth  before  a  stick  of  the  native  timber  had  been  cut 
from  the  forest  there.  Unto  this  union  were  born  four  children, — Abraham, 
a  prominent  agriculturist  of  Auburn  township;  William,  who  owns  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  at  Round  Lake,  Minnesota ;  Davis  and  James,  also  residents 
of  this  township.  The  wife  and  mother  died,  and  for  his  second  wife  our 
subject  chose  Nancy  Loudon,  a  daughter  of  James  Loudon,  who  came  to 
Auburn  township,  Crawford  county,  from  Pennsylvania,  in  a  very  early  day. 
Two  children  were  born  unto  the  second  union,  namely :  Frank,  who  makes 
his  home  in  Crawford  county;  and  Minnie  M.,  the  wife  of  Hays  Mallic,  of 
Auburn  township.  Mr.  Morrow  has  been  a  third  time  married,  when  Mary 
Lipsett  became  his  wife,  but  after  four  years  of  happy  married  life  she,  too, 
was  called  to  the  home  beyond.     In  politics  Mr.  Morrow  supports  the  Demo- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  733 

cratic  party,  and  socially  he  is  a  member  of  Auburn  Grange,  No.  556,  P.  of 
H.  He  has  now  rounded  the  sixty-ninth  milestone  on  the  journey  of  life,  and 
during  this  entire  time  he  has  been  identified  with  the  interests  of  the  Buckeye 
state.  At  all  times  he  has  endeavored  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  this 
section  of  the  country,  and  high  on  the  roll  of  the  honored  men  of  Crawford 
county  is  found  the  name  of  this  worthy  pioneer. 

CHARLES  MORROW. 

Charles  Morrow 'has  long  been  a  conspicuous  figure  in  agricultural  circles 
in  Crawford  county.  He  was  born  on  the  farm  which  he  still  owns,  in  Auburn 
township,  on  the  15th  of  May,  1839,  a  son  of  James  and  Margaret  (Kumler) 
Morrow.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  on  the  old  family  homestead,  being  early 
inured  to  the  labors  of  field  and  meadow,  and  his  educational  advantages  were 
those  afforded  by  the  pioneer  schools  of  that  day.  On  reaching  his  twenty- 
first  year  he  was  employed  by  a  Mr.  Hodge,  of  Connecticut,  to  assist  in  driving 
cattle  to  that  state.  He  made  the  return  trip  and  started  on  a  second,  but 
after  making  a  portion  of  the  journey  he  returned,  and  on  the  1st  of  January, 
1863,  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Savina  Nickler,  a  native  of  Somerset 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Nancy  (Nicholson) 
Nickler.  The  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Germany,  came  to  America  with 
his  mother  and  stepfather  when  fourteen  years  of  age,  his  father,  who  was  of 
French  parentage,  having  died  in  the  fatherland.  The  family  located  in  Fay- 
ette county,  Pennsylvania,  where  Benjamin  grew  to  manhood  and  learned  the 
trade  of  a  tailor.  After  his  marriage  he  located  in  Somerset  county,  his  wife's 
native  place,  and  there  divided  his  time  between  farming  and  working  at  the 
tailor's  trade.  In  1863  he  emigrated  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  locating  in 
Liberty  township,  where  he  followed  farming  during  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
passing  away  in  death  in  1864,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  thirty  years,  dying  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years  and  ten  days. 
At  the  time  of  her  marriage  Mrs.  Morrow  was  residing  with  a  sister,  Mrs. 
Anna  Eicher,  in  Auburn  township,  and  by  her  marriage  with  our  subject  she 
has  become  the  mother  of  three  children,  namely :  Martha  Ann;  wife  of  W. 
J.  Cleland,  who  resides  on  the  old  Arthur  Cleland  farm  in  this  county ;  Ida 
E.,  the  wife  of  Frank  Will,  who  now  makes  his  home  on  Mr.  Morrow's  farm : 
and  Mary  J.,  the  wife  of  Orin  Lake,  a  prominent  agriculturist  of  Auburn 
township. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morrow  began  their  domestic  life  in 


734  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

a  little  log  cabin  on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  which  belonged  to 
his  father  and  where  his  brother  William  now  resides,  and  there  he  followed 
agricultural  pursuits  for  two  years,  receiving  the  entire  profits  from  the  farm. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  returned  to  the  old  home  farm  on  which 
he  was  born,  and  on  his  father's  death  he  inherited  the  property,  making  his 
home  thereon  until  1885.  In  1883  he  purchased  four  and  a  half  acres  of  land 
in  the  city  of  Tiro,  and  two  years  later  he  retired  from  the  active  duties  of 
farm  life  and  took  up  his  abode  in  this  city.  He  has  since  rebuilt  his  residence, 
making  it  one  of  the  finest  in  the  town,  and  there  he  and  his  wife  are  now 
living,  surrounded  by  the  comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life,  the 
result  of  former  toil.  In  political  matters  Mr.  Morrow  is  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party,  and  socially  he  is  a  member  of  Tiro  Lodge,  No.  688,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member  for  twenty  years.  In  his  business 
affairs  he  has  met  with  splendid  success,  and  by  reason  of  his  energy,  ambition 
and  careful  discrimination  he  has  been  very  successful,  being  now  regarded 
as  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  his  locality.  A  man  of  unswerving  integrity 
and  honor,  one  who  has  a  perfect  appreciation  of  the  higher  ethics  of  life,  he 
has  gained  and  retained  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  fellow  men,  and  is 
distinctively  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Crawford  county,  with  whose  inter- 
ests he  has  been  identified  for  so*  many  years. 


FRANCIS   M.   LASH. 

Among  the  highly  esteemed  farmer  citizens  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
is  Francis  M.  Lash,  who-  was  born  in  Auburn  township,  in  this  county,  on 
the  farm  which  he  now  occupies,  on  January  23,  1848.  He  was  a  son  of  Peter 
and  Mary  (Fredline)  Lash,  who  were  pioneer  settlers  of  Crawford  county, 
and  of  whom  extended  mention  is  made  in  the  biography  of  Peter  B.  Lash  in 
another  part  of  this  volume. 

Francis  M.  Lash  was  the  youngest  of  the  family  born  to  his  parents,  and 
when  his  father  died,  at  the  age  oi  forty-three,  the  hard  labor  of  the  farm  fell 
upon  his  sons.  The  older  brothers  of  our  subject  first  managed  the  farm, 
while  the  latter  grew  to  manhood  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  public 
schools,  and  in  1870,  when  his  next  older  brother  left  the  home  roof,  the  re- 
sponsibility fell  upon  him.  As  his  circumstances  warranted,  our  subject  grad- 
ually purchased  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs,  and  by  1885  he  had  obtained 
entire  control  of  the  homestead,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  three  acres. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  735 

Mr.  Lash  is  a  thorough  farmer  and  has  brought  his  land  to  a  fine  state  of  cul- 
tivation, its  value  increasing  year  by  year. 

The  marriage  of  Air.  Lash  was  on  November  15,  1874,  to  Miss  Almira 
Crum,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  daughter  of  David  Crum,  who  was  an 
old  and  honored  resident  of  Liberty  township,  and  a  sketch  of  whom  appears 
upon  another  page  of  this  record.  In  politics  Mr.  Lash  now  supports  the 
Republican  party,  but  for  several  years  he  worked  diligently  for  the  Prohibi- 
tion party  and  at  different  times  was  a  candidate  on  that  ticket.  His  interest 
in  the  cause  of  temperance  has  not  diminished,  but  he  believes  that  the  Re- 
publican party  can  best  adjust  the  issues  of  the  people.  Both  Mr.  Lash  and 
wife  are  active  and  useful  members  of  the  United  Brethren  church,  in  which 
his  parents  were  so  deeply  interested,  and  for  many  years  he  has  been  one  of 
the  trustees,  and  is  one  of  its  most  liberal  contributors  to  both  home  and  for- 
eign missions.  Mr.  Lash  stands  high  in  public  esteem  and  is  known  to  be  a 
man  of  sterling  character  and  unimpeachable  integrity. 


GEORGE  WEAVER. 

Among  the  prominent  citizens  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  George  Weaver, 
of  Auburn  township,  takes  a  leading  position.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Weaver  was 
in  Germany,  a  country  which  has  contributed  a  large  number  of  substantial 
citizens  to  America.  Baden  was  the  native  city  of  Mr.  Weaver,  and  there  he 
was  born  on  June  15,  1831,  a  member  of  a  family  of  seven  children  born  to 
his  parents,  Frederick  and  Mary  M.  (Brimley)  Weaver.  Two  of  this  family 
are  the  only  survivors,  these  being  our  subject  and  his  sister  Catherine,  who- 
is  the  wife  of  John  Zabst,  of  Steuben  county,  Indiana. 

Both  Frederick  Weaver  and  wife  were  born  in  Baden,  and  there  they 
were  reared  and  married,  later  becoming  farmers.  When  our  subject  was  but 
six  months  old  his  father  died  and  the  mother,  with  her  family,  emigrated  to 
the  United  States,  coming  to  Ohio  and  buying  eighty  acres  of  land  in  what 
was  then  a  part  of  Richland  county,  but  is  now  included  in  Crawford  county. 
This  land  was  located  about  one  mile  west  of  our  subject's  present  farm,  and 
was  placed  under  the  management  of  her  eldest  son.  who  had  reached  ma- 
turity. This  son  died  some  eight  years  later,  perishing  from  foul  gas  in  a 
well,  the  gas  overcoming  another  young  man  who  went  to  his  assistance.  The 
mother  continued  to  reside  on  this  farm  for  a  number  of  years,  finally  selling- 
it  and  spending  her  last  days  with  her  children  and  dying  early  in  the  '70s,. 

41 


736  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

aged  about  eighty-live  years,  having"  been  a  good  mother  and  an  excellent 
manager. 

George  Weaver,  of  this  sketch,  grew  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  spend- 
ing his  time  on  the  farm  and  in  attendance  at  the  pioneer  school,  where  the 
conveniences  and  adornments  consisted  in  slab  benches  and  puncheon  floor.  By 
the  time  our  subject  was  fourteen  his  mother  broke  up  her  home  and  he  went 
to  make  his  residence  with  a  neighbor  by  the  name  of  Jacob  Cruykendall, 
and  remained  with  him  until  he  had  reached  his  majority.  Then  our  subject 
began  his  own  career,  working  as  a  farm  hand  until  his  marriage.  This  took 
place  on  March  19,  1857,  when  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Katy  A. 
Aumund,  who  was  a  native  of  this  township  and  was  a  daughter  of  Adam 
Aumund. 

After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weaver  located  on  a  portion  of  Mr.  Crtiy- 
kendall's  farm,  where  our  subject  carried  on  one  summer's  operations,  on 
shares.  Prior  to  his  marriage  he  had  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Inliana, 
but  Mrs.  Weaver  did  not  feel  inclined  to  go  so  far  from  her  old  home  and 
friends,  and  our  subject  respected  her  desires  and  exchanged  that  land  for 
seventy  acres  of  his  present  farm,  and  in  the  fall  of  1857  they  removed  to  this 
new  home.  An  earlier  settler  had  built  a  log  cabin  and  the  young  people  soon 
made  it  cosy  and  comfortable,  and  this  remained  their  residence  for  a  number 
of  years,  Mr.  Weaver  later  enlarging  it.  In  1874  he  erected  the  substantial 
frame  house  where  the  family  has  since  resided.  The  high  cultivation  to 
which  Mr.  Weaver  has  brought  his  land  proves  him  a  skilled  farmer.  It  con- 
tains one  hundred  acres  and  has  excellent  improvements  and  presents  a  most 
attractive  and  thrifty  appearance. 

Three  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weaver,  these  being:  Henry, 
at  home,  and  Clara  B.  and  Royal,  both  deceased.  In  politics  Mr.  Weaver  has 
been  a  life-long  Republican,  and  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  his  fellow 
citizens  has  been  shown  by  his  election  to  the  office  of  township  trustee  for 
three  terms.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weaver,  as  well  as  their  son,  belong  to  the 
Methodist  church,  where  our  subject  is  recording  steward  and  where  he  is  held 
in  the  highest  esteem. 

Mrs.  W'eaver  was  a  daughter  of  Adam,  Jr.,  and  Susannah  (Harley) 
Aumund,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1799,  and  was  a  son  of  Adam  and  Christina  Aumund.  Soon  after  coming  to 
Richland  county,  when  a  young  man,  he  was  married  and  located  on  a  farm 
of  eighty  acres  adjoining  .his  father's  home  farm,  the  latter  having  made  pro- 
vision for  his  sons  by  entering  four  tracts  of  eighty  acres  each.       Mr.  Au- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  737 

mund  lived  on  this  farm  all  his  life,  adding  to  it  until  he  had  two1  hundred 
and  thirty  acres.  He  was  a  man  of  much  influence  in  his  district  and  was  a 
power  in  the  councils  of  the  Democratic  party,  serving  several  years  as  a  just- 
ice of  the  peace,  township  truste  and  in  other  local  offices,  and  was  also  an  active 
member  of  the  Methodist  church.  His  death  occurred  in  1879,  in  his 
eightieth  year.  After  the  death  of  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Weaver,  her  father  mar- 
ried, first,  Nancy  Harley,  and  by  that  marriage  one  son,  Riley  W.,  was  born, 
since  deceased;  and  Mr.  Aumund's  next  marriage  was  to  Mrs.  Runyan,  for- 
merly Miss  Prudence  West,  and  his  last  marriage  was  to  Mrs.  Vincent,  who 
was  formerly  Miss  Mary  Davidson.  Seven  children  survive,  these  being: 
Henry;  Samuel;  Mary  E. ;  Mrs.  Weaver;  George  W. ;  Mary  A.,  the  wife  of 
R.  R.  Ross,  of  this  township;  and  Henderson  P. 

SAMUEL  A.  STOCK. 

Samuel  A.  Stock  is  one  of  the  leading  and  influential  men  of  the  township 
in  which  he  was  born.  His  birth  occurred  on  August  14,  1850,  in  Auburn 
township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  he  was  a  son  of  John  and  Christina 
(Schaffer)  Stock,  who  reared  a  family  of  twelve  children,  six  of  whom  still 
survive.  These  are  as  follows :  George  W.,  a  resident  of  Cranberry  town- 
ship;  Samuel  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Jennie,  the  wife  of  George  Hart, 
of  this  township ;  Elvira,  the  wife  of  Frank  Morse,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio  ;  Sabine, 
the  wife  of  Abner  McCane,  of  Xew  Washington,  Ohio;  and  Eva,  the  wife  of 
Charles  Urich,  of  Cranberry  township. 

John  Stock  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  came  with  his  parents  in  his 
youth  to  Richland  county,  Ohio,  where  he  married  and  then  moved  to  Auburn 
township,  Crawford  county,  where  he  owned  an  eighty-acre  farm.  Some 
time  later  he  sold  this  farm  and  returned  to  Richland  county  and  engaged  in 
farming  on  the  home  place.  His  wife  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
ten  acres  in  Crawford  county  from  her  brother-in-law,  and  some  years  later 
exchanged  this  farm  for  the  one  which  is  now  owned  by  her  son  George,  and 
there  her  last  years  were  spent.  John  Stock  was  a  soldier  during  the  Civil 
war,  and  was  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixtieth  Ohio'  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  was  sent  to  the  front,  the  privation  and  exposure  bringing  on 
dysentery,  from  which  he  died  in  Philadelphia,  and  there  he  was  buried. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  amid  home  surroundings,  and  obtained 
an  excellent  school  education  in  the  district  schools.  He  remained  at  home 
until  he  was  twenty-six  years  old,  managing  his  mother's  property,  and  then 


738  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

was  married  to  Miss  Adelia  L.  Morse,  who  was  also  born  in  Auburn  township. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Amos  and  Mehetable  (Carlisle)  Morse,  the  former  of 
whom  was  one  of  the  most  influential  men  in  the  neighborhood.  In  his  earlier 
years  he  was  a  teacher,  but  before  his  death  followed  agriculture  on  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican,  and  he  held  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  a  man  of  more  than  average  intelligence, 
and  was  the  father  of  three  children,  viz.:  Frank  R.,  Adelia  and  Amanda, 
twins. 

After  marriage  our  subject  rented  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fourteen 
acres  in  Cranberry  township,  where  he  remained  some  two  years,  removing 
then  to  his  father-in-law's  farm,  which  he  has  managed  ever  since.  At  the 
death  of  Mr.  Morse  he  was  made  executor,  and  his  esteemed  mother-in-law 
resides  with  our  subject  and  family.  Six  children  have  been  born  to-  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stock,  and  the  rive  survivors  are:  Otis  M.,  whoi  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Linwood  high  school  and  the  Woodward  high  school,  of  Cincinnati;  and  Ira 
\\\,  Charles  A.,  Irma  A.  and  Harold  M.,  all  of  whom  are  at  home  except  Ira, 
who  is  employed  in  the  tube  works  in  Shelby,  Ohio.  The  one  member  of  the 
family  who  is  deceased  was  Olive  E. 

hi  politics  our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  Democraitc  part}',  and  he  has 
been  quite  active  in  township  affairs,  serving  four  terms  as  assessor.  At  one 
time  he  was  made  a  candidate  by  his  friends  for  the  office  of  trustee,  but  he 
never  desired  the  office  and  did  not  work  for  it,  and  he  was  defeated  by  just 
one  vote.  In  the  order  of  K.  of  P.  Mr.  Stock  has  been  a  valued  and  useful 
member  of  Tiro  Lodge,  No.  592.  He  is  one  of  the  charter  members  of  this 
lodge  and  has  done  much  for  its  advancement.  In  the  township  he  occupies 
a  position  of  confidence  and  trust,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  progressive 
and  public-spirited  citizens  who  are  ever  on  the  alert  to  advance  the  interests 
of  Crawford  county. 

WILLIAM   DAWSON. 

Among  the  progressive  and  representative  farmers  of  Crawford  county, 
Ohio,  is  William  Dawson,  who  for  many  years  has  been  a  very  successful 
agriculturist  of  Auburn  township.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Dawson,  of  this  biog- 
raphy, was  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  near  the  town  of  Boston,  on  December 
J3<  I(^35-  ^e  was  a  son  °f  William  and  Susan  (  Courtright)  Dawson,  and  is 
the  only  surviving  child  of  his  parents. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  739 

William  Dawson  was  born  also  in  Lincolnshire,  in  1800,  and  after  the 
death  of  his  wife,  some  time  after  1840,  he  came  to  America  and  located  in 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  fifty  acres,  in  Auburn 
township.  At  a  later  date  he  purchased  an  adjoining  thirty  acres,  and  this 
he  improved  and  lived  upon  until  his  death,  in  1858.  Mr.  Dawson  was  a  man 
of  high  moral  purpose  and  a  most  consistent  member  of  the  Primitive  Metho- 
■dist  church.  In  England  he  had  been  a  local  preacher  and  exhorter  in  the 
church,  and  always  lived  an  exemplary  life.  After  coming  to  America  he  con- 
tracted a  second  marriage.  Miss  Mary  Gibson  becoming  his  second  wife,  and 
she  survived  her  husband  for  some  years. 

After  the  death  of  the  mother  of  our  subject,  when  he  was  about  seven 
or  eight  years  of  age,  he  found  a  comfortable  home  with  an  uncle,  Samuel 
Dawson,  and  young  William  remained  with  him  until  his  eighteenth  year. 
This  uncle  was  an  extensive  farmer  and  successful  stock-raiser,  and  under  his 
supervision  our  subject  became  well  trained  in  all  agricultural  pursuits.  This 
severe  discipline  served  our  subject  well  in  after  life,  as  he  applied  on  his  own 
land  the  principles  which  his  uncle  had  taught,  and  now  owns  one  of  the  best 
developed  and  valuable  farms  in  Crawford  county. 

hi  1853  Mr.  Dawson,  our  subject,  came  to  America,  landing  in  New 
York  City  on  May  11,  1853,  after  a  tempestuous  voyage,  in  the  sailing  vessel 
''Forest  King,"  which  lasted  forty-seven  days.  In  the  furious  storm  they  en- 
countered the  vessel  was  stripped  of  her  canvas  and  was  almost  wrecked.  It 
was  with  a  feeling-  of  great  relief  that  Mr.  Dawson  found  himself  again  on 
firm  land,  and  he  immediately  made  his  way  to  his  father  in  Crawford  county. 
With  him  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  on  January  6,  1857,  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Rebecca  J.  Doty,  who  was  a  native  of  Ashland  county,  Ohio, 
and  a  daughter  of  a  prominent  farmer  of  Ashland  county.  In  the  following 
summer  our  subject  took  charge  of  the  farm,  and  as  his  father  died  during 
the  next  year  the  property  came  into  his  possession. 

In  1862  our  subject  purchased  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  acres  of  land 
in  Ashland  county,  with  the  intention  of  moving  to  that  place,  but  just  at  this 
time  came  a  family  affliction, — the  death  of  a  dear  child,  and  Mrs.  Dawson 
felt  unable  in  her  trouble  to  leave  old  friends  and.  associations.  Therefore,  in 
1864  Mr.  Dawson  sold  this  farm  and  purchased  his  present  one,  which  con- 
sists of  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  and  resided  upon  it,  improving  and 
beautifying  it,  until  about  1887,  when  he  rented  it  to-  his  son-in-law  and  retired 
to  Plymouth.  In  1890  Mrs.  Dawson  died.  Five  years  later  Mr.  Dawson 
returned  to  his  farm,  having  been  married  on   June  28,  1806,  to<  Miss  Dora 


74Q  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Doty,  who  was  a  native  of  Ashland  county,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  James 
Doty,  also  of  that  county.  To  his  former  marriage  five  children  were  born, 
as  follows:  Ada  A.,  deceased;  Elmer  Lincoln,  a  farmer  of  Richland  county; 
Ef.'le  R.,  the  wife  of  Howard  Clark,  a  farmer  of  Richland  county;  Emma  R., 
the  wife  of  Andrew  Trobridge,  of  Chicago;  and  Ida  May,  who  resides  with 
her  sister  Effie. 

In  politics  Air.  Dawson  is  numbered  among  the  stanch  Republicans  of 
Auburn  township.  Socially  he  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Auburn  Grange, 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  while  he  has  long  been  one  of  the  leading  members  of 
the  Methodist  church,  in  which  he  is  a  steward.  His  farm  shows  the  personal 
care  and  attention  that  has  been  given  it  and  is  an  example  of  what  skilled 
farming  can  accomplish.  He  is  one  of  the  highly  respected  citizens  of  this 
locality  and  is  well  and  favorably  known  over  a  wide  section. 

THOMAS  B.  EXDSLOW. 

The  history  of  mankind  is  replete  with  illustrations  of  the  fact  that  it  is 
only  under  the  pressure  of  adversity  and  the  stimulus  of  opposition  that  the 
best  and  strongest  in  men  are  brought  out  and  developed.  Perhaps  the  his- 
tory of  no  people  so1  forcibly  impresses  one  with  this  truth  as  the  annals  of  our 
own  republic.  If  anything  can  inspire  the  youth  of  our  country  to  persistent, 
honest  and  laudable  endeavor  it  should  be  the  life  record  of  such  men  as  he 
of  whom  we  write.  The  example  of  the  illustrious  few  of  our  countrymen,  who 
have  risen  from  obscurity  to  the  highest  positions  in  the  gift  of  the  nation, 
serves  often  to  awe  our  young  men  rather  than  inspire  them  to  emulation, 
because  they  reason  that  only  a  few  can  ever  attain  such  eminence;  but  the 
history  of  such  men  as  Thomas  P>.  Endslow  proves  conclusively  that  with  a 
reasonable  amount  of  mental  and  physical  power  success  is  bound  eventually 
to  crown  the  endeavor  of  those  who  have  the  ambition  to  put  forth  their  best 
efforts  and  the  will  and  manliness  to  persevere  therein. 

Thomas  B.  Enslow  was  born  in  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county.  May 
6,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Eliza  (Junk)  Endslow,  of  whose  family 
of  eight  children  five  are  yet  living.  The  Endslows  are  of  English  lineage. 
William  Endslow,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of 
the  Merrie  Isle,  but  when  a  young  man  crossed  the  briny  deep  to  the  new 
world,  settling'  in  Juniata  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  followed  farming. 
His  wife  was  Mrs.  Margaret  Endslow,  and  among  their  children  was  William 
Endslow,  Jr.,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Juniata  county,  in  1803.     In  his  youth 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  74 1 

he  learned  the  trade  of  wagon-making,  and  when  he  had  attained  his  majority 
he  chose  as  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  the  journey  of  life  Miss  Eliza  Junk. 
In  183 1,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  one  child,  who  was  born  in  the  Keystone 
state,  he  made  his  way  to  Ohio,  settling  in  Richland  county,  near  Shelby,  which 
was  then  a  small  hamlet  of  two  houses  and  a  blacksmith  shop.  He  there  erected 
a  wagon-maker's  shop,  but  after  two  or  three  years  came  to  Crawford  county 
and  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Lykens  township,  turning  his  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits.  The  journey  thither  was  made  by  way  of  Xew  Wash- 
ington,  which  was  also  in  the  period  of  inception,  containing  but  two  dwellings. 
Air.  Endslow  and  his  brother-in-law  erected  his  first  residence  of  poles,  the 
house  being  twelve  by  eighteen  feet.  It  was  completed  in  a  day  and  at  once  fur* 
nished  shelter  for  the  family.  Later  they  covered  the  poles  with  clapboards  on 
the  front  and  sides  and  plastered  the  house  with  straw  and  mud.  This  served 
as  the  family  residence  for  only  a  year  or  two,  after  which  Mr.  Endslow  erected 
a  substantial  hevved-log  house.  He  made  his  home  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1876,  upon  the  farm  which  he  there  developed,  but  in  the  meantime 
he  erected  four  other  houses,  the  last  being  a  commodious  frame  residence, 
erected  some  time  in  the  '50s.  His  wild  land  was  transformed  into  richly 
cultivated  fields  that  brought  to  him  golden  harvests  in  return  for  his  plowing 
and  planting.  In  his  political  views  he  was  a  Democrat  and  in  religious  faith 
was  first  a  Presbyterian,  but  afterward  became  a,  member  of  the  Seceders 
church.  During  the  many  years  of  his  residence  upon  his  farm  he  devoted 
much  of  his  time  to  his  trade,  and  thus  the  care  of  the  fields  developed  largely 
upon  his  children.  The  five  surviving  members  of  the  family  are :  Margaret, 
who  is  now  living  in  Crawford  county,  Kansas;  William,  a  miller  of  Columbus, 
Ohio;  Samuel;  Eliza,  now  the  wife  of  R.  K.  Williams,  an  agriculturist  of 
Seneca  county ;  and  Thomas  B. 

No  event  of  special  importance  occurred  to  change  the  usual  routine  of 
farm  life  for  Thomas  B.  Endslow.  He  was  a  student  in  the  district  schools 
through  the  winter  season  and  made  a  hand  in  the  fields  through  the  summer 
months.  At  the  age  of  twenty,  however,  he  left  the  parental  roof  and  became 
an  apprentice  to  the  miller's  trade,  serving  in  a  mill  near  Loudonville.  After 
three  years  there  passed  he  came  to  New  Washington  and  was  employed  in 
the  mill  which  he  now  operates.  Two  years  later  he  acquired  an  interest  in 
the  business,  which  he  retained  until  1885,  when  he  removed  to  Aberdeen, 
Brown  county,  where  he  rented  a  mill  for  a  year.  That  property  was  then 
sold,  after  which  Mr.  Endslow  worked  on  a  salary  until  1890,  when  he  re- 
turned to  New  Washington  and  purchased  the  mill  in  which  he  had  formerly 


742  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

been  employed  and  which  he  now  conducts.     He  is  doing-  a  good  business,  his 
patronage  steadily  increasing,  which  calls  for  an  enlarged  output. 

In  1876  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Air.  Endslow  and  Miss  Sarah 
Springer,  of  Crawford  county,  a  daughter  of  George  W.  Springer,  a  prominent 
farmer  who  resided  in  this  locality,  but  is  now  deceased.  The  marriage  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Endslow  has  been  blessed  with  four  children,  namely  :  Maud  L., 
now  the  wife  of  Dr.  H.  G.  Blaine,  of  Attica,  Ohio;  B.  Clyde,  who  is  in  the 
mill  with  his  father;  \Y.  Lloyd,  an  engineer  in  the  mill;  and  Myrtle  B.  The 
mother  of  this  family  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in  1892,  and  in  September, 
1896,  Mr.  Endslow  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Lydia 
Evert,  a  native  of  Crawford  county.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and,  though  not  an  office  seeker,  he  was  elected  and  served  for  three  terms, 
in  the  early  '80s,  as  township  clerk,  while  at  the  present  writing  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  cotmcilmen  of  Xew  Washington.  To  those  who  are  fa- 
miliar with  his  history  it  is  needless  to  say  that  his  duties  were  ever  discharged 
with  promptness  and  fidelity.  He  holds  membership  relations  with  the  Meth- 
odist church  and  is  serving  as  one  of  its  trustees.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  Hyperion  Lodge,  No.  651,  K.  P..  of  which  he  became  a  charter  member 
and  in  which  he  has  filled  all  the  offices.  In  all  life's  relations  he  has  been 
found  true  to  duty  and  to  every  obligation.  His  life  record  is  commendable 
in  that  he  owes  his  advancement  to  his  unflagging  energy  and  perseverance, 
and  to  the  fact  that  he  has  ever  conducted  all  business  transactions  along  the 
lines  of  strict  commercial  ethics. 

ISAAC  HOSLER. 

Isaac  Hosier  is  now  serving  as  mayor  of  Xew  Washington,  and  the  city 
has  found  him  a  capable,  energetic  and  faithful  official,  having  a  just  appre- 
ciation of  the  duties  that  devolve  upon  him  and  discharging  them  with  prompt- 
ness and  ability.  He  was  born  in  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  at  the  old  family  home- 
stead in  Bloom  township.  May  11, -1840,  his  parents  being  Jonas  and  Cath- 
erine (Troxel)  Hosier.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Christian  Hosier, 
was  a  native  of  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch 
ancestry.  In  the  place  of  his  nativity  he  was  reared  and  learned  the  trade  of 
a  cooper.  He  married  a  Miss  Gensler  and  followed  his  chosen  vocation  in  his 
native  county  until  1824,  when  he  emigrated  with  his  family  to  Ohio,  settling 
in  Stark  county,  where  he  carried  on  the  coopering  business  until  within  the 
last  five  vears  of  his  life.     His  wife  died  and  then  he  went  to  live  with  his  son 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  743 

Jonas,  in  whose  home  he  remained  until  called  to  his  final  rest,  when  about  sev- 
enty-five years  of  age. 

Jonas  Hosier,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  York  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, March1  14,  1810,  and  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  his  parents'  home, 
learning  the  coopering  business  with  his  father  ere  the  removal  of  the  family  to 
Ohio.  As  his  parents  were  in  but  moderate  circumstances  Jonas  Hosier  and 
his  elder  brother  worked  for  the  neighboring  farmers  during  the  early  years 
of  their  residence  in  the  Buckeye  state.  The  father  of  our  subject  entered 
the  employ  of  Mr.  Troxel,  whose  daughter  he  afterward  married.  Subse- 
quently he  and  his  brother-in-law  engaged  in  the  operation  of  the  Troxel  farm 
on  the  shares,  but  soon  after  his  marriage,  which  occurred  in  1832,  he  went  to 
Seneca  county  in  search  of  a  home  for  his  bride.  While  there  he  entered  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  two  years  later  he  removed  his  wife  and 
two  children  to  the  log  cabin  which  he  had  erected  in  the  forest.  There  he 
developed  an  excellent  farm,  making  it  one  of  the  best  agricultural  properties 
in  the  county.  He  continued  its  cultivation  until  1863,  when  he  sold  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  three  acres  in  Chatlield  township,  Crawford 
county,  where  he  died  August  30,  1875.  He  was  a  very  energetic  man,  of 
strong  purposes  and  keen  discrimination  in  business  and  thereby  won  a  com- 
fortable competence.  In  his  political  views  he  was  a  stalwart  Democrat,  but 
office  holding  had  no  attractions  for  him.  His  life  was  in  harmony  with  his 
professions  as  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  and  he  was  one  of 
the  most  highly  esteemed  men  of  his  community.  He  married  Miss  Catherine 
Troxel  and  they  became  the  parents  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  yet 
living',  namely :  Peter,  a  farmer  of  Defiance  county,  Ohio ;  Amanda,  wife  of 
Elias  Miller,  an  agriculturist  of  Fulton  county,  Indiana ;  Isaac,  of  this  review ; 
Mathilda,  wife  of  William  Cummings,  Sr.,  of  New  Washington;  Malinda, 
wife  of  John  Donnenwirth,  a  former  postmaster  of  New  Washington,  and  now 
resides  in  Bucyrus ;  Minerva,  the  widow  of  Jacob  Haas,  of  Wyandot  county, 
Ohio;  and  Elizabeth,  who  married  Conrad  Kahler,  a  resident  of  Kosciusko 
county,  Indiana. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Isaac  Hosier  we  present  to  our  reader 
the  life  record  of  one  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known  in  the  Buckeye  state, 
where  he  has  always  resided.  His  boyhood  days  were  quietly  passed  on  the 
home  farm,  and  during-  that  period  he  acquired  only  a  limited  common-school 
education,  for  his  services  were  needed  in  the  work  of  the  fields.  When  he 
was  twenty  years  of  age  he  and  his  brother  Peter  took  charge  of  the  old  home- 
stead, which  they  operated  on  the  shares  for  three  years.     In  the  summer  of 


744  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

1863  Mr.  Hosier,  of  this  review,  had  charge  of  the  harvesting  of  the  crops 
and  worked  at  various  other  occupations,  such  as  brick-making  and  threshing. 
In  the  spring  of  1864,  in  company  with  five  others,  he  started  by  wagon  across 
the  plains  for  California,  leaving  Bucyrus  on  the  1st  of  April.  The  travelers 
arrived  in  Austin,  Nevada,  on  the  2nd  of  July,  and  there  stopped  for  a  couple 
of  weeks.  One  of  their  number  died  while  in  that  place.  When  the  party  left 
Austin  Mr.  Hosier  remained  behind  and  after  two  weeks'  work  in  the  silver 
mines  took  charge  of  some  horses  and  mules  on  a  stock  ranch,  his  time  being 
thus  occupied  during  the  fall  and  winter.  In  the  spring  of  1865  he  began  work 
in  the  salt  marshes,  about  thirty  miles  from  Austin,  and  in  the  fall  of  1865  he 
went  with  a  freight  train  to  Colfax,  California.  After  reaching  that  place  he. 
proceeded  to  Sacramento,  over  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  and  from  there,  by 
river,  to  San  Francisco.  He  spent  about  a  week  in  the  latter  city  and  then 
took  passage  on  a  steamer  going  by  the  "Keystone"  route.  He  crossed  a  lake 
in  Central  America,  thence  proceeded  by  way  of  the  San  Juan  river  to  the 
Caribbean  sea — the  present  proposed  route  of  the  Nicaraguan  canal.  He  ar- 
rived in  New  York  about  a  month  after  leaving  San  Francisco  and  at  once 
continued  on  his  way  to  his  home.  After  two  months  spent  upon  the  farm 
Mr.  Hosier  proceeded  to  Bucyrus  and  during  the  six  succeeding  years  was  em- 
ployed as  engineer  in  the  Bucyrus  Woolen  Mills.  In  1872,  in  connection  with 
his  brother-in-law,  John  Donnenwirth,  Mr.  Hosier  came  to  New  Washington 
and  opened  a  tinshop,  which  they  conducted  for  four  years,  when  they  sold 
their  business,  and  through  the  two  succeeding  years  our  subject  followed 
various  pursuits.  In  1878  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  tinshop,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1900,  but  at  the  present  time  he  is  devoting  his  entire  time  and  at- 
tention to  his  official  duties. 

While  residing  in  Bucyrus  Mr.  Hosier  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1867.  to 
Miss  Teresa  Rook,  a  native  of  Alsace,  Germany,  a  daughter  of  Phillip  and 
Magdalena  Rook,  who  came  to  America,  locating  in  Ohio  about  1854.  In 
his  political  views  the  subject  of  this  review  is  a  stalwart  Democrat  and  at 
various  times  has  served  for  ten  years  as  a  member  of  the  town  council  of 
New  Washington.  Entirely  without  his  solicitation,  in  the  spring  of  1899,  he 
was  nominated  and  elected  to  the  office  of  mayor,  and  in  the  spring  of  1901 
he  was  again  nominated  in  a  district  where  a  Democratic  nomination  is  equiva- 
lent to  an  election.  He  has  proved  a  capable  executive,  laboring  earnestly  for 
the  best  interests  of  the  people  and  exercises  his  official  prerogatives  in  sup- 
port of  all  measures  and  movements  for  the  reform  and  progress  of  the  city. 
He  belongs  to  Cranberry  Lodge,  No.  441,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  has  filled  all  its  offices 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  745 

and  for  seventeen  consecutive  years  was  secretary,  to  which  position  he  has 
again  been  re-elected.  Although  not  a  church  member,  he  contributes  liberally 
to  religious  work  and  withholds  his  support  and  co-operation  from  no  move- 
ment or  measure  for  the  general  good.  His  fidelity  to  principle,  his  earnest 
purpose  and  his  unquestioned  honesty  have  gained  for  him  the  unfaltering- 
confidence  and  high  regard  of  the  people  among  whom  his  lot  has  been  cast. 

CHARLES  MAHON. 

It  is  the  enterprise  and  character  of  the  citizens  that  enrich  and  ennoble 
the  commonwealth.  From  individual  enterprise  has  sprung  all  the  splendor  and 
importance  of  this  great  west.  The  greatest  merchants  have  developed  from 
the  humblest  origins.  From  clerkships  have  emerged  men  who  have  built  great 
enterprises.  America  is  a  self-made  country,  and  those  who  have  created  it  are 
self-made  men.  No  influence  of  birth  or  fortune  have  favored  the  architects  of 
her  glory.  Among  those  who  have  achieved  prominence  as  men  of  marked 
ability  and  substantial  worth  in  Crawford  county  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
Charles  Mahon,  who  occupies  a  prominent  position.  He  is  now  proprietor  of 
a  saw  and  planing-mill  in  Xew  Washington  and  is  accounted  one  of  the  lead- 
ing representatives  of  industrial  interests  in  this  portion  of  Crawford  county. 

Mr.  Mahon  was  born  in  Weller  township,  Richland  county,  July  24,  1843, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Steward)  Mahon.  The  family  was  es- 
tablished in  Ohio  during  the  pioneer  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  state.  The 
father  was  born  in  Weller  township.  Richland  county,  and  was  a  son  of  James 
Mahon,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  soon  after  his  marriage  and 
established  a  home  in  Weller  township,  on  Chestnut  Hill,  being  one  of  the 
first  residents  of  that  portion  of  the  state.  Mansfield  then  contained  but  three 
houses  and  the  country  for  miles  around  was  in  its  primitive  condition,  the 
forests  standing  in  their  primeval  strength,  unmarked  by  roads  made  by  the 
white  man  or  by  the  habitations  of  early  settlers.  Mr.  Mahon  entered  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  and  built  a  round-log  house.  He  began 
clearing  his  land  and  was  connected  with  the  work  of  cultivating  the  fields  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death.  Amid  the  wild  scenes  of  pioneer  life  on  the  old  fam- 
ilv  homestead  John  Mahon  was  reared,  and  in  the  common  schools  of  the  neigh- 
borhood he  acquired  his  education.  He  married  Miss  Margaret  Steward,  who 
was  also  born  in  Wreller  township  and  was  a  daughter  of  Charles  Steward, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  the  Emerald  Isle.  Soon  after  his  marriage  he,  too, 
sought  a  home  in  the  new  world  and  became  a  resident  of  Weller  township,  tak- 


746  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

ing-  up  his  abode  on  Black  Fork.  He  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  from  the  government,  cleared  and  improved  the  property  and  in  the  early 
days  experienced  all  the  hardships  and  privations  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
early  settlers.  They  established  a  home  in  the  wilderness  and  laid  the  founda- 
tion for  the  present  prosperity  and  progress  of  the  community.  He  continued 
in  Weller  township  until  called  to  the  home  beyond.  He  was  a  Presbyterian  in 
religious  faith  and  was  a  very  active  and  influential  member  of  the  church. 

After  his  marriage  John  Mahon  located  upon  a  portion  of  the  old  home- 
stead, having  received  eighty  acres  of  the  farm  as  his  patrimony,  the  grand- 
father having  died  when  his  son  was  only  three  years  of  age.  Until  1859  John 
Mahon  continued  to  cultivate  his  fields  at  that  point  and  then  sold  the  prop- 
erty, removing  with  his  family  to  Crawford  county,  locating  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  Cranberry  township.  He  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land,  and  the  farm  which  he  there  improved  and  developed  was  his  place 
of  residence  until  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death.  His  political  support 
was  unswervingly  given  to  the  Democracy,  and  for  several  terms  he  served  as 
township  trustee,  discharging  his  duties  in  a  prompt  and  capable  manner.  He 
was  quite  active  in  church  work,  holding  membership  with  the  Methodist  de- 
nomination. In  early  days  he  was  for  a  number  of  years  a  member  of  the 
state  militia  and  throughout  his  entire  life  was  a  man  of  influence  and  prom- 
inent in  his  community.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mahon  were  born  ten  children, 
of  whom  five  are  yet  living,  namely:  Charles;  Millie,  the  widow  of  William 
Striker,  of  Cranberry  township ;  Barger,  of  the  same  township ;  John,  who  is 
living  near  Bloomville,  Ohio;  and  Jennie,  the  wife  of  David  Smith,  of  Shelby, 
Ohio. 

To  the  common-school  system  of  Ohio  Charles  Mahon  is  indebted  for  the 
educational  privileges  which  were  afforded  him  in  his  youth.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  was  drafted  for  service,  but  owing  to  the  objections  raised  by  his  par- 
ents he  did  not  go  to  the  front,  although  it  was  his  desire  to  aid  his  country 
in  her  struggle  to  preserve  the  Union.  As  is  usual  with  young  men  when  they 
start  out  upon  a  business  career  he  sought  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  the 
journey  of  life,  and  on  the  28th  of  July,  1866,  was  united  in  marriage  to-  Miss 
Hannah  M.  Shilling,  a  native  of  Cranberry  township  and  a  daughter  of  David 
Shilling,  who  emigrated  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio  when  Mrs.  Mahon  was  a 
little  child  of  only  two  years.  The  journey  was  made  by  wagon  and  often 
led  through  dense  forests.  In  the  Keystone  state  her  father  had  followed 
teaming,  but  soon  after  his  arrival  in  Crawford  county  he  turned  his  attention 
to  farming.     The  same  pursuit  claimed  the  energies  of  Mr.  Mahon  after  his 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  747 

marriage,  and  he  began  his  labors  as  an  agriculturist  upon  a  tract  of  eighty 
acres,  near  the  old  homestead.  About  a  year  later,  however,  he  sold  that  prop- 
erty and  purchased  another  eighty-acre  tract  a  mile  to  the  north,  residing  there- 
on for  six  or  seven  years.  After  disposing  of  that  property  he  became  the 
owner  of  eighty  acres,  one  mile  east  and  a  half  mile  north  of  New  Wash- 
ington, and  there  engaged  in  the  tilling  of  the  fields  until  1885,  when  he  once 
more  sold  his  farm  and  in  that  year  became  a  resident  of  the  town.  He  pur- 
chased a  half  interest  in  a  saw  and  planing-mill,  which,  in  connection  with  his 
partner,  Anthony  Herman,  he  has  since  conducted.  The  business  has  proven 
a  profitable  one  under  the  capable  management  of  the  owners  and  now  furnishes 
employment  to  twelve  or  more  workmen.  They  manufacture  lumber,  and  do 
all  kinds  of  planing  mill  work,  and  their  business  has  steadily  increased,  both  in 
volume  and  importance. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Airs.  Marion  has  been  blessed  with  four  children, 
of  whom  three  are  yet  living,  namely:  John  I.,  who  is  employed  by  the  mill- 
ing firm ;  Marinda  M.  and  Lettie  F.,  both  at  home.  The  parents  hold  member- 
ship in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  for  fifteen  years  Mr.  Mahon  has 
served  as  class-leader,  steward  and  trustee.  Socially  he  is  connected  with 
Cranberry  Lodge,  No.  441.  1.  O.  O.  F.,  in  which  he  has  passed  all  of  the 
chairs.  Fie  is  likewise  a  member  of  Rex  Tent,  No.  229,  K.  O.  T.  M.,  in  which 
he  has  filled  all  the  offices,  at  the  present  time  serving  as  commander.  His 
political  support  is  given  the  Democracy,  and  for  nine  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  school  board.  However,  he  is  not  an  office  seeker,  and  has 
steadily  refused  to  allow  his  name  to  be  placed  on  the  ticket  at  a  candidate 
for  office.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  70s,  however,  he  was  elected  township 
trustee,  and  popular  suffrage  has  continued  him  in  the  position  for  three  terms. 
He  ranks  among  the  progressive  and  representative  men  of  the  county.  Of 
verile  strength  and  strong  purpose,  he  has  carried  forward  to  successful  comple- 
tion whatever  he  has  undertaken,  and  his  labors  have  brought  to  him  a  com- 
fortable competence. 

FREDERICK  CARLE. 

Frederick  Carle  is  a  manufacturer  of  and  dealer  in  buggies  and  wagons 
in  New  Washington  and  als<  1  c<  inducts  a  horse-shoeing  and  general  repair  shop. 
Industry  is  a  most  potent  element  in  securing  success  and  this  principle  is 
well  exemplified  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Carle,  who  is  a  most  energetic  man,  indolence 
and  idleness  being  utterly  foreign  to  his  nature.     He  is  classed  among  the  rep- 


748  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

resentative  German-American  citizens  of  Crawford  county,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Oberheinrieth,  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  August  16,  i860, his  parents 
being  Christian  and  Barbara  (Loehle)  Carle,  of  whose  family  of  six  sons 
four  are  yet  living,  namely  :  William,  a  carpenter  of  Bucyrus,  Ohio  ;  Frederick  ; 
and  Henry  and  Ernest,  both  of  whom  are  residents  of  Newark,  New  Jersey. 
The  father  was  also  a  native  of  the  same  village  in  which  occurred  the  birth 
of  our  subject.  He  was  born  May  5,  1806,  and  died  May  16,  1888.  His  first 
wife  was  a  Miss  Weik  and  they  became  the  parents  of  six  children,  four  sons 
and  two  daughters,  of  whom  one  is  yet  living,  namely,  Gottlieb,  of  Stutt- 
gart, Ohio.  The  mother  died  October  26,  1858,  and  the  father  afterward  mar- 
ried Miss  Barbara  Loehle.  He  continued  farm  work  until  1836,  when  he  was 
appointed  keeper  of  the  forest,  which  important  position  he  filled  for  a  period 
of  thirty-two  years.  He  then  retired  to  farm  life.  In  1867  Gottlieb  Carle, 
the  son  of  the  first  marriage,  came  to  America,  and  in  1872  William,  the  eldest 
of  the  children  of  the  second  marriage,  crossed  the  Atlantic,  taking  up  his 
abode  in  Bucyrus,  Ohio.  The  glowing  accounts  of  the  country  tempted  our 
subject  to  cast  his  fortunes  in  the  golden  land  of  promise,  and  in  1880,  just 
prior  to  the  time  when  he  would  have  been  forced  to  enter  military  life  in  the 
fatherland,  he  sailed  for  America.  In  1881  Christian  Carle,  the  father,  and  the 
other  members  of  the  family  also  came  to  the  new  world,  taking  up  their  abode 
in  Bucyrus,  and  Frederick  and  his  brother  William  were  then  single  and 
boarded  at  home.  After  the  marriage  of  our  subjecct,  however,  the  parents 
broke  up  housekeeping  and  made  their  home  with  him  until  called  to  their  final 
rest.  The  mother,  who  was  born  September  16,  1826,  in  Untergruppenbach, 
Heilbron,  Wurtemberg,  died  on  Thanksgiving  day  in  1897,  while  the  father 
passed  away  about  nine  years  previous. 

Frederick  Carle,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  pursued  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  land  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade.  On  the  completion  of  his 
three-years'  term  of  service  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  until  1880,  when  he 
resolved  to  seek  a  home  in  the  new  world  and,  on  the  29th  of  July,  embarked 
on  the  steamer  Niederland  at  Antwerben,  which,  after  fourteen  days  spent  on 
the  Atlantic,  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  New  York,  on  the  12th  of  August. 
Mr.  Carle  first  set  foot  on  American  soil  in  the  metropolis,  and  after  visiting 
his  sister  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  he  came  direct  to  Crawford  county,  taking 
up  his  abode  in  Bucyrus,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  three  vears  in  the 
employ  of  Phillip  Sager.  On  the  1st  of  October,  1883,  he  opened  a  shop  of 
his  own  and  did  a  general  repair  business  in  connection  with  horse-shoeing.  He 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  749 

also  engaged  in  wagon  manufacturing  and  thus  continued  operations  until 
1897,  when,  desiring"  to  increase  the  scope  of  his  work  and  being  unable  to 
secure  suitable  quarters  where  he  was,  he  purchased  the  business  of  Charles 
Vollmer,  in  Xew  Washington.  In  the  intervening  four  years  he  has  done  a 
gradually  increasing  business  and  now  has  a  large  trade,  which  brings  him 
a  good  financial  return.  He  is  numbered  among  the  progressive  business 
men  of  the  town  and  his  patronage  has  attained  considerable  magnitude,  so 
that  he  now  has  in  his  employ  one  carriage  trimmer,  one  carriage  painter  and 
two  blacksmiths. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  1883,  Mr.  Carle  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Catherine  R.  Pfeifer,  a  native  of  Bucyrus  and  a  daughter  of  Christian  and 
Maria  (Schwalb)  Pfeifer,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany,  the  farmer 
coming  to  America  in  1856,  the  latter  in  1857.  The  father  is  now  one  of  the 
prominent  shoe  merchants  of  Bucyrus.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carle 
has  been  blessed  with  four  children,  but  they  lost  their  first  born,  Minnie. 
The  others  are:  Frederick  C,  born  March  2,  1889;  Elmer  R.,  born  July  15, 
1892;  and  Howard  E.,  born  July  25,  1897. 

Mr.  Carle  is  one  of  the  stalwart  supporters  of  the  Democracy,  inflexible 
in  his  adherence  to  its  principles  and  while  in  Bucyrus  he  served  one  term  as  a 
member  of  the  city  council.  He  is  not,  however,  an  office-seeker,  preferring 
to  devote  his  energies  to  his  business  affairs.  He  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  and  he  belongs  to  the  Duetsche  Gesllschaft 
Society  in  Bucyrus.  He  was  president  of  the  organization  for  four  years,  and 
for  six  years  was  one  of  its  trustees.  He  is  likewise  a  member  of  Hyperion 
Lodge,  No.  651,  K.  P.,  of  New  Washington,  and  enjoys  the  high  regard  of 
his  brethren  of  the  fraternity,  while  in  business  circles  he  sustains  an  unassail- 
able reputation  and  in  social  life  he  has  many  friends. 

ISAAC  PFLEIDERER. 

A  worthy  representative  of  an  old  and  honored  Crawford  county  agri- 
cultural family  is  found  in  Isaac  Pfleiderer,  one  of  the  progressive  and  success- 
ful fanners  of  Liberty  township.  Mr.  Pfleiderer  was  born  in  this  township  on 
August  4,  i860,  a  son  of  David  and  Mary  ( Hickenlively)  Pfleiderer.  (The 
full  ancestry  of  the  Pfleiderer  family  may  be  found  in  another  part  of  this 
volume. ) 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  on  the  family  homestead,  acquiring  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  and  adding  to  it  by  a  very  liberal  course  of 


75o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

reading.  His  marriage  was  on  February  21,  1883,  at  which  time  Miss  Mary 
Alice  E.  Charlton  became  his  wife.  She  is  a  native  of  Hardin  county,  Ohio,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Matilda  (  Hite)  Charlton  and  a  granddaughter  of 
Henry  Charlton,  who  came  to  Crawford  county  from  Maryland  when  still  a 
voung  man.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Pfleiderer  settled  on  his  present  farm, 
which  was  purchased  at  that  time,  in  partnership  with  his  brother  Jacob  and 
his  father,  and  our  subject  conducted  it  as  a  renter  until  1898,  when  he  be- 
came its  sole  owner.  He  is  one  of  the  thorough  agriculturists  of  this  locality 
and  understands  all  matters  pertaining  to  rotation  of  crops,  drainage  and  the 
various  foods  needed  for  the  different  grains  he  desires  to  cultivate,  his  pros- 
perity testifying  to  the  merit  of  his  excellent  methods.  Since  1883  he  has  been 
engaged  in  buying  and  selling  horses  and  this  has  proved  a  very  successful  line 
of  business. 

Three  children  have  been  born  to  Air.  and  Mrs.  Pfleiderer,  these  being: 
Edna  Belle,  who  is  attending  high  school  in  Sulphur  Springs,  has  passed  the 
Boxwell  examination;  Gusta  M.,  also  at  her  studies  in  the  high  school,  has  like- 
wise passed  the  Boxwell  examination;  and  Fred  M.,  who  is  at  home. 

The  political  affiliations  of  our  subject  have  always  been  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  he  has  efficiently  served  two  terms  as  township  assessor.  At 
present  he  is  acting  as  township  clerk  and  for  sixteen  years  has  been  a  valuable 
member  of  the  school  board  and  has  been  clerk  of  the  district  ever  since  his 
election.  During  five  years  he  served  as  president  of  the  board.  Mr.  Pfleiderer 
for  several  years  was  the  central  committeeman  from  his  district  and  for  six 
years  was  a  member  of  the  Crawford  county  agricultural  board,  of  which 
he  is  still  a  member.  He  has  been  identified  with  the  business,  s<  >cial 
and  political  life  of  the  township  in  a  greater  degree  than  almost  any 
other  man  of  his  years,  and  has  shown  ability  in  every  position  in  which  he 
has  been  placed.  Both  he  and  wife  are  consistent  members  of  the  English 
Lutheran  church  of  Sulphur  Springs.  Personally  he  is  of  a  genial,  pleasant 
nature,  and  with  his  amiable  wife  delights  to  show  hospitality  to  his  friends. 

SAMUEL  B.  KOONS. 

Samuel  B.  Koons  is  one  of  the  leading  men  of  Liberty  township.  Craw- 
ford county,  and  was  born  in  Sandusky  township  on  November  17,  1840,  on 
the  farm  which  is  the  second  one  east  of  his  own  at  the  present  time.  His 
parents  were  Abraham  and  Jane  (Mills)  Koons,  who  reared  a  family  of 
fourteen  children,  twelve  of  whom  still  survive,  as  follows :     Ann  E.,  single,. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  75* 

a  resident  of  Sulphur  Springs;  Mary  M.,  the  widow  of  Rev.  R.  Armstrong,  of 
Cowley  county,  Kansas ;  Sarah  J.,  the  wife  of  Frank  Moore,  of  Lansing",  Mich- 
igan ;  David,  of  Leipsic,  Putnam  county,  Ohio ;  Martha  E.,  the  widow  of  Madi- 
son Roberts,  of  southern  California;  Samuel  B.,  of  this  sketch;  Harriet  L., 
the  widow  of  Joseph  Stephenson,  of  Missouri;  Benjamin  F.,  for  the  last  eleven 
years  president  of  the  State  Agricultural  College  of  Mansfield,  Connecticut;. 
Catherine,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Pope,  of  Oberlin,  Ohio;  Robert  P.,  a  practicing 
physician  of  Lone  Jack,  Missouri;  Oliver  ],,  physician  and  surgeon,  of  Brook- 
lyn, New  York;  and  Francis  M.,  of  Toledo,  Ohio. 

Abraham  Koons  was  born  in  Philadelphia  about  1773  and  lived  to  be. 
ninety-six  years  old,  dying  in  1869.  His  first  wife  was  Susan  Schrader,  by 
whom  he  had  thirteen  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  The  father 
of  Abraham  was  one  of  three  brothers  who  came  from  Germany  to  America 
at  an  early  day,  bringing  with  them  a  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  with 
which  they  engaged  in  the  brewery  business  in  Philadelphia,  during  the  Revo- 
lution. On  the  death  of  Grandfather  Koons,  the  two  brothers  were  made 
guardians  of  his  children,  and  when  Philadelphia  was  threatened  by  the  British 
the  Koons  brothers  converted  the  property  into  money  and  departed  and  were 
never  located  until  after  the  death  of  Father  Koons,  and  by  that  time  all  of  the 
documents  pertaining  to  the  case  were  lost  and  the  children  of  Abraham  never 
received  any  share.  The  latter  was  but  a  child  at  the  death  of  his  father  and  he 
was  bound  out  to  work  for  a  neighbor,  but  as  he  was  not  treated  well  there  he 
ran  away,  at  the  age  of  seven  years,  and  supported  himself  in  unknown  ways 
until  he  became  a  youth  old  enough  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade.  After  he 
had  thoroughly  learned  the  trades  of  carpenter  and  millwright,  which  were 
then  combined,  he  worked  for  a  number  of  years  in  and  about  Philadelphia,, 
and  in  1829,  learning  of  the  rich  lands  to  be  had  in  ( )hio,  he  came  to  Richland 
county  and  purchased  eighty  acres,  and  pursued  both  farming  and  work  at  his, 
trade.  Seven  years  later  he  disposed  of  his  property  there  to  advantage,  and 
located  in  Sandusky  township,  in  Crawford  county.  Here  he  first  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  later  added  thirty-seven  acres,  and  resided  in 
that  township  until  the  time  of  his  death,  in  [869.  lie  was  reared  near  the  Penn- 
sylvania and  Maryland  line,  and  after  coming  to  Ohio'  was  often  heard  to 
predict  that  there  would  be  a  war  between  the  north  and  the  south,  although 
he  might  not  see  it.  In  early  life  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  later,  when  he  came 
to  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  slavery  question  from  personal  observa- 
tion, he  became  an  ardent  Republican.  For  many  years  he  was  a  consistent 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  church. 

42 


752  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Samuel  B.  Koons  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm  and  his  school  oppor- 
tunities were  very  limited.  His  father  had  large  stuck  interests  and  he  was 
obliged  to  look  after  them,  while  his  brothers  and  sisters,  coming  later,  were 
educated  at  Oberlin  College.  When  he  was  about  twenty  years  old  the  Civil 
war  broke  out  and  with  three  of  his  brothers  he  entered  into  the  service  of  his 
county.  David  entered  Company  B,  of  the  Eighth  Ohio,  enlisting  as  a  private 
and  leaving  the  service  as  a  captain;  Benjamin  was  a  corporal  in  Company  H, 
One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Ohio;  and  William,  now  deceased,  was  a 
member  of  an  Indiana  regiment.  Our  subject  enlisted  on  August  15,  1861,  in 
Company  C,  Forty-ninth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  sent  from  Fort 
Dennison  to  Louisville,  taking  part  in  all  of  the  battles  of  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland,  until  the  terrible  struggle  of  Missionary  Ridge,  where  he  was 
wounded.  The  accident  happened  from  the  Union  artillery,  the  block  between 
the  powder  and  the  ball  striking  him  in  the  back  of  the  head,  on  the  morning 
after  the  taking  of  Orchard  Knob,  November  24,  1863.  For  the  succeeding 
eighteen  days  our  subject  lay  unconscious  in  the  hospital  at  Chattanooga,  and 
after  thirty  days  was  sent  home  on  furlough,  where  he  remained  until  March 
i,  1864.  During  this  time  the  regiment  had  become  veterans  and  they  were 
home  on  furlough,  and  when  they  returned  to  the  front  one  of  the  most  de- 
termined soldiers  was  our  subject.  When  he  had  reached  Buzzards'  Roost,  his 
enlistment  having  expired,  he  was  sent  back  to  Chattanooga,  later  to  Nashville, 
thence  to  Jeffersonville.  and  on  September  5,  1864,  was  mustered  out  of  the 
service  at  Columbus,  Ohio. 

On  the  following  24th  of  November  our  subject  was  married  to  Miss 
Maggie  Stevenson,  a  native  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  the  daughter  of  John 
Stevenson,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  The  latter  came  to  Seneca  county 
at  an  early  day.  Soon  after  marriage  the  young  couple  settled  on  his  father's 
farm,  in  an  extra  house,  where  they  lived  comfortably  for  three  years,  while 
Samuel  cultivated  his  father's  land  on  shares,  but  in  1868  the  opportunity 
came  to  purchase  a  desirable  tract  of  seventy-one  acres,  this  being  the  present 
home  farm,  and  here  the  family  has  since  resided. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Koons  six  children  have  been  born,  all  of  them  being 
well  known  and  popular  members  of  society,  viz.  :  Clarence,  a  farmer  of  Rich- 
land county;  Virgil,  a  letter  carrier  in  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado;  Jennie, 
at  home;  Mat,  at  home;  Ray,  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools,  at  home;  and 
Inez,  also'  a  teacher,  living  at  home.  Mr.  Koons  has  always  been  a  verv 
ardent  Republican  and  has  been  active  in  work  for  his  party.  He  has  taken 
an  intelligent  interest  in  educational  matters  and  has  been  a  valuable  member 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  753 

of  the  school  board  for  several  years,  always  advocating  every  measure  which 
has  promised  to  be  of  general  benefit.  He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and 
bears  a  fine  record  for  gallantry  during  his  term  of  service.  His  standing  in 
the  community  is  that  of  an  honest,  upright  citizen,  who  well  represents 
Crawford  county. 

CASSIUS  C.  HELLER. 

During  almost  the  whole  of  his  business  life  Cassius  C.  Heller,  of  this 
biography,  has  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  born  on  the 
farm  in  Liberty  township,  Crawford  county,  upon  which  he  now  resides,  on 
April  5,  1857,  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Susanna  (Spade)  Heller.  His  parents 
had  a  family  of  seven  children,  and  six  of  these  still  survive,  these  being :  Byron 
F.,  a  carpenter  and  builder  in  Bucyrus,  Ohio;  Cynthia  E.,  the  wife  of  A.  \Y. 
Tustison,  of  Bucyrus;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Philip  Thoman,  of  Gabon,  Ohio; 
Cassius  C. ;  William  L.,  a  farmer  of  Sandusky  township;  and  Hattie  M.,  the 
wife  of  B.  F.  Robison,  of  Bucyrus. 

Jonathan  Heller,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Dauphin  county, 
Pennsylvania,  on  January  26,  1823,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Heller,  both 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.  They  came  to  Ohio  when  their  son  was  but  nine  years 
old  and  settled  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Jacob  Pfleiderer,  but  later  re- 
moved to  the  one  now  owned  by  Mr.  Harringer,  in  section  33,  and  here  the 
father  died.  When  a  young  man  he  had  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  once 
made  a  walking  trip  back  to  Pennsylvania,  working  by  the  way,  finally  cover- 
ing the  four  hundred  miles  in  this  way.  After  his  marriage,  on  March  11, 
1847,  he  lived  for  some  years  on  one  of  his  father's  farms,  but  later  purchased 
the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son,  where  he  died  on  March  22,  1892.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  was  born  in  Portage  county,  Ohio,  on  November  18,  1830,  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Susanna  (Hazel)  Spade,  both  of  them  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Portage  count)",  where 
they  located,  in  1842  coming  to  Crawford  county,  where  they  lived  until  the 
time  of  their  death,  when  in  advanced  years.  Mr.  Heller  was  a  consistent 
and  valued  member  of  the  United  Brethren  church  and  for  several  years  was 
one  of  the  trustees.  In  politics  he  was  an  active  Democrat  and  in  early  life 
efficiently  filled  many  of  the  minor  offices.  Mr.  Heller  was  one  of  the  highly 
respected  old  citizens  of  the  county  who  left  behind  him  an  unblemished  name. 

Our  subject  grew  up  surrounded  by  excellent  home  influences  and  ob- 
tained his  education  in  the  district  schools  of  his  locality.  In  1881  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Crum,  the  daughter  of  David  Crum,  of 


754  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Sulphur  Springs,  whose  biography  is  given  elsewhere.  For  the  two  years 
following  his  marriage  Mr.  Heller  farmed  for  his  father,  but  in  1883  he  rented 
what  is  known  as  the  Moderwell  farm,  located  one  mile  east  of  the  home  farm, 
and  for  three  years  successfully  operated  this  estate.  Then  he  removed  to  his 
father-in-law's  land  and  there  continued  farming  for  eight  years,  and  then 
came  back,  in  1896,  to  the  home  farm  and  took  charge  of  it  for  his  mother. 
In  the  spring  of  1900  he  purchased  this  most  desirable  property  and  now  has 
one  of  the  choice  farms  of  Crawford  county. 

To  Mr.  and  Airs.  Heller  two  children  have  been  born :  Orpha  Grace  and 
Mary  Ruth.  Air.  Heller  has  taken  a  very  active  interest  in  politics,  and  in 
national  ajTairs  votes  with  the  Democratic  party,  but  in  local  affairs  he  votes 
as  his  judgment  indicates.  As  an  earnest  and  capable  worker  and  a  conscien- 
tious and  worth}'  Christian,  Air.  Heller  is  widely  known  in  the  United  Brethren 
church,  having  been  a  trustee  for  the  past  four  years,  and  for  a  long  period  has 
been  the  efficient  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath-school.  He  seems  to  possess 
the  ability  which  enables  him  to  organize,  and  the  school  connected  with  this 
church  reflects  great  credit  upon  him.  In  all  his  affairs  he  displays  an  energy 
and  thoroughness  which  have  done  much  to  place  him  in  the  estimation  of  his 
neighbors  as  one  of  their  best  representatives. 

WEBB  J.  KELLY. 

The  world  instinctively  pays  deference  to  the  man  whose  success  has  been 
worthily  achieved,  who  has  attained  wealth  by  honorable  business  methods,  ac- 
quired the  highest  reputation  is  his  chosen  calling  by  merit,  and  whose  social 
prominence  is  not  less  the  result  of  an  irreproachable  life  than  of  recognized 
natural  gifts.  YVe  pay  the  highest  tribute  to  the  heroes  who  on  blood)'  battle- 
fields win  victories  and  display  a  valor  that  is  the  admiration  of  the  world  :  why 
should  the  tribute  be  withheld  from  those  who  wage  the  bloodless  battles  of 
civil  life,  who  are  conquerers  in  the  world  of  business?  Greater  than  in  almost 
any  line  of  work  is  the  responsibility  that  rests  upon  the  physician.  The  is- 
sues of  life  and  death  are  in  his  hands.  A  false  prescription,  an  unskilled 
operation,  may  take  from  man  that  which  he  prizes  above  all  else — life.  The 
physician's  power  must  be  his  own;  not  by  purchase,  by  gift  or  by  influence 
can  he  gain  it.  He  must  commence  at  the  very  beginning,  learn  the  very  rudi- 
ments of  medicine  and  surgery,  continually  add  to  his  knowledge  by  close  study 
and  earnest  application  and  gain  reputation  by  merit.  If  he  would  gain  the 
highest  prominence  it  must  come  as  the  result  of  superior  skill,  knowledge  and 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  755 

ability.,  and  ihose  qualities  are  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree  by  Dr.  Kelly. 
He  is  known  throughout  the  country  as  one  of  the  most  eminent  members  of 
the  profession,  and  his  opinions  are  recognized  as  authority  throughout  a  great 
portion  of  America.  The  life  history  of  such  a  man  is  always  of  profit  as 
well  as  interest. 

Dr.  Kelly  was  born  in  Gabon.  His  father,  Harmon  Rockerfeller  Kelly, 
M.  D.,  for  many  years  a  prominent  and  successful  physician  in  this  place,  was 
born  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1834,  and  there  spent  his  boy- 
hood days.  He  pursued  his  education  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  mak- 
ing his  own  way  through  college.  He  thus  displayed  the  elemental  strength  of 
his  character,  which  in  later  years  developed  into  a  stalwart  and  resolute  man- 
hood, enabling  him  to  maintain  a  foremost  place  in  the  ranks  of  his  chosen 
calling.  He  was  graduated  in  Starling  Medical  College,  of  Columbus,  in  the 
class  of  1856,  and  from  that  time  until  i860  engaged  in  practice  at  West 
Point,  in  Morrow  county,  five  miles  south  of  Galion.  For  many  years  he 
performed  all  the  important  surgical  work  in  this  portion  of  the  state.  In  1870 
he  was  appointed  surgeon  for  the  Erie  Railroad  Company,  then  the  Atlantic 
&  Great  Western  Railway  Company,  and  did  the  active  work  for  that  corpora- 
tion until  1880,  when  his  son,  Dr.  Webb  J.  Kelly,  was  appointed  to  the  po- 
sition and  the  father  became  consulting  surgeon.  For  thirty  years  the  fa- 
ther and  son  acted  as  surgeons  for  the  road.  Plerman  R.  Kelly  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Keech,  who  was  of  Quaker  family  and  was  of  Scotch 
descent.  Her  maternal  grandfather,  Mr.  Bebb,  was  an  architect  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  constructed  the  first  water  works  there.  He  was  also  the  architect 
for  Stephen  Girard  and  was  a  Welsh  Quaker. 

Dr.  Kelley,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  pursued  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Galion  and  was  graduated  in  the  high  school  with  the  class  of 
1874.  He  afterward  entered  the  Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware,  Ohio, 
where  he  completed  his  literary  course,  and  then,  determining  to  make  the 
practice  of  medicine  his  life  work,  he  entered  Starling  Medical  College,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1889.  Desiring  to  still  further  qualify  himself  for  his 
chosen  calling,  he  then  entered  Bellevue  Medical  College,  of  New  York,  in 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1880,  when  in  his  twenty-first  year.  In  March  of 
that  year  he  was  appointed  surgeon  for  the  Cincinnati  division  of  the  Erie 
Railroad,  from  Kent  to  Dayton.  Since  1885  he  has  been  surgeon  for  the  Big 
Four  Railroad  Company,  being  the  only  physician  to  hold  that  position  be- 
tween Delaware  and  Cleveland.  His  knowledge  of  anatomy  is  remarkably  com- 
prehensive and  accurate.    Added  to  this  is  a  logical  mind,  cool  nerve  and  steady 


756  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

muscles,  without  which  the  surgeon  never  wins  success.  His  ability  in  sur- 
gical work  has  advanced  him  far  beyond  mediocrity,  and  he  is  to-day  recognized 
as  one  of  the  most  capable  representatives  of  that  branch  of  the  profession  in 
the  country.  He  has  performed  almost  every  surgical  operation  of  importance 
in  Galion  county  for  a  number  of  years  and  has  treated  over  five  thousand 
injured  railroad  men.  For  seven  years  prior  to  1900  he  was  one  of  the  lec- 
turers in  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  of  Columbus.  He  is  now  associate  editor  of 
the  Xew  York  Medical  Legal  Journal  and  is  national  agent  of  the  Xew 
York  Medico-Legal  Society.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociation, also  of  the  American  Medical  Academy,  the  Railway  Surgeons  and 
the  National  Association  of  Railway  Surgeons. 

Mr.  Kelly  married  Miss  Kate  M.  Grandy,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  I.  B.  and 
Julia  (  Lee)  Grandy.  Her  father  was  a  Universalist  minister  and  a  representa- 
tive of  a  prominent  and  distinguished  Xew  England  family,  while  her  mother 
was  a  granddaughter  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee.  Unto  the  Doctor  and  his 
wife  have  been  born  two  children, — Rufus  and  Dessa.  The  parents  hold  mem- 
bership in  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  the  Doctor  is  connected  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  The  Doctor  is  a  social,  genial  gentleman,  interested  in  all  that  per- 
tains to  his  community,  is  charitable  and  benevolent,  and  worthy  demands  of 
the  needy  are  seldom  made  in  vain.  He  has  a  large  circle  of  warm  friends,  and 
his  friendship  is  best  prized  by  those  who  know  him  best.  In  his  professional 
capacity  Dr.  Kelly  is  known  throughout  the  country,  his  reputation  extending 
far  beyond  the  limits  of  his  state,  an  honor  to  the  profession,  by  which  he  has 
been  especially  distinguished. 

HEXRY  B.  GREEX. 

Henry  B.  Green,  who  is  serving  as  engineer  with  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road, makes  his  home  at  Crestline,  Ohio.  He  was  born  in  Ashland  county,  on 
the  1 6th  of  February,  1849,  and  represents  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  that 
locality.  His  grandfather  had  thirteen  quarter  sections  of  land,  which  he  di- 
vided into  thirteen  farms  and  gave  them  to  his  thirteen  children.  Thomas 
W.  Green,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Maryland,  and  when  a  young 
man  became  a  resident  of  the  Buckeye  state,  where  he  followed  farming  and 
milling.  He  wedded  Mary  Kilinger,  a  native  of  Center  county,  Pennsylvania, 
but  who  went  to  Ashland  county  when  twelve  years  of  age.  There  they  were 
married,  and  their  union  was  blessed  with  a  family  of  eleven  children,  namely : 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  757 

Noah,  George  and  Olive,  who  are  now  deceased ;  William,  Alary,  Sarah,  Anna, 
I  [enry  B.  and  four  who  died  in  infancy.  The  father  at  the  time  of  the  Civil 
war  offered  his  services  to  the  government  and  remained  in  the  army  until 
1865,  when  he  died  from  exposure  and  hardships.  His  wife,  long  surviving 
him,  passed  away  in  1887. 

Henry  B.  Green  is  the  youngest  of  their  children.  He  was  reared  in 
Ashland  and  Wayne  counties  and  enjoyed  the  educational  privileges  afforded 
by  the  common  schools.  He  entered  the  railroad  service  as  an  employe  on  the 
Erie  Railroad,  working  at  anything  he  could  get  to  do  in  order  to  support  his 
mother.  In  the  meantime  he  learned  telegraphy  and  eventually  became  an 
operator  on  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad.  In  1878  he  hecame  a  fireman  on  the 
Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad,  and  in  1882  was  promoted  to  the 
position  of  engineer,  in  which  capacity  he  has  served  continuously  since  with 
the  same  road.  He  has  been  in  hut  one  accident,  and  that  was  a  head-end 
collision,  in  which  eighteen  cars  were  burned,  the  accident  resulting  from  the 
fault  of  an  operator  giving  wrong  orders.  Several  of  the  employes  were 
killed,  but  Mr.  Green  was  not  badly  injured,  although  his  clothing  was  largely 
torn  from  him. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  ]88/,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Green  and 
Miss  Ella  M.  Obney,  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  October  7,  1861.  She  was 
reared  in  Alliance,  Ohio,  and  in  its  schools  acquired  her  education.  Her  father 
is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  her  mother  of  Ohio,  and  they  are  farming  people 
now  residing  in  Alliance,  aged  eighty  and  seventy-five  years  respectively.  The 
father  served  for  three  years  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  as  a  defender  of  the 
Union.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green  has  been  blessed  with  five  chil- 
dren,— Earl,  Lee  Briton,  Ella  M.,  Henry  Wayne  and  Russell  Clifford.  Our 
subject  is  a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  his  political  views  and  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  His  long 
■continued  service  with  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  indicates  plainly  his  fidelity 
to  duty  and  his  care  and  precision  in  his  work. 

W.  D.  COVER. 

There  is,  in  the  anxious  and  laborious  struggle  for  an  honorable  com- 
petence and  a  solid  career  of  the  business  or  orofessional  man  fighting  the 
every-day  battle  of  life,  but  little  to  attract  the  idle  reader  in  search  of  a  sen- 
sational chapter;  but  for  a  mind  thoroughly  awake  to  the  reality  and  meaning 
of  human  existence,  there  are  noble  and  important  lessons  in  the  life  of  the 


75§  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

man,  who,  without  other  means  than  a  clear  head,  a  strong  arm  and  a  true 
heart,  conquers  adversity,  and  toiling'  on  through  the  work-day  years  of  a 
long  career,  finds  that  he  won  not  only  wealth,  but  also  something  far  greater 
and  higher, — the  deserved  respect  and  esteem  of  those  with  whom  his  years  of 
active  life  placed  him  in  contact. 

Air.  Cover  was  born  in  Crestline,  March  12,  1865,  and  is  therefore  one 
of  the  younger  representatives  of  the  business  interests.  His  father,  Jacob 
Cover,  was  a  native  of  Richland  county,  Ohio,  and  came  to  Crestline  in  the 
'50s.  About  1870  he  established  a  meat  market,  and  conducted  the  enterprise 
until  1890,  when  he  retired  from  active  business,  since  which  time  he  has  en- 
joyed a  well  earned  rest.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  one  of  the  respected  and  worthy  citizens  of  Crestline.  He  married  Martha 
Devine,  who  died  when  her  son  W.  D.  was  a  lad  of  seven  summers,  leaving 
two  children,  the  daughter,  Laura,  being  now  the  wife  of  David  Baker,  of 
Crestline. 

W.  D.  Cover,  the  younger  child,  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
town,  and  putting  aside  his  text-books  began  to  work  in  his  father's  market. 
In  1884  he  was  admitted  to  a  partnership  in  the  business,  under  the  firm  name 
of  J.  Cover  &  Son,  a  connection  that  was  maintained  until  about  1888,  when 
he  sold  his  interest  to  his  father  and  accepted  a  position  as  clerk  and  yard- 
master  with  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad,  remaining  with 
the  corporation  fur  two  years.  He  then  returned  to  mercantile  life,  opening  a 
meat  market,  which  he  conducted  for  seven  years,  when  he  extended  the  field 
of  his  labors  by  adding  a  grocery  stock.  His  place  is  known  as  the  Central 
market.  There  he  carries  a  large  line  of  staple  and  fancy  groceries  and  meats, 
and  is  enjoying  a  very  liberal  patronage.  His  efforts,  however,  have  not  been 
confined  alone  to  the  conduct  of  his  store.  He  is  a  man  of  resourceful  business 
ability,  possessed  of  executive  force  and  keen  discernment.  He  became  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Crestline  in  the  year  1897,  and 
on  the  1  st  of  January,  1898,  the  institution  opened  its  doors  for  business.  Mr. 
Cover  was  elected  vice-president  and  has  since  held  the  position.  He  is  also  a 
stockholder  in  the  Schill  Brothers  Manufacturing  Company,  and  his  sound 
judgment  and  correct  opinions  carry  weight  in  business  circles,  especially 
having  influence  over  the  manner  of  conducting  the  two  enterprises  with  which 
he  is  connected. 

In  the  year  1889  Air.  Cover  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Minnie  Snv- 
der,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Burnison)  Snyder,  residents  of  Crestline. 
The  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  one  daughter,  Marjorie.     The  parents 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  759 

are  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  take  an  active 
part  in  its  work  and  labor  earnestly  for  its  advancement.  Mr.  Cover  is  serving 
as  one  of  its  trustees  and  as  church  treasurer.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and 
socially  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity.  He  is  secre- 
tary of  the  Crestline  water  works  and  does  everything  in  his  power  to  pro- 
mote the  welfare  and  progress  of  his  native  city,  in  which  he  has  a  deep  and 
abiding  interest. 

JOHN  ADAM  WALKER. 

Among  the  many  well  cultivated  farms  of  Holmes  township  the  one 
occupied  by  John  Adam  Walker  attracts  notice  as  one  which  demonstrates  that 
its  occupant  is  a  most  careful  and  excellent  agriculturist. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Walker  was  in  Chatfield  township,  this  county,  on  the 
18th  of  March,  1849,  a  son  °f  John  George  and  Elizabeth  (Durr)  Walker, 
he  being  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  three  of  whom  survive,  namely : 
Mary,  the  widow  of  William  Pfleiderer,  of  Bucyrus,  Ohio;  John  Adam;  and 
Frederick,  also  of  Bucyrus.  John  George  Walker  was  born  in  Wurtemberg, 
Germany,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker,  and  emigrated  to  America 
when  twenty  years  old.  For  several  years  he  traveled  over  the  country,  work- 
ing at  different  occupations,  but  finally  came  to  Crawford  county  and  settled  in 
Chatfield  township,  where  he  married  and  bought  a  farm  of  sixty  acres.  In 
1856  or  1857  he  sold  this  farm  and  removed  to1  Holmes  township,  where  he 
bought  eighty  acres,  in  section  14,  upon  which  he  lived,  and  died  on  February 
5,  1892.  His  farming  efforts  had  met  with  success,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land.  The  moth- 
er, who  also  was  born  in  Germany,  died  in  1853. 

John  Adam  Walker  grew  up  at  home  and  attended  the  public  schools.  On 
February  10,  1881,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Schieber,  a  native  of 
Liberty  township,  this  county,  and  the  daughter  of  Gottlieb  Schieber.  After 
marriage  the  young  couple  settled  down  to  domestic  life  on  the  eighty-acre 
farm  owned  by  the  father,  at  Spore,  in  this  county,  and  there  they  resided  for 
three  years,  when  Mr.  Walker  located  upon  his  present  farm,  which  was  deed- 
ed to  him  by  his  father.  Since  taking  possession  Mr.  Walker  has  added  twen- 
ty-two acres  to  the  original  tract,  which  makes  his  farm  contain  one  hundred 
and  two  acres.  In  1885  he  built  his  present  handsome  residence,  this  improve- 
ment being  followed,  in  1898,  by  the  rebuilding  of  his  farm  structures,  all  of 
which  are  now  in  a  most  desirable  and  substantial  condition. 


760  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Air.  and  Airs.  Walker  have  four  children:  Carrie  J.,  Luella  M.,  George 
W.  and  Alpha  R. 

A  life-long  Democrat,  Air.  Walker  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  political 
matters  and  posessses  considerable  influence  through  the  township.  His  relig- 
ious membership  is  in  the  German  Methodist  church,  but  as  this  is  situated 
four  miles  distant  from  his  home  he  usually  attends  the  English  Evangelical 
church,  which  is  more  convenient.  Probably  there  is  no  more  highly  es- 
teemed resident  of  Holmes  township  than  Air.  Walker,  who  has  long  been  con- 
sidered one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  county. 

HENRY  L.  SCHWENK. 

Henry  L.  Schwenk,  a  leading  farmer  of  Holmes  township,  Crawford 
county,  and  known  both  as  an  excellent  agriculturist  and  as  a  liberal-minded 
and  progressive  citizen,  was  born  in  Liberty  township,  this  county,  on  August 
26,  1859,  and  was  a  son  of  Hironemus  and  Alary  (Zimmers)  Schwenk. 

Jacob  Schwenk,  the  grandfather  of  Henry  L.,  was  a  native  of  Germany, 
who  came  to  America  with  his  family  in  1835.  After  three  months  spent  in 
New  York  City  they  came  to  Crawford  county  and  settled  in  Liberty  township, 
and  here  Grandfather  Jacob  bought  a  farm  of  about  one  hundred  and  ten  acres, 
built  a  cabin  upon  it  and  began  the  hard  work  of  clearing  the  tract.  Here  his 
son  Hironemus  attained  his  majority  and  assisted  his  father,  and  some  vears 
later  purchased  it,  giving  his  parents  a  comfortable  home  with  him  during  the 
remaining-  years  of  their  lives. 

Hironemus  Schwenk  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  in  18 18.  After 
attaining  his  majority  he  married  Alary  Zimmers,  and  they  reared  a  family  of 
twelve  children,  seven  of  whom  survive,  as  follows:  Jacob,  of  Auglaize 
county,  Ohio-;  Peter,  of  Hardin  county,  Ohio;  Charles,  of  Hardin  county, 
Ohio;  Samuel,  of  Auglaize  county,  Ohio;  Paulina,  the  wife  of  Jack  Vanvoors, 
of  Bucyrus;  William,  of  Bucyrus;  and  our  subject.  In  1866  Hironemus 
Schwenk  sold  the  home  farm  and  removed  to  Holmes  township,  where  he 
bought  the  farm  he  now  occupies,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  sixtv  acres. 
This  property  was  formerly  the  farm  of  Jacob  Lutz,  and  here  Air.  Schwenk 
lived  and  enjoyed  every  comfort  of  life  until  his  death,  in  1887.  For  many 
years  he  had  been  connected  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  was  an  active 
member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  and.  was  known  through  the  neigh- 
borhood as  a  most  liberal  and  just  citizen. 

Our  subject  grew  up  on  the  farm  and  when  his  health  permitted  attended 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  7^ 

the  district  school.  On  October  9,  1887,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lenora  E. 
Fralick,  who  was  born  in  Holmes  township  and  was  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Fralick.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Crawford  county.  In  the  month  of  February  preceding-  our  sub- 
ject's marriage  his  father  died,  and  with  his  bride  he  settled  with  his  mother 
on  the  old  home  farm  and  managed  it  for  the  other  heirs  until  1895,  wnen  ne 
purchased  his  farm  of  eighty-three  acres,  which  he  has  made  one  of  the  most 
desirable  in  the  township.  Here  he  carries  on  general  farming,  and  has  made 
many  improvements  and  is  justly  regarded  as  a  model  agriculturist. 

To  Air.  and  Mrs.  Schwenk  three  children  were  born,  the  one  survivor 
being  Ross  Delvin,  born  October  18.  1899.  Although  much  engaged  in  his 
farming  enterprises,  Mr.  Schwenk  has  taken  a  great  interest  in  township 
affairs.  He  is  a  stanch  Democrat  and  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  town- 
ship trustee.  He  is  also  a  trustee  of  the  United  Brethren  church,  of  which  he 
has  long  been  a  consistent  member,  and  is  well  and  favorably  known  through 
Holmes  township. 

CHRISTOPHER  G.   SCHIEFER. 

Prominent  among  the  agriculturists  of  Holmes  township,  Crawford 
county,  is  Christopher  G.  Schiefer,  one  of  the  highly  esteemed  German- Amer- 
ican citizens.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Schiefer  was  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  on 
July  11,  1824,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Conrad  F.  and  Rosina  (  Krauter)  Schiefer, 
the  former  of  whom  was  also  born  in  Germany  and  was  the  son  of  Abraham 
and  Sibula  Schiefer.  When  Conrad  Schiefer  was  called  upon  to  select  an 
occupation  he  decided  to  be  a  shepherd.  After  the  death  of  his  father,  with 
his  mother  and  his  own  family,  in  the  fall  of  1831,  he  emigrated  to  America. 
The  voyage  was  long,  covering  sixty  days,  but  they  finally  landed  safely  in 
New  York.  From  there  they  went  to  Canada,  locating  some  fifteen  miles 
from  Waterloo,  where  Conrad  bought  one  hundred  acres  of  forest  land.  This 
was  a  wilderness  indeed,  for  at  that  time  both  bears  and  wolves  were  fre- 
quently seen.  Many  discouragements  beset  the  emigrants,  and  as  Mr.  Schiefer 
learned  of  more  desirable  lands  in  the  state  of  Ohio-,  he  brought  his  family 
thither,  in  1834,  and  left  them  in  Cleveland  while  he  prospected  in  Crawford 
county.  He  finally  found  what  he  considered  a  desirable  locality,  in  Chatfield 
township,  and  before  he  returned  to  Cleveland  had  closed  the  bargain  by  which 
he  became  the  owner  of  forty  acres  of  land,  two  cows,  one  heifer,  two'  yoke 
of  oxen  and  all  else  on  the  place,  for  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  dol- 


762  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

lars.  This  remained  his  home  during  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  being 
-caused,  on  October  15,  1853,  by  being  run  over  by  a  team.  Before  his  death 
he  had  added  to  his  farm  until  it  contained  seventy  acres,  and  his  industry  made 
it  one  of  the  best  in  the  count}'.  Mr.  Schiefer  was  a  good  and  pious  man, 
highly  esteemed  by  his  neighbors  and  valued  in  the  Evangelical  church.  His 
knowledge  of  the  Bible  had  come  from  its  constant  study.  The  mother  of  our 
subject,  who  also  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  in  1800,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Michael  Krauter,  and  she  survived  her  husband  for  ten  years. 

They  had  a  large  family,  numbering'  fifteen  members,  the  names  of  the 
five  v. ho  still  survive  being:  Christopher;  Frederick,  of  Leavenworth,  Kan- 
sas; Mary,  the  widow  of  a  Mr.  Kennedy,  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri;  Abraham, 
of  Clinton  county,  Iowa ;  and  Christiana,  the  widow  of  Frederick  Mack,  of 
Chatlield  township. 

Christopher  Schiefer  passed  his  boyhood  and  youth  surrounded  by  many 
strange  physical  features  and  experienced  many  thrilling  events.  At  one  time, 
when  about  eight  years  old.  he  was  sent  to  look  after  some  stock  and  became 
lost  in  the  dense  forest  and  spent  a  night  of  terror  in  the  bushes,  while  he  could 
hear  the  wild  beasts  prowling  around  him.  His  education  was  necessarily 
limited,  the  school  facilities  being  poor,  and  the  work  which  fell  to  his  share 
occupied  the  greater  part  of  his  time.  On  reaching  manhood  he  began  his 
career  as  a  farm  hand,  working  by  the  month  for  the  neighbors,  gaining  a  rep- 
utation for  honesty,  industry  and  efficiency.  On  April  13,  1851,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sarah  Miller,  who  was  born  in  Texas  township,  this  county,  and 
was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Maria  (Wirt)  Miller,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Pennsylvania,  Grandfather  Miller  having  emigrated  to  that  state  form 
Germany.  Five  children  were  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  these  being: 
Sarah  A.,  the  wife  of  Lewis  Schiefer,  of  Chatfield  township;  Jacob  F.,  of  this 
township;  Isaac,  of  this  township;  Abraham,  of  Lykens  township;  and 
Amanda,  the  wife  of  Charles  Ollifelt,  of  this  township.  A  very  delightful  cir- 
cumstance of  this  family  is  that  the  children  are  all  located  almost  within  call 
of  their  parents. 

Following  his  marriage  our  subject  purchased  a  sawmill  from  Mr.  Charles 
Kiplinger  in  Liberty  township,  which  he  operated  some  ten  years.  Some 
eighteen  months  after  the  purchase  of  the  mill  he  bought  five  acres  of  land  in 
the  section  in  which  he  now  resides  and  removed  his  mill  to  that  land,  having 
just  enough  money  to  pay  for  the  deed,  trusting  to  his  success  to  get  enough 
to  pay  for  the  land.  The  success  came,  and  ten  years  later  he  sold  his  mill 
.and  bought  four  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Iowa,  but  later  exchanged  that  for 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  763 

the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides.  His  landed  property  at  one  time 
amounted  to  four  hundred  acres  in  this  and  Lykens  township.  He  has  re- 
tained one  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  in  his  home  place  and  has  divided  the 
rest  among  his  children. 

Until  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Schiefer  was  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
but  the  issues  of  that  struggle  made  him  a  Republican.  For  many  years  he 
has  given  a  liberal  support  to  the  Evangelical  church,  of  which  he  is  a  member. 
He  is  well  and  most  favorably  known  and  respected  by  all  through  the  part 
of  the  county  which  has  so  long  been  his  home. 

CLYDE  D.   SHILLING. 

One  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Tiro,  Crawford  county,  Ohio  is  Clyde 
D.  Shilling,  who  conducts  a  large  lumber  business  in  this  vicinity  and  who  is 
one  of  the  most  progressive  citizens  of  Auburn  township.  The  birth  of  Mr. 
Shilling  was  in  this  township,  on  February  7,  1873,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Jacob- 
and  Elizabeth  (Staley)  Shilling,  who  reared  a  family  of  three  children,  all 
of  whom  survive,  being:  Frank  F.,  of  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan;  Lorena,  at 
home;  and  Clyde  D.,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  biography.  Clyde  D.  Shilling 
grew  to  young  manhood  in  his  home  and  acquired  his  education  in  attendance 
at  the  common  schools  of  his  neighborhood.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he 
entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  to  the  carpenter's  trade,  working  in  this  line 
for  four  and  one-half  years. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-three  years  Air.  Shilling  began  his  lumber  and  tim- 
ber operations,  the  sawing  being  done  in  his  father's  mill,  but  on  May  1,  1899, 
this  null  was  destroyed  by  fire.  His  father  then  offered  him  a  one-half  inter- 
est in  another  mill  if  he  would  agree  to  remain  in  the  business,  as  he  had  shown 
such  unusual  ability  in  this  line,  and  later,  in  association  with  his  brother 
Frank,  the  mill  was  rebuilt.  Since  that  time  the  business,  under  our  subject's 
management,  has  become  one  of  the  leading  ones  in  this  locality  and  is  a  very 
important  industry  in  Crawford  county. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Shilling  was  on  September  12,  1900,  to  Miss  Minnie 
Wood,  who  was  born  in  Tiro,  and  who  is  the  accomplished  daughter  of  Jacob 
AYood.  Mr.  Shilling  is  a  valued  member  of  Tiro  Lodge,  No.  592,  K.  of  P., 
and  is  chancellor  and  commander  of  the  lodge. 

Air.  Shilling  is  prominently  identified  with  many  of  the  leading  business 
interests  of  Tiro,  is  secretary  of  the  Tiro'  Building  &  Loan  x\ssociation ;  is  a 
member  of  the  town  council ;  and  is  also  a  s  tockholder  and  one  of  the  directors 


764  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

in  the  Bell  Spiee  Cabinet  Company,  of  this  city.  He  is  one  of  the  most  con- 
spicuous young  business  men  of  this  city  on  account  of  his  energy,  ability  and 
business  integrity,  and  has  built  up  a  business  which  opens  avenues  for  much 
future  usefulness. 

WILLIAM   H.   BRIDGEMAN. 

Among  the  excellent  citizens  and  successful  business  men  of  Tiro,  Craw- 
for  county,  Ohio,  is  William  H.  Bridgeman,  who  is  the  reliable  and  efficient 
foreman  and  engineer  of  the  Bell  Spice  Cabinet  Company,  of  this  city.  The 
birth  of  Mr.  Bridgeman  was  in  Mansfield,  Richland  county,  Ohio,  on  June  8, 
1855,  and  he  was  a  son  of  William  F.  and  Sophia  (White)  Bridgeman.  These 
parents  reared  a  family  of  seven  children,  and  the  five  survivors  are :  William 
H.,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Matilda  M.,  who  is  the  wife  of  C.  A. 
McCaskey,  of  Shelby,  Ohio;  Alexander  A.,  who  lives  at  home;  Rose,  who  is 
the  wife  of  N.  J.  McBride,  of  Shiloh,  Ohio ;  and  Melinda,  who  is  the  wife  of 
A.  W.  Lash,  of  Auburn  township. 

William  F.  Bridgeman,  who  was  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Wurtemberg,  Germany,  in  1833,  and  in  1848  came  to  America  and  settled  in 
Mansfield,  Ohio.  Here  he  learned  the  trade  of  brickmaker  and  later  married 
in  this  locality,  and  continued  to  follow  this  line  of  work  until  about  1859, 
when  he  came  to  Crawford  county  and  began  farming  on  rented  land  in  Ver- 
non township.  Later  he  purchased  a  small  farm  here  and  resided  upon  it 
until  his  death,  on  May  7,  1883.  His  political  affiliations  were  with  the 
Democratic  party  and  he  was  honored  by  it  with  almost  all  of  the  local  offices, 
in  which  he  served  with  efficiency  and  satisfaction.  Mr.  Bridgeman  had  long 
been  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  German  Reformed  church,  in  which 
he  was  a  trustee,  and  he  was  known  as  a  public-spirited  and  progressive  citi- 
zen as  well  as  an  honest  and  upright  man. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Switzerland,  in  1830,  and  came 
to  America  about  1848,  making  the  journey  on  the  same  vessel  that  brought 
young  William  Bridgeman  to  these  shores.  She  also*  located  in  Mansfield, 
and  later  married  the  father  of  our  subject.  She  still  survives  and  is  an  hon- 
ored member  of  the  home  of  her  sons,  our  subject  and  Alexander. 

William  H.  Bridgeman,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  biography,  was  reared 
on  his  father's  farm  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
neighborhood.  In  1878  his  father  purchased  a  sawmill  and  gave  the  manage- 
ment of  it  into  the  hands  of  his  son,  who  was  permitted  to  retain  the  proceeds 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  765 

for  his  own  use.  Until  1881  our  subject  conducted  this  mill,  but  was  then 
married  and  settled  on  a  farm  belonging  to  the  family  of  his  wife.  After 
three  years  on  this  place  he  purchased  an  interest  in  a  threshing  machine  and 
for  the  two  following  years  engaged  in  the  threshing  business.  In  1887  he 
bought  an  interest  in  the  Shilling  sawmill,  of  Tiro,  which  interest  he  still  re- 
tains, as  good,  paying  property,  and  until  1899  he  worked  in  the  mill,  later 
employing  a  man  to  fill  his  place  there  while  he  spent  a  year  in  a  different  line. 
During  the  next  twelve  months  he  successfully  engaged  in  the  buying  and 
shipping  of  lumber,  but  in  the  spring  of  1901  he  accepted  his  present  respon- 
sible position  as  foreman  and  engineer  of  the  Bell  Spice  Cabinet  Company, 
and  has  continued  here  ever  since.  Mr.  Bridgeman  is  a  stockholder  in  this 
company  and  is  one  of  the  well  known  and  progressive  young  business  men 
of  the  county. 

in  1881  Mr.  Bridgeman  was  married  to  Miss  Frances  J.  McCaskey.  who 
was  a  native  of  Auburn  township,  in  this  county,  and  who  was  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Anna  J.  (Furrow)  McCaskey.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, and  her  mother  was  a  native  of  Ohio.  Two  children  were  born  to  our 
subject  and  wife,  Otis  J.,  and  Pearl,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away. 

Mr.  Bridgeman  is  prominent  in  the  Lutheran  church  and  is  a  trustee,  and 
he  is  also  a  member  of  Tiro  Lodge,  No.  592,  K.  of  P.,  and  at  present  is  filling 
the  office  of  "master  at  work."  He  is  also  connected  by  membership  with 
Lodge  No.  688,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Tiro,  of  which  he  is  the  treasurer  In  politics 
he  is  one  of  the  prominent  Democrats,  and  is  a  man  highly  respected  in  social 
and  business  circles  over  a  great  part  of  Crawford  county. 

WILLIAM  McMANIS. 

Among  the  residents  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  who  number  their  per- 
sonal friends  by  the  score  and  who  have  served  their  fellow  citizens  in  various 
positions  with  integrity  as  well  as  ability,  is  William  McManis,  a  long-time 
resident  of  Vernon  township.  The  birth  of  our  subject  was  in  Crawford  coun- 
ty, on  September  4,  1827,  and  he  was  a  son  of  James  and  Sarah  (Walters) 
McManis,  to  whom  five  children  were  born.  Three  of  these  still  survive,  our 
subject  being  the  only  son,  the  daughters  being  :  Sarah,  the  widow  of  Nicholas 
Brown,  of  Williams  county,  Ohio;  and  Matilda,  the  widow  of  Thomas  Couts, 
also  of  Williams  county. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  but  he  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  and  came  to  Liberty  township,  in  Crawford  county,  when  he 


766  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

was  a  young  man.  Here  for  a  time  he  engaged  in  work  on  the  surrounding 
farms  and  gained  such  a  reputation  for  sobriety  and  industry  that  he  soon  mar- 
ried and  became  a  resident  on  the  Crall  farm,  which  is  located  just  west  of 
Sulphur  Springs.  Here  he  resided  for  a  number  of  years  and  then  re- 
moved to  Fremont,  Ohio,  where  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  and  lived 
in  that  city  until  his  death,  in  his  seventy-sixth  year.  In  his  political  belief  he 
was  a  Democrat  and  took  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania, 
in  1800,  and  her  parents  removed  to  Crawford  county  some  time  prior  to  1820, 
and  settled  in  Liberty  township,  where  Mr.  Walters  died  in  a  few  years, 
his  widow  surviving  for  some  years  after. 

William  McManis,  who  is  our  immediate  subject,  on  account  of  domestic 
misfortunes,  made  his  home  from  the  age  of  ten  years  until  he  was  eighteen 
with  neighboring  farmers,  beginning  at  the  latter  age  his  personal  career  as  a 
farmer,  working  through  the  succeeding  three  years  for  Mr.  John  Dickson. 

On  January  16,  185 1,  our  subject  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emeline 
Dickson,  who  was  a  native  of  Vernon  township  and  who  was  born  on  the  farm 
on  which  the  family  of  our  subject  now  resides.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
George  Dickson,  who  was  a  native  of  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  coming  to 
Crawford  county  in  1822.  He  put  in  a  crop  of  wheat  on  the  land  which  was 
then  in  Richland  county,  and  in  1823  removed  his  family  to  our  subject's  pres- 
ent farm,  his  father  having  entered  this  land  some  time  prior  to  his  death. 

After  marriage  Mr.  McManis  and  his  bride  located  on  the  farm  of  grand- 
father Andrew  Dickson,  and  here  he  carried  on  his  farming  operations  as  a 
renter,  and  then  he  moved  to  a  farm  of  ninety-three  and  one-third  acres  which 
belonged  to  his  father-in-law.  Two  years  later  removal  was  made  to  the  farm 
adjoining  his  present  one,  lying  to  the  west,  which  also  was  the  property 
of  Mr.  Dickson,  who  was  a  large  land-owner.  In  1874  Mr.  McManis  located 
mi  his  present  farm,  working  faithfully  for  his  esteemed  father-in-law  until 
the  death  of  the  latter.  Prior  to  this  event  Mr.  Dickson  willed  to  our  sub- 
ject eighty  acres  of  the  homestead,  and  afterward  the  latter  bought  eighty  ad- 
ditional acres  from  the  other  heirs,  making  his  farm  one  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  finely  cultivated  and  improved  land.  Mr.  McManis  also  owned 
seventy-eight  more  acres  of  land  in  this  township,  but  this  he  recently  sold  to 
his  son-in-law,  Jefferson  Easterday.  Mr.  McManis  has  long  been  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  thorough  farmers  in  this  locality,  his  excellent  crops  and 
fine,  sleek  cattle  testifying  to  the  interest  he  has  taken  in  these  pursuits. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McManis  were  born  eight  children,  but  all  have  passed 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  ?67 

away  except  these  three :  Clara,  who  is  the  wife  of  William  Brown,  of  Vernon 
township,  and  they  have  two  children,  Frank  and  John  William;  Emma,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Jefferson  Easterday,  and  they  have  two  children,  Aland  and 
Mable;  and  Cora,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  Weidemeier,  of  Vernon  township, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Ruth  Emeline.  Those  who  have  passed  out  of  life 
bore  these  names:  Alary  M. ;  George,  who  left  five  children,  John,  Bertha, 
Emma,  William  and  May;  John;  Agnes;  and  Maggie,  who  was  the  wife  of 
\\  illiam  Bloom,  and  one  son,  Raymond,  survives  her. 

The  argicultural  interests  of  this  section  have  received  much  attention 
from  our  subject.  For  some  years  he  followed  threshing  in  this  county,  and 
by  many  young  farmers  he  is  regarded  as  an  undoubted  authority  in  the  man- 
agement of  agricultural  operations.  Mr.  McManis  is  of  that  kind  and  neigh- 
borly nature  that  makes  him  a  willing  adviser  and  very  often  a  substantial 
helper.  As  a  leader  in  the  Democratic  party  he  has  been  honored  with  main- 
offers  of  preferment,  but  aside  from  one  term  as  township  trustee  and  a  long- 
season  as  school  director  he  has  declined  them  all.  He  is  well  known  and  is 
respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who  have  come  within  his  genial  presence,  and 
is  a  representative  man  of  Vernon  township. 

JAMES  B.  CARROTHERS. 

A  prominent  citizen  of  Crawford  county.  Ohio,  is  James  B.  Carrothers,.. 
who  testified  to  his  loyalty  to  his  country  during  the  Civil  war,  and  since  that 
time  has  become  one  of  the  most  substantial  farmers  of  this  part  of  the  state. 

The  birth  of  James  B.  Carrothers  was  in  Vernon  township,  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  on  February  2,  1841,  and  he  was  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Laird)  Carrothers,  and  is  one  of  the  three  surviving  children  of  eight  who 
were  born  to  these  parents.  The  others  are:  George  Carrothers,  who  resides 
in  Findlay,  Ohio;  and  Dr.  Morton  M.  Carrothers,  who  is  a  practicing  physi- 
cian, also  in  Findlay. 

John  Carrothers.  Jr.,  their  father,  was  born  April  4,  1807,  m  Fernamagh 
county,  Ireland,  and  he  was  a  son  of  John,  Sr.  and  Alary  Carrothers.  \\  'hen 
a  small  boy  six  or  seven  years  old,  he  emigrated  with  his  parents  to  this  coun- 
try. The  voyage  was  a  long  and  perilous  one.  The  ship  was  wrecked  at 
midnight  during  a  storm,  and  everything  on  board  was  lost  save  the  lives  of 
the  crew.  His  father  had  live  hundred  guineas  stowed  away  in  the  till  of  a 
chest  which  with  all  other  valuables,   including  the   family  record,  was  lost. 

When  the  vessel  was  driven  against  the  rock  it  was  damaged  so  that  it  at  once 
43 


768  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

began  to  fill  with  water,  and  at  that  moment  it  was  not  known  by  any  soul  on 
board  that  land  was  anywhere  within  probable  reach,  and,  with  death  and 
desperation  confronting  them,  the  captain  and  first  mate  hastened  to  their 
cabin  and  drank  to  intoxication.  The  second  mate  ordered  a  detail  of  men 
to  the  pumps  and  also  the  life-boats  to  be  lowered.  Meanwhile  he  had  made 
such  observations  as  were  possible  in  the  darkness  and  discovered  what  was 
either  a  cloud  or  land.  A  life-boat,  manned  by  a  few  trusty  sailors,  was  sent 
to  investigate.  The  distance  was  four  miles:  they  returned  with  the  news  of 
land.  The  women  and  children  were  ordered  to  be  taken  first  from  the  sink- 
ing ship,  and  were  handed  out  of  the  window  to  the  boats.  When  the  subject 
of  our  narrative  was  handed  out,  the  receiver  did  not  catch  him  until  after 
he  had  fallen  into  the  water  between  the  ship  and  the  boat,  when  he  was 
caught  by  the  hair  of  the  head  and  thrown  into  the  boat!  The  drunken  cap- 
tain and  first  mate  were  the  last  to'  be  rescued  from  the  ill-fated  vessel,  and 
the  life-boat  was  so  near  the  ship  when  it  sank  that  it  was  nearly  drawn  under 
by  the  suction  of  the  water.  When  daylight  came  they  found  themselves  on 
a  barren  island  of  four  acres,  poorly  clad  and  with  nothing  to  eat.  The  signal 
of  distress — the  white  flag — was  hoisted,  and  lest  the  white  only  should  not 
attract  attention,  it  was  again  lowered  and  to  it  was  attached  a  lady's  red  petti- 
coat. They  were  soon  signaled  by  a  British  man  of  war  and  carried  to  Nova 
Scotia,  and  thence  to  Philadelphia. 

The  destination  of  the  family  was  Guernsey  county,  Ohio.  After  resid- 
ing a  few  years  in  that  county  the  parents  of  John  Carrothers  died.  He  was 
married  April  25,  1834,  to  Elizabeth  Laird,  who  survives  him  and  with  whom 
he  lived  a  little  over  fifty  years.  In  1836  they  moved  to  the  eastern  part  of 
Crawford  county  (then  Richland  county),  where  Mr.  Carrothers  entered  a 
quarter  section  of  land,  on  which  he  erected  a  log  house  and  commenced  the 
slow  process  of  hewing  a  home  out  of  the  forest.  At  that  time  wild  game  was 
abundant  and  many  a  deer  and  turkey  fell  under  his  unerring  aim  and  was 
carried  home  to  make  glad  the  household.  From  a  slight  injury  to  the  ankle 
received  in  the  year  1828  there  developed  a  cancerous  growth,  which  rendered 
him  for  many  years  a  continual  sufferer.  In  1853  it  was  removed  by  a  sur- 
gical operation.  Two  years  afterward  it  returned  and  he  submitted  to  an  un- 
successful attempt  to  remove  it  by  caustics.  Some  months  afterward  the 
limb  was  amputated,  by  Drs.  H.  Mack,  of  Shelby,  and  Keller,  of  West  Liberty. 
He  submitted  to  the  operation  without  chloroform.  Two  leading  character- 
istics of  his  life  were  courage  and  energy.  His  family  consisted  of  six  sons 
•and  two  daughters.     The  two  daughters  and  one  son  preceded  him  to-  the 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  769 

spirit  world.  Five  sons  are  living,  four  of  whom  were  in  the  late  war.  They 
were  all  present  at  his  bedside  during  his  last  sickness  and  death.  Years  ago 
he  united  with  the  Church  of  God.  A  few  days  prior  to  his  death  he  made  his 
last  requests  and  spoke  of  his  willingness  to  depart.  Frequently  he  exclaimed, 
"Bless  the  Lord,  Oh  my  soul."  Thirty  days  before  his  death  he  received  an 
injury  from  a  fall,  and  his  last  illness  was  one  of  constant  suffering,  ending- 
only  in  the  sweet  repose  of  death,  which  took  place  at  his  late  residence  in 
Vernon  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  on  Wednesday,  May  21,  1884,  in 
the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age. 

Elizabeth  (Laird)  Carrothers,  their  mother  was  born  in  Fermanagh 
■county,  Ireland,  December  15,  1809.  She  was  a  woman  of  conviction  and 
having  found  the  truth  she  planted  herself  upon  it  with  a  firmness  unshaken 
by  friend  or  foe.  She  was  sincere  and  could  not  bear  a  sham  any  more  than 
she  could  be  a  sham  herself.  The  beauty  of  her  character  was  that  she  always 
seemed  to<  be  cheerful  and  happy  when  being  visited  by  any  of  her  host  of 
friends.  She  appreciated  everything  natural,  no  matter  how  homely  or  insig- 
nificant, and  would  give  it  due  value.  She  made  choice  of  her  funeral  text, 
the  words  found  recorded  in  Romans  XIV,  8>:  "Whether  we  live,  we  live  unto 
the  Lord,  and  whether  we  die,  we  die  unto  the  Lord,  and  whether  we  live  or 
die,  we  are  the  Lord's."  She  seemed  to  realize  that  the  Lord  both  died  and 
rose  that  he-might  be  the  Lord  both  of  the  dead  and  living,  that  the  Lord  was 
just  as  able  and  willing  to  care  for  her  in  life  as  in  death,  in  this  lfe  as  in 
the  life  to  come,  and  this  has  been  her  constant  faith  in  all  the  changes  and 
•cares  of  this  life.  What  she  did,  she  did  it  as  unto  the  Lord,  and  not  as  unto 
man.  She  seemed  to  impress  her  Christian  character  and  faith  upon  her  chil- 
dren and  leaves  to  the  world  five  sons  of  honor  and  character,  two  of  whom  are 
trustees  of  Findlay  College,  and  three  are  honored  members  of  the  Church  of 
God.  Her  sons  can  well  attribute  their  honorable  standing  to  the  teaching  of 
a  noble,  pious  mother.  The)-  can  well  concole  themselves  with  the  knowledge 
that  thev  have  bestowed  that  reverence  and  affection  due  so  worth}-  and  kind  a 
mother.  She  held  her  membership  in  the  Church  of  God  at  Liberty  for  many 
years  and  to  the  time  of  her  death,  which  took  place  at  Findlay,  August  31, 
1891,  when  she  was  eighty-one  years,  eight  months  and  sixteen  days.  Her 
funeral  took  place  at  the  residence  of  her  son.  James,  near  Tiro,  Crawford 
county,  September  2,  1891.  Her  remains  were  followed  to  the  grave  by  a 
large  concourse  of  people,  and  they  were  deposited  in  a  vault  beside  her  hus- 
band to  await  the  summons  of  her  Lord  unto  whom  she  lived  and  unto  whom 
she  died. 


77o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

James  B.  Carrothers  was  reared  on  bis  father's  farm  and  acquired  his 
education  in  the  common  schools.  On  September  29,  1862,  he  became  a 
member  of  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  and  almost  immediately  his  regiment  was 
sent  to  the  front,  where  it  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Vicksburg,  and  on  Decem- 
ber 25th  they  were  at  Big  Black  river.  After  lighting  for  six  days  here  the 
Union  officers  sent  a  Mag  of  truce  to  the  Confederates  asking  to  be  permitted 
to  bury  their  dead,  and  they  were  given  one  day,  the  night  following  being 
marched  six  miles  to  the  river  and  loaded  on  transports.  The  regiment  went 
down  the  Black  river  and  then  up  the  Arkansas  river  to  Arkansas  Post,  where 
they  captured  seventy-eight  hundred  prisoners  and  ten  thousand  stacks  of  arms, 
after  twenty-four  hours  of  lighting.  On  January  16,  the  regiment  then  went 
down  the  stream  to  Young's  Point,  Louisiana,  and  landed  in  front  of  Vicks- 
burg on  March  9,  going  up  the  river  to  Milliken's,  where  they  remained  until 
April  2,  at  this  time  leaving  this  part  of  the  army  and  going  to  Richmond, 
New  Carthage  and  Grand  Gulf,  where  they  crossed  the  river.  They  were  pres- 
ent at  Thompson's  Hill,  Port  Gibson  and  Rocky  Springs,  coming  around  in 
the  rear  of  Vicksburg,  where  they  engaged  in  fighting  for  five  days.  Then 
the  regiment  moved  to  Big  Black  river  and  here  he  succumbed  to  fever  and  was 
left  behind.  He  rejoined  the  regiment  on  June  1,  and  was  a  part  of  it  during 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and  remained  until  July  6,  two  days  after  the  surrender, 
when  the  regiment  started  in  pursuit  of  Johnston.  They  marched  to  Jackson 
and  there  engaged  in  fighting  through  a  whole  week,  routing  the  enemy. 
Marching  back  to  Big  Black  creek  the  regiment  reached  it  on  July  2$,  and 
remained  there  for  two  weeks,  but  on  August  8  the  soldiers  started  on  marine 
boats  for  Port  Hudson  landing,  and  went  into  camp  until  August  17,  when 
they  went  on  to  Xew  Orleans,  remaining  until  the  20th  of  the  month.  On 
September  5,  the  regiment  reached  Brashear  City,  Louisiana,  and  our  subject 
went  to  Carrollton,  where  late  in  October  he  was  discharged  on  account  of 
physical  disability,  and  he  arrived  home  November  8,  1863.  This  ended  a 
long  and  trying  period,  the  effects  of  which  he  still  experiences. 

In  August,  1864,  James  Carrothers  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Cole, 
who  was  born  in  this  township  and  who  was  a  daughter  of  Barnet  Cole,  now- 
deceased,  who  was  one  of  the  well  known  farmers  of  Vernon  township.  After 
marriage  our  subject  remained  with  his  father  for  two  years  and  during  the 
winter  months  he  taught  the  district  school.  In  1866,  he  went  to  live  with 
James  Carrothers,  Sr.  At  that  time  this  uncle  owned  the  farm  which  James 
now  occupies  and  took  charge  of  it.     October  14,  1872,  the  uncle  died.     James 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  771 

and  his  brother  George  had  previously  purchased  this  farm,  which  consists 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  For  two  years  they  farmed  this  land  in 
partnership.  At  the  end  of  this  period  a  division  was  made  by  which  he 
retained  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  upon  this  place  he  had  erected  a 
'substantial  frame  house  in  1870.  He  has  been  successful  in  real  estate 
business. 

Ten  children  were  born  in  the  family  of  James  Carrothers  and  wife  and 
eight  of  these  still  survive,  their  names  and  residences  being  as  follows: 
Flora  E.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Isaac  X.  Latchaw  and  resides  in  McComb,  Ohio; 
Emma  L.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Sherman  Morris  and  resides  in  Sandusky  town- 
ship;  Hattie  M.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Amos  Keller,  and  also  resides  in  San- 
dusky township,  and  E.  Ida  B.  Weaver,  Jennie  XL,  Sadie  L.  B.  L.,  Dee  Ora 
Lee  and  Robert  B.  Carrothers,  who  reside  at  home.  Air.  Carrothers  has  taken 
just  pride  in  his  intelligent  family. 

James  Carrothers  has  long  been  connected  with  the  religious  body  known 
as  the  Church  of  God.  He  is  a  man  of  high  character,  is  an  honorable  and 
upright  citizen,  and  fills  every  situation  in  life  with  dignity  and  in  a  manner  to 
gain  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 

JOHN  ECKSTEIN. 

John  Eckstein,  who  is  a  trustee  of  Vernon  township,  and  one  of  its  lead- 
ing and  most  progressive  farmers,  was  born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  on  No- 
vember 20,  1856.  His  father  was  George  Eckstein,  extended  mention  of 
whom  may  be  found  in  the  biography  of  his  son,  Adam  Eckstein,  in  another 
part  of  this  volume. 

John  Eckstein  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  acquired 
a  good  common  school  education.  After  he  had  reached  his  twenty-first  year 
he  received  from  his  father  the  customary  wages  of  a  farm  hand,  this  being 
satisfactory  to  both  parties.  On  November  24,  1882,  our  subject  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Louisa  Minck,  who  was  a  native  of  Vernon  township  and 
a  daughter  of  Conrad  Minck,  who  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Vernon  township,  where  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  passed. 

After  the  death  of  the  father  of  our  subject,  in  1886,  the  latter  and  his 
brother  George  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  the  estate,  sixty 
acres  of  which  our  subject  owned  personally,  which  was  situated  across  the 
highway  from  the  home  farm.  Our  subject  continued  to  farm  the  land  upon 
shares  for  the  following  seven  years  or  until  the  death  of  his  mother,  when 


772  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

he  bought  the  home  farm,  consisting  of  ninety-three  acres,  and  this 
made  his  own  land  aggregate  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  acres.  Since  that 
time  Mr.  Eckstein  has  demonstrated  that  he  is  a  practical  farmer  and  has  the 
satisfaction  of  owning  and  operating  one  of  the  best  cultivated  and  most  highly 
improved  farms  in  the  township.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  given  his 
attention  to  his  land,  understands  its  possibilities  and  intelligently  meets  its 
demands. 

Eight  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eckstein  and  seven  of 
these  still  survive  and  make  a  happy  home  circle.  These  are  as  follows : 
Charles  \Y.,  Mamie  B.,  John  A.,  Ella  F.,  Grover  A.,  Edna  M.,  and  Emery  B., 
as  intelligent  and  attractive  family  as  Vernon  township  can  produce.  They 
are  all  being  thoroughly  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  promise  to  be- 
come useful  members  of  society. 

In  politics  Mr.  Eckstein  is  a  Democrat,  but  his  personal  popularity  is  so 
great  that  the  whole  township  has  been  glad  to  place  him  in  a  position  to  serve 
as  its  trustee,  being  now  in  his  second  term,  this  honor  having  been  conferred 
upon  him  without  his  consent.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been  one  of  the 
leading  members  of  the  German  Reformed  church,  and  for  four  years  was  one 
of  the  deacons.  He  is  a  man  who  enjoys  the  esteem  of  his  neighbors  and  is  not 
only  one  of  the  best  farmers  but  also  one  of  the  most  useful  citizens  of  Ver- 
non township. 

ARTHUR  CLELAND. 

Distinguished  as  the  first  white  child  born  in  Vernon  township,  Arthur 
Cleland,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  biography,  is  a  well-known  resident  of 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  through  which  he  is  also  known  as  a  substantial  farm- 
er and  estimable  citizen.  Flis  parents  settled  in  Crawford  county  late  in  the 
fall  of  1825  and  his  birth  took  place  on  February  6,  1826.  He  was  a  son  of 
William  and  Rachel  (Ramsey)  Cleland,  who  had  eight  children  born  in  their 
pioneer  home,  the  brothers  and  sisters  of  our  subject  being  as  follows:  Will- 
iam, who  is  a  resident  of  Defiance  county,  Ohio ;  and  Rachel,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Hugh  Dobbins  and  lives  in  Bucyrus  township,  while  those  who  passed  away 
bore  the  following  names :  Mary,  who  married  Thomas  McCullough ;  Mar- 
garet J.,  who  married  William  Magee ;  Susan,  who  married  Thomas  Alemus; 
Eliza,  who  married  Davidson  Aladdox ;  and  John. 

William  Cleland,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  county  Down, 
Ireland,  May  14,  1796,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Arthur  Cleland,  the  latter  being 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  771 

of  Scotch-Irish  extraction.  About  1816  an  aunt  of  our  subject  emigrated  to 
America  and  soon  after  wrote  such  glowing  acounts  back  to  the  old  coun- 
try of  the  conditions  and  opportunities  in  the  United  States,  awakening  in  the 
breasts  of  those  left  behind  also  an  ambition  to  cross  the  sea,  that  resulted  in 
the  sale  of  the  little  farm  and  the  embarkation,  on  a  sailing  vessel,  of  the  whole 
family,  bound  for  a  new  home  across  the  Atlantic.  Our  subject's  father,  with 
his  parents  and  his  brothers  and  sisters,  left  Ireland  on  May  14,  1817,  and  after 
a  voyage  of  sixty-six  days  were  landed  at  Cape  May,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Dela- 
ware river.  Their  destination  was  New  York,  but  head  winds  drove  the  poorly 
managed  ship  out  of  its  course,  and  as  a  major  portion  of  the  passengers 
wished  to  go  to  Wilmington  the  captain  landed  them  all  there.  From  Cape 
May  the  Cleland  family  found  its  way  to  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  and  re- 
sided there  for  a  time,  later  removing  to  Jefferson  county,  Ohio.  The  grand- 
father had  been  a  famous  weaver  in  his  prime,  but  he  and  his  wife  were  grow- 
ing old  and  from  this  time  remained  with  some  one  of  their  children. 

In  the  fall  of  1824  the  father  of  our  subject,  with  his  brother  John,  came 
to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  entered  our  subject's  present  home  farm,  a 
fractional  quarter  section,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres.  Then 
they  returned  to  Jefferson  county  and  in  the  fall  of  the  following  year  Will- 
iam Cleland,  with  his  wife  and  his  brother  John,  removed  to  the  new  home  in 
the  Ohio  woods.  The  men  soon  cleared  off  a  space  and  built  a  log  cabin,  and, 
in  the  February  following,  into  this  frontier  home  came  the  child  whose  biog- 
raphy appears  in  this  writing.  In  the  following  spring  John  Cleland  went  to 
Mansfield,  where  plenty  of  work  was  to  be  found  at  his  trade  of  stone  mason, 
and  it  was  in  that  year' the  great  canal  system  of  the  state  was  begun.  For  two 
vears  he  worked  in  stone  and  brick  and  then  went  back  to  Pennsylvania. 

In  the  spring  following  the  location  of  William  Cleland  in  this  part  of  the 
county,  the  township  was  organized,  and  at  the  spring  election  the  ten  votes 
were  polled  by  William  Garrison.  Eli- Arnold,  Isaac  Hitchkok,  George  Dick- 
son, three  of  the  Coles  family,  James  Richards,  James  Clemens,  and  William 
Cleland.  During  these  early  days  William  Cleland  worked  as  a  weaver  and 
exchanged  the  product  of  the  looms  for  labor  to  assist  in  the  clearing  of  land, 
and  much  of  the  laborious  work  was  performed  in  this  way.  For  many  years 
he  continued  his  work  at  the  loom,  finding  ready  sale  or  barter  for  all  he  could 
produce.  His  death  occurred  on  September  25,  1881,  in  the  eighty-sixth  year 
of  his  age,  after  a  life  of  usefulness  and  industry,  which  left  his  family  well 
provided  for  at  his  decease.  His  many  years  here  had  covered  a  period  that 
saw  the  forest  give  place  to  smiling,  fruitful  fields  and  orchards,  and  the  little 


774  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

log  cabin,  during  this  time,  gave  place  to  the  magnificent  country  home  which 
is  not  only  complete  in  comfort  and  construction,  but  is  also  an  ornament  to 
the  landscape. 

Air.  Cleland  was  an  excellent  man  of  business  and  was  in  the  habit  of 
buying  land  when  he  found  desirable  tracts  for  sale,  until  he  had  acquired  three 
hundred  and  twenty-four  acres  in  Crawford  county,  and  two  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  Defiance  county.  Democratic  in  politics,  he  always  ardently 
upheld  the  party  of  his  choice,  while  he  was  equally  active  in  the  support  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  most  superior  woman 
and  came  from  noted  ancestry.  She  was  born  in  Brooke  county.  West  Vir- 
ginia, on  January  16,  1801,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Ramsey,  who 
was  a  native  of  Ireland.  During  the  war  of  the  Revolution  he,  in  company 
with  one  hundred  and  thirty  others,  was  captured  by  the  British,  and  he  was 
one  of  the  four  of  those  who  escaped  and  almost  starved,  in  hostile  territory, 
before  he  reached  his  friends.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  one  of  the  hardy 
pioneers  who  became  a  tower  of  strength  to  her  husband  in  those  early  days, 
and  reared  a  family  to  habits  of  thrift  and  industry. 

The  early  school  days  of  our  subject  were  spent  in  a  very  primitive  log 
building,  where  the  instruction  was  not  much  superior  to  the  surroundings. 
Mr.  Cleland  possessed  a  quick  and  active  mind  and  soon  absorbed  all  the  teach- 
er had  to  impart.  His  father  needed  his  services  and  he  remained  on  the  home 
farm  until  his  twenty-ninth  year.  On  October  4,  1855,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Priscilla  Gundrmn,  who  was  a  native  of  Dauphin  count)',  Penn- 
sylvania, her  birth  occurring  near  Harrisburg,  on  March  2,  1833,  and  she  was 
a  daughter  of  John  Gundrum.  The  latter  belonged  to  a  fine  old  Pennsylvania 
family,  and  he  came  to  Crawford  county  in  1836,  spending  the  first  winter  in 
Bucyrus,  removing  in  the  following  spring  to  Sandusky  township  where  his 
last  days  were  spent. 

After  his  marriage  our  subject  located  on  one  of  his  father's  farms,  con- 
sisting of  eighty  acres,  in  Sandusky  township,  making  an  agreement  with  his 
father  to  clear  the  land,  rebuild  the  house  and  pay  the  taxes,  for  which  he  was 
to  keep  the  proceeds  of  the  property.  During  this  time  his  father  purchased  an 
additional  forty-nine  acres,  and  our  subject  took  charge  of  this  also,  and  lived 
here  until  the  spring  of  1877  when  he  went  back  to  the  home  farm,  in  order  to 
extend  filial  care  to  his  ageing  parents.  Since  that  time  this  has  been  our  sub- 
ject's home,  and  it  is  one  of  the  best  improved  properties  in  Crawford  count  v. 
Success  has  attended  the  persistent  efforts  of  Mr.  Cleland,  and  in  1879  he  pur- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  77  5 

chased  one  hundred  and  sixty  additional  acres  situated  on  the  west  of  his  home 
farm,  the  place  now  aggregating  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres. 

Three  children  have  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  only  two  of  these 
surviving,  viz.:  William  J.,  who  farms  his  father's  land  and  is  serving  his 
second  term  as  township  trustee;  Arthur  B.,  who  died  October  30,  1886,  aged 
twentv-three  years  and  ten  months;  and  Rachel  E.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Marion 
Bender,  of  Auburn  township. 

In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Cleland  has  clung  to  the  Democratic  doctrine  in 
which  he  was  reared  and  he  has  acceptably  served  for  five  years  as  township 
clerk,  and  was  township  trustee  previously  in  Sandusky  township.  He  is  held 
in  high  esteem  in  Vernon  township,  and  although  his  life  has  not  been  filled 
with  exciting  events,  they  have  been  replete  with  faithful  and  well-directed 
work,  and  he  enjoys  the  consciousness  of  knowing  that  he  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  best  representative  citizens  of  this  unequaled  county. 

ANTHONY  BENDER. 

Among  the  enterprising  citizens  of  Crawford  county  is  Anthony  Bender, 
who  is  extensively  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Vernon  township.  His 
marked  ability  has  done  much  to  promote  the  business  activity  of  the  com- 
munitv,  and  in  agricultural  circles  he  enjoys  an  unassailable  reputation.  A 
native  son  of  the  Buckeye  state,  his  birth  occurred  in  Richland  county,  on  the 
20th  of  March,  1849.  The  educational  advantages  which  our  subject  re- 
ceived in  his  youth  were  extremely  limited,  as  his  services  were  required  in 
improving  and  cultivating  his  father's  land,  but  as  time  has  passed  he  has 
greatly  added  to  his  knowledge  by  constant  reading  and  observation.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  after  his  marriage,  when  he  located  on  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Hanley  farm,  then  the  property  of  his  father,  located  in  Cran- 
berry township,  where  he  resided  for  three  years.  Returning  to  the  home 
farm,  he  was  there  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  with  his  brother  John  for 
the  following  three  years,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period  he  removed  to 
Tiro,  where  he  remained  for  four  years,  and  during  that  time  operated  the 
homestead  farm.  In  1885  he  removed  to  the  place  on  which  he  now  resides, 
the  land  also  belonging  to  his  father  and  consisting  of  seventy-five  acres,  but 
after  a  few  years  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  a  tract  of  eleven  acres,  and  a  few 
years  later  became  the  owner  of  another  tract  of  twenty-four  acres.  After 
his  father's  death  he  inherited  the  seventy-five  acres  on  which  he  resided,  and 
his  landed  possessions  now  aggregate  one  hundred  and  ten  acres.     In  his 


776  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

farming  operations  Mr.  Bender  has  ever  followed  the  most  improved  methods, 
and  as  the  result  of  unremitting-  toil  and  excellent  business  ability  he  has  won 
for  himself  a  name  and  place  among  the  leading  business  men  of  his  locality. 
On  the  26th  of  August,  1876,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Cath- 
erine A.  Kahler,  a  native  of  New  Washington,  Crawford  county,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Conrad  Kahler,  a  retired  carpenter  of  that  city.  He  came  with  his 
parents  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  when  a  little  lad  of  live  years.  On  their 
arrival  here  the  family  erected  a  hut  out  of  brush,  and  in  this  rude  domicile 
they  made  their  home  until  a  more  suitable  log  cabin  could  be  erected.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bender  have  been  born  four  children, — Ella  E.,  the  wife  of  Wil- 
son Hoover,  a  farmer  of  Sandusky  township,  Crawford  count}- ;  and  Frank 
B.,  Burton  S.  and  William,  who  are  still  at  home.  In  political  matters  Mr. 
Bender  casts  his  ballot  in  favor  of  the  Democracy,  and  in  his  social  relations  he 
is  a  member  of  Tiro  Lodge,  No.  592,  K.  P.  Mrs.  Bender  is  a  prominent  and 
active  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  The  business  career  of  our  subject  is 
one  most  commendable.  He  is  thoroughly  reliable  in  all  relations  with  his 
fellow  men,  has  strict  regard  for  the  ethics  of  commercial  life,  and  by  enter- 
prise and  careful  management  has  secured  a  most  gratifying-  success. 

DAVID  C.  ROBINSOX. 

One  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  residents  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
is  David  C.  Robinson,  who  resides  upon  a  farm  now  included  in  the  corporate- 
limits  of  the  town  of  Tiro,  upon  which  he  was  born  June  23,  1848.  He  was 
a  son  of  Barber  and  Mary  T.  (Morrow)  Robinson,  who  reared  nine  children, 
all  of  whom  reached  maturity.  The  first  break  in  the  family  circle  was  caused 
by  the  death  of  C.  M.  Robinson,  in  1899,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  and  two 
weeks  later  occurred  the  death  of  A.  C.  Robinson,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three 
years.  The  survivors  of  this  vigorous  family  are  as  follows:  David  C,  who 
is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mary,  who  is  the  widow  of  George  Clawson,  of 
Tiro;  Martha  E.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Samuel  Baxter,  of  Van  Wert,  Ohio; 
James  B.,  who  resides  in  California;  Robert  H. ;  William  F.,  who  is  a  resident 
of  Tiro;  and  Florence,  who  is  the  wife  of  A.  W.  Kaufman,  of  Tiro. 

Barber  Robinson  was  born  in  Ireland,  in  1818,  and  was  the  son  of  Robert 
and  Jane  (Barber)  Robinson.  His  parents  came  to  America  when  Barber 
was  twelve  years  of  age,  landing  in  New  York  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks." 
They  first  settled  in  Virginia,  but  soon  removed  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Auburn 
township,  in  Crawford  county,  purchasing  a  farm  then  located  one-half  mile 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  777 

east  of  what  is  now  the  village  of  Tiro.  This  property  is  now  owned  by 
Levi  Lash  and  John  Randabauch.  When  the  grandparents  of  our  subject 
came  to  Crawford  county  the  country  was  a  wilderness,  and  in  order  to  build 
the  log  cabin  for  immediate  use,  the  great  forest  trees  had  to  be  first  cut  down 
and  a  space  cleared.  Industry  was  the  order  of  the  day  and  hard  and  un- 
remitting- toil  followed,  but  Grandfather  Robinson  was  one  of  the  hardy,  ener- 
getic men  who  was  well  fitted  for  pioneer  life.  His  death  occurred  on  the 
farm  where  his  children  were  born  and  reared.  Barber  Robinson  grew  up 
amid  these  pioneer  surroundings  and  did  his  share  in  the  work  of  clearing-  the 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  which  his  father  had  entered.  After  the 
death  of  his  father  he  cared  for  his  mother  until  her  death.  After  the  mar- 
riage of  Barber  Robinson  to  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Charles  Morrow,  of  Ohio, 
they  settled  in  Tiro  until  Mr.  Robinson  could  build  their  log  cabin  and  then  he 
started  into  the  clearing  of  his  own  land,  as  he  bought  one  hundred  acres 
located  across  the  road  from  the  old  homestead.  After  the  death  of  his  father 
he  bought  the  home  farm  also  and  for  a  time  owned  four  hundred  and  twenty 
acres. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  a  life-long  Democrat  and  was  a  man  who-  exerted  a 
great  influence  in  the  councils  of  his  party.  For  six  years  he  efficiently  served 
as  county  commissioner  and  was  one  of  the  best  men  that  could  have  been 
found  for  that  position,  as  he  possessed  excellent  judgment  and  great  executive 
ability.  For  years  he  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  during 
much  of  his  later  life  being  one  of  the  elders  in  the  same. 

David  C.  Robinson  was  reared  in  a  good.  Christian  home  and  was  given 
every  educational  opportunity  possible  in  his  locality  at  that  time.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-two  years  he  began  agricultural  work  on  his  father's  farm, 
working-  on  shares,  and  soon  proved  to  be  a  very  capable  and  successful  farmer. 
On  September  26,  1878,  our  subject  was  married  to-  Miss  Anna  L.  Bowers, 
of  Sulphur  Springs,  and  continued  to  work  on  his  father's  farm  until  the 
death  of  the  latter.  When  the  estate  was  settled  our  subject  purchased  eighty 
acres  and  the  buildings  on  the  land,  and  this  has  been  the  family  home  ever 
since. 

Politically  our  subject  is  a  Democrat.  He  was  once  elected  township 
clerk,  but  as  he  found  that  in  order  to'  do  justice  to  the  duties  of  the  office  he 
would  be  obliged  to  neglect  his  farm  he  resigned.  However,  he  has  served 
several  years  in  the  town  council  and  has  also  been  treasurer  of  Tiro,  where 
he  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  members  of  both  political  parties  and  by  the  citi- 
zens generally. 


773  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

ELI  RININGER. 

One  of  the  most  substantial,  prominent  and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is  Eli  Rininger,  a  most  worthy  representative  of  one 
of  the  old  and  much  respected  families  of  Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania.  The 
birth  of  our  subject  took  place  in  Bedford  county,  on  Decemher  14,  1845,  anc^ 
he  was  a  son  of  John  and  Sophia  (Black)  Rininger,  who  had  a  family  of  nine 
children,  the  only  survivors  being  William  H.,  who  is  a  resident  of  Lexington, 
Ohio;  and  Eli,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  biography. 

John  Rininger,  who  was  the  honored  father  of  the  subject  of  this  record, 
was  born  in  Bedford  count}-,  where  for  fort}"  years  he  conducted  a  cabinet- 
making  and  undertaking  establishment,  in  Shellsburg.  He  was  also  a  success- 
ful farmer  and  owned  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  three  acres  of  land  near  the 
above  town,  but  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  comfortable  re- 
tirement. He  was  a  life-long  Democrat,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  and  was  identified  with  many  public  affairs.  From  his  early 
youth  he  had  been  a  consistent  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  was  a  con- 
stant attendant  upon  its  services  until  his  death,  in  1890,  in  his  eighty-third 
year. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  belonged  to  one  of  the  old  and  well  established 
families  of  Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  she  was  born  in  1809.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Black,  who  was  a  native  of  Maryland  and  located 
in  Bedford  county  soon  after  his  marriage.  He  was  well  known  all  through 
the  county  as  a  successful  farmer.     The  mother  died  in  1865. 

Eli  Rininger  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  attended  the  nearest 
schools  and  thus  acquired  a  good  common-school  eucation.  At  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen years  he  enlisted  in  the  service  of  his  country,  first  entering  a  regiment 
called  the  Independent  Cavalry,  in  July,  1863,  for  the  three-months  service, 
when  each  volunteer  supplied  his  own  horse.  His  second  enlistment,  which 
was  for  three  years,  was  on  January  1,  1864,  in  Company  H,  Fifty-fifth  Penn- 
sylvania Veteran  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  his  regiment  was  assigned  to  the 
Arm}-  of  the  James.  Mr.  Rininger  was  a  brave  and  daring  soldier  and  he  took 
part  in  thirteen  engagements,  some  of  these  being :  Old  Town  Creek,  in  Vir- 
ginia ;  three  days  at  Durris  Bluff,  in  Virginia;  two  days  at  Cold  Harbor,  where 
he  was  wounded  on  June  3,  1864,  when  eleven  thousand  men  fell  inside  of 
ninety  minutes!  Our  subject  was  sent  to'  a  hospital  at  Fort  Schuyler,  New 
York,  where  ^~  was  confined  for  three  months,  and  when  he  was  permitted  to 
rejoin  his  regiment  it  was  in  front  of  Petersburg,  and  the  battle  that  was 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  779. 

fought  there  made  the  fourth  one  in  which  our  subject  was  engaged.  Tl^n  came 
Chippens'  Farm,  Signal  Hill,  and  Hatcher's  Run,  all  in  Virginia.  At  the  last 
mentioned  place  four  thousand  Confederate  prisoners  were  captured.  Next 
came  Fort  Craig,  which  was  one  of  the  strongholds  of  Petersburg;  Bright' s 
Station,  Virginia;  and  Appomattox,  when  Mr.  Rininger  was  present  at  the  sur- 
render of  the  army  of  Gen.  Lee.  This  list  does  not  include  the  minor  en- 
gagements, during  which  many  a  brave  man  lost  his  life.  Our  subject  was 
discharged  on  August  30,   1865,  at  Petersburg,  Virginia. 

Alter  his  return  to  peaceful  pursuits  our  subject  purchased  his  father's 
business,  as  he  had  learned  the  trade  in  his  youth,  and  eight  succeeding  years 
were  spent  in  the  management  of  this  business;  but  in  1873,  influenced  by  the 
fervid  literature  of  the  land  agents  and  the  reports  of  many  settlers  already  lo- 
cated there,  emigrated  to  Douglas  county,  Kansas,  and  there  purchased  a  farm, 
i  lis  experience  was  discouraging,  as  the  first  year  the  crops  through  his  section 
were  destroyed  by  the  drought  and  the  second  year  everything  was  eaten  by  the 
grasshoppers.  His  only  remedy  was  to  turn  again  eastward,  leaving  almost  all 
he  possessed  behind.  Upon  reaching  Ohio  our  subject  rented  a  farm  in  Rich- 
land county,  near  Lexington,  and  there  he  engaged  in  farming  for  two  years, 
and  then  came  to  Crawford  county,  locating  in  Auburn  township.  For  two 
years  our  subject  rented  a  farm,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  moved  to  Tiro 
and  there  erected  a  residence  and  during  the  following  year  was  employed  in 
farming,  teaming  and  other  occupations. 

In  the  spring  of  1880  Air.  Rininger  purchased  what  was  known  as  the 
Rand-Xye  farm,  consisting  of  eighty  acres  of  fine  land.  In  1885  he  built  a 
commodious  and  comfortable  residence,  and  in  1890  erected  a  substantial  bank 
barn,  making  other  improvements  which  placed  this  estate  among  the  best  in 
the  county.  In  1891  he  added  twenty  acres  and  has  spared  neither  time  nor 
expense  in  the  improvement  of  his  property,  one  item  being  the  placing  of 
twenty-one  hundred  rods  of  tile.  The  energy,  good  management  and  indus- 
try of  our  subject  is  worthy  of  note.  'When  he  came  upon  his  farm  it  was 
with  a  debt  of  four  thousand  dollars,  which  has  been  cleared  off;  and  not  only 
does  he  have  the  proud  consciousness  of  not  owing  a  dollar  but  he  has  his  prop- 
erty as  mentioned,  a  town  residence  also,  and  in  February  of  the  current  year 
he  bought  another  farm,  consisting  of  one  hundred  acres,  which  was  the  prop- 
erty of  W.  H.  Carlisle,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  Auburn 
township.  Mr.  Rininger  has  been  a  very  successful  stock-raiser,  making  a 
specialty  of  hogs. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Rininger  was  on  October  16,  1865,  to  Miss  Maggie- 


780  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Hoover,  who  was  a  native  of  Indiana  county  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter 
of  Jacob  Hoover.  Eight  children  were  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  these  be- 
ing as  follows :  Elwood,  deceased ;  Effie,  deceased ;  Dr.  Edmund,  of  Nome, 
Alaska;  Dr.  William,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  Alfred  Moody;  Lucy  May,  the 
wife  of  Rev.  Michael  Y  eagle,  of  Findlay,  Ohio;  Olive  M.,  at  home;  and  Eli 
Roy,  deceased.  Dr.  Edmund  M.  Rininger  is  located  in  Nome,  Alaska.  He  was 
one  of  a  committee  of  three  sent  to  congress  in  the  winter  of  1900- 1  to  present 
the  needs  of  the  people  of  Alaska.  Dr.  William  Rininger  graduated  at  the 
Marion  Simms  Medical  College  in  1893,  with  high  honors.  For  three  years 
lie  was  the  president  of  his  class  and  since  beginning  practice  has  rapidly  won 
his  way  to  the  front. 

For  sixteen  years  our  subject  voted  with  the  Prohibition  party,  but  since 
that  date  has  been  associated  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  has  been  honored 
with  many  of  the  local  offices,  serving  on  the  ticket  at  present  as  township  trus- 
tee. Both  he  and  wife  are  consistent  and  worthy  members  of  the  United 
Brethren  church,  in  which  he  has  long  been  the  efficient  Sunday-school  super- 
intendent. Socially  our  subject  is  connected  with  the  G.  A.  R.  and  much  en- 
joys talking  over  the  days  when  he  and  his  comrades  defended  the  Union. 

PETER  B.  LASH. 

Since  early  in  the  '30s  the  name  of  Lash  has  been  favorably  known  in 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  Peter  B.  Lash,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy, is  a  most  worthy  representative  of  that  pioneer  family.  The  birth  of 
Mr.  Lash  was  in  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  on  July  21,  1838,  and  he  was  a  son 
of  Peter  and  Mary  (Fredline)  Lash,  who  became  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
the  seven  surviving  members  of  the  family  being  among  some  of  the  most 
highly  esteemed  residents  of  this  part  of  Ohio.  These  are :  Charity,  who  is 
the  widow  of  Samuel  McConnell,  of  Tiro,  Ohio;  Matilda,  who  is  the  widow  of 
Frederick  Mead,  of  Paint,  Ohio;  Peter  B.,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Franklin,  who  resides  in  Auburn  township;  Phoebe,  who  is  the  wife  of  Henry 
Eller,  of  Cranberry  township;  Francis,  who  lives  in  Auburn  township;  and 
Lucinda,  who  is  the  wife  of  Franklin  Holsapler,  of  Allen  county,  Indiana. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  about  the  year  1808, 
and  bore  the  same  name  as  our  subject.  While  still  a  lad  his  parents  removed 
from  his  native  state  and  settled  in  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  where  Mr.  Lash  grew 
to  manhood,  later  married  Mary  Fredline,  who  was  the  daughter  of  a  neigh- 
boring farmer,  and  two  children  were  born  to  them  prior  to  their  removal  early 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  7S1 

in  the  '30s  to  Crawford  count)',  Ohio.  When  their  canvas-covered  wagon 
reached  the  new  home,  unbroken  forest  surrounded  them.  The  fertile  and 
well-cultivated  fields  which  now  delight  the  eye  and  fill  to  overflowing  barns 
and  granaries  with  their  generous  yield,  were  then  but  stretches  of  unknown 
woods  and  rank  undergrowth,  but  the  courage  which  inspired  Mr.  Lash  and 
his  brave  wife  to  make  the  journey,  in  the  hope  of  providing  a  future  for  their 
children,  still  filled  their  minds  with  hope  and  the  strength  to  meet  the  new  con- 
ditions. Here  Mr.  Lash  entered  one  hundred  and  three  acres  of  land,  this 
farm  now  being  owned  and  operated  by  his  youngest  son  Francis.  One  of  the 
mosl  distressing  features  of  pioneer  life  in  almost  every  locality,  was  the  pre- 
valence of  fever  and  chills,  the  disease  being  called  ague,  and  Mr.  Lash  suffered 
much  in  this  way,  and  to>  such  an  extent  that  a  man  of  less  energy  and  per- 
severance would  have  lost  heart.  However,  he  kept  steadily  at  work  and  with 
amazing  rapidity  cleared  his  land,  later  added  eighty  acres  to  it  and  would 
doubtless  been  one  of  the  largest  landholders  of  the  county  had  not  his  career 
been  cut  short  by  an  attack  of  erysipelas,  at  the  age  of  forty-three  years.  His 
political  sympathies  had  always  been  with  the  Whig"  party,  and  he  was  one  of 
the  leading"  men  of  his  neighborhood  in  assisting  every  enterprise  looking 
toward  morality  and  virtue. 

The  honored  mother  of  our  subject  survived  her  husband  for  thirty- 
five  years,  making  her  home  on  the  farm.  She  was  born  in  Somerset  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  181 1,  and  her  beautiful  life  ended  on  June  15,  1888,  when  she 
had  reached  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years,  four  months  and  twenty-two  days. 
With  her  estimable  husband  she  had  really  founded  the  Bucyrus  circuit  of  the 
United  Brethren  church.  She  was  a  rare  character,  retiring,  quiet,  with  a 
charity  and  a  kindness  of  heart  that  made  her  life  a  benediction  to  all  who 
knew  her. 

It  is  a  lasting  good  fortune  to  grow  to  manhood  in  a  pious,  virtuous  home, 
and  such  was  the  case  with  our  subject,  Peter  B.  Lash.  His  common-school 
education  was  finished  early  so  that  he  could  become  an  earning  factor  in  the 
household,  as  his  older  brother,  George;  had  left  the  parental  roof  when  our 
subject  was  but  fifteen  years  of  age.  Thus  much  of  the  heavy  farm  work 
fell  upon  the  latter' s  shoulders,  and  later  he  and  his  younger  brother  Frank 
managed  the  farm  together,  until  Frank  was  able  to  take  entire  charge.  Our 
subject  worked  for  three  years  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  but  in  1864  he  pur- 
chased a  small  place  of  twenty-five  acres  where  he  now  resides. 

Mr.  Lash  was  married  on  March  30,  1865,  to>  Miss  Mary  Kauffman,  who 
was  a  native  of  Cranberry  township  and  who  was  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and 


782  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Elizabeth  (Kauffman)  Kauffman.  Mrs.  Kauffman  was  a  native  of  Holmes 
county,  Ohio,  while  he  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  both  of  them  coming  to 
Richland  county  with  their  parents  when  they  were  children.  They  were 
married  in  that  county  and  later  moved  to  Crawford  county,  locating-  in  Cran- 
berry township,  and  Mrs.  Kauffman  still  survives  and  resides  in  Tiro. 

After  his  marriage  our  subject  located  with  his  bride  on  his  compact  little 
farm,  beginning  housekeeping  in  a  log  cabin  which  had  been  erected  by  a 
former  settler,  and  in  the  course  of  about  seven  years  twenty-live  more  acres 
were  added  to  the  original  purchase.  In  1880  the  log  cabin  was  abandoned 
and  removal  was  made  to  the  substantial  and  comfortable  residence  which 
Mr.  Lash  had  erected.  About  this  time  he  bought  an  additional  nineteen  acres 
of  land  and  in  1891  he  added  twenty-one  more  acres,  his  farm  now  consisting 
of  ninety  acres,  well  improved  and  under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation. 

Six  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lash,  their  names  being  as 
follows :  Albert,  the  owner  of  the  Grand  F.  Kauffman  farm,  in  Cranberry 
township;  Clara,  at  home;  Levi,  a  teacher  and  a  farmer  in  Auburn  township; 
Cantwell,  the  farmer  on  the  home  farm  ;  and  Anna  and  Grace,  at  home. 

For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Lash  was  an  ardent  worker  for  the  Prohi- 
bition party,  but  now  is  a  supporter  of  Republican  principles,  believing  that 
that  party  will  ultimately  solve  the  various  problems  which  now  disturb  the 
country.  The  church  in  which  his  father  and  mother  were  so  deeply  inter- 
ested is  the  one  in  which  he  has  reared  his  family,  and  he  and  wife,  with  four 
of  their  children,  are  active  workers  in  it,  while  he  has  long  been  one  of  the 
class-leaders.  No  family  in  the  county  more  deserves  the  high  esteem  in  which 
this  one  is  held. 

ANDREW  WINGERT. 

Andrew  YVingert,  one  of  the  substantial  and  representative  farmers  of 
Crawford  county,  was  born  in  Erie  county,  New  York,  on  the  6th  of  June, 
1835,  a  son  of  Godfrey  and  Anna  (Kahler)  Wingert.  The  father  w^as  born 
in  Bavaria,  Germany,  in  1807,  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Catherine  Wingert.  He 
was  reared  in  his  native  country,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  in  1830, 
he  left  the  land  of  his  birth  for  the  VJnited  States,  his  parents  joining  him  in 
this  country  about  two  years  later.  He  arrived  in  this  country  with  only  six 
cents  in  his  pocket,  but  with  only  this  small  sum  with  which  to  secure  the  neces- 
sities of  life  he  refused  a  position  of  ten  dollars  a  month,  as  the  work  necessi- 
tated the  milking  of  a  cow.  He  made  his  way  to  the  vicinity  of  Buffalo,  where 
he  secured  work  at  six  dollars  a  month,  and  there  he  was  married  and  pur- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  7«3 

chased  a  small  tract  of  twenty  acres,  where  he  resided  until  1836.  In  that 
year  he  came  to  Ohio,  coming  by  the  Great  Lakes  to  Sandusky,  where  he  hired 
a  team  and  brought  his  family  to  Crawford  county. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  after  coming  to  the  United  States  also 
located  in  Erie  county,  where  he  purchased  a  small  tract  of  land.  He  had  four 
sons,  Godfrey,  Jacob,  Henry  and  Christ.  The  three  younger  sons  were  me- 
chanics, and  one  was  also  a  shoe-maker,  one  a  blacksmith,  and  the  other  a 
cooper  and  brewer.  Jacob,  who  followed  blacksmithing,  removed  to  Detroit 
soon  after  the  family  located  in  this  state,  and  afterward  came  to  Crawford 
county,  where  he  induced  his  father  to  join  him.  In  1835  the  latter  sold  his. 
place  in  Erie  county  and  came  to  this  locality,  purchasing  one  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  of  land  in  Liberty  township,  the  present  site  of  the  water  works 
reservoir.  A  sawmill  had  also  been  built  upon  the  land,  and  it  was  the  fa- 
ther's intention  to  have  the  sons  conduct  the  mill.  The  land  was  finally  divid- 
ed among  the  sons,  and  there  Godfrey  Wingert,  the  father  of  our  subject,  lo- 
cated on  his  arrival  in  Crawford  county.  Henry  received  the  land  on  which 
the  mill  was  located  for  his  share,  which  he  operated  for  a  number  of  years. 
Godfrey  located  on  his  forty-two  and  a  half  acres,  and  later  acquired  the  shares, 
originally  owned  by  his  brothers  Jacob  and  Christ,  making  a  tract  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-eight  acres,  and  there  he  passed  to  his  final  reward  in  March,. 
1879.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  political  matters,  and  was  an  active  member  of 
the  Reformed  church.  He  was  a  fine  old  gentleman,  and  was  highly  esteemed 
by  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  in  1807,  and  she  came  to  the  United 
States  with  a  sister,  Mrs.  Sclairley,  when  sixteen  years  of  age.  Her  death 
occurred  in  1887.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wingert  were  born  eight  children,  six 
of  whom  still  survive,  namely:  Andrew,  the  subject  of  this  review;  George,  a. 
resident  of  Laclede,  Missouri;  Maria,  widow  of  Jacob  Kinsey,  and  a  resident 
of  Todd  township,  Crawford  county;  Louisa,  the  wife  of  Herman  Manhardt„ 
of  Custer,  Wood  county,  Ohio;  Amos,  of  Fulton  county,  Ohio;  and  Leonard, 
who  makes  his  home  near  Lincoln,  Nebraska. 

Andrew  Wingert,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  to 
manhood  under  the  parental  roof  and  acquired  his  education  in  an  old  log 
schoolhouse  with  puncheon  floor  and  slab  benches.  In  1859  ne  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Schifley,  a  native  of  Erie  county,  New  York, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  Schifley.  To  this  union  was  added  one  child,  who  is 
now  deceased.  After  a  happy  married  life  of  only  three  years  the  wife  also  died, 

and  two  years  later  Mr.  Wingert  married  Miss  Fidelia  Kinsey,  a  native  of  Erie 

44 


784  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

county,  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Kinsey,  who  was  of  Pennsylvania 
German  descent.  Nine  children  were  born  unto  this  marriage,  but  only  seven 
are  now  living,  namely  :  Hattie.  who  resides  with  her  sister,  Mary  Sharp :  Jen- 
nie and  Franklin,  twins,  who  are  both  at  home;  Rufus  and  Ephraim,  also  at 
home;  and  Alary,  the  wife  of  Edward  Sharp,  of  Bucyrus  township,  Crawford 
o  >unty ;  and  Martha,  at  home.  The  mother  of  these  children  has  also  passed 
to  the  home  beyond,  her  death  occurring  on  the  7th  of  April,  1886. 

After  his  first  marriage  Air.  Wingert  located  on  his  present  home  farm, 
which  was  then  a  vast  wilderness,  and  he  cut  the  first  stick  of  timber  upon  the 
place  with  which  to  build  his  log  cabin.  He  began  his  business  career  with  an 
indebtedness  of  six  hundred  dollars  hanging  over  him,  but  pluck  and  energy  are 
numbered  among  his  chief  characteristics,  and  he  soon  placed  his  farm  under 
a  tine  state  of  cultivation.  His  place  now  contains  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
rive  acres  of  choice  land,  and  he  now  takes  rank  among  the  leading  farmers 
of  the  county.  In  political  matters  he  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Democracy, 
his  first  presidential  vote  having  been  cast  for  James  Buchanan,  but  although 
a  public  spirited  and  loyal  citizen  he  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  political 
honors,  preferring  to  give  his  undivided  attention  to  his  business  interests. 
He  is  an  active  worker  and  prominent  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  and  all 
movements  to  uplift  his  fellowmen  receive  in  him  a  warm  friend. 


AARON  CHANCE. 

Among  the  old  settlers  of  Todd  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  no 
residents  are  more  highly  esteemed  and  universally  respected  than  Aaron 
Chance  and  his  wife,  these  venerable  people  being  the  oldest  married  couple  in 
the  township.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Chance  was  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  on 
May  27,  1816.  His  father  died  before  his  birth  and  he  was  left  motherless 
when  but  seven  vears  of  age.  His  grandparents  gave  him  parental  care  and  he 
lived  with  them  and  grew  up  in  a  farming  neighborhood,  remaining-  at  home 
until  his  marriage  to  Miss  Jane  Bell,  on  March  26,  1840.  She  was  born  on 
January  16,  1817.  and  together  they  have  weathered  the  storms  and  enjoyed 
the  comforts  of  life  for  sixty-one  years.  The  four  children  born  to  them  were 
James.  Sarah  J.,  deceased,  Nomenia  and  Jonas. 

In  1852  Air.  and  Airs.  Chance  came  to  Crawford  county  and  settled  in 
Bucyrus  township,  first  renting  land  for  four  years  and  then  buying  a  tract  of 
wild  land,  and  building  a  log  cabin.     In  1867  they  located  on  their  present 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  785 

farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres,  in  Todd  township,  where  Mr.  Chance 
has  carried  on  a  general  line  of  farming. 

In  politics  Mr,  Chance  has  always  been  a  Republican.  Although  his 
education  was  only  such  as  could  be  obtained  during  a  short  period  in  the  sub- 
scription schools,  he  is  a  well  informed  man  and  one  of  the  most  highly  re- 
spected among  the  old  settlers. 

LEONARD  STARKER. 

Among  the  highly  respected  citizens  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is  Leon- 
ard Starner,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  since  1841.  Although 
Pennsylvania  was  the  state  of  his  birth,  Mr.  Starner  has  lived  a  long  and  suc- 
cessful life  in  Ohio,  and  is  reckoned  with  her  most  esteemed  and  substantial 
citizens. 

The  parents  of  Leonard  Starner,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  record,  were 
Sharick  and  Ann  (Ensley)  Starner,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  emigrated 
with  their  children  to  Ohio  some  time  later  than  1830,  spending  their  first 
■winter  in  Perry  county.  In  the  following  spring  Mr.  Starner  removed  to  Fair- 
field county,  remaining  there  until  1841,  when  he  came  to  Crawford  county, 
attracted  thither  by  the  desirable  lands  of  this  favored  portion  of  the  state. 
Here  he  located  on  the  Marion  road,  some  seven  miles  from  Bucvrus,  and  here 
he  farmed  for  two  years,  on  rented  land,  later  buying  eighty  acres  near  the 
Scioto  bridge.  Seven  years  afterward  Mr.  Starner  sold  this  farm  and  then 
purchased  eighty-three  acres  where  Jacob  Duncan  now  lives,  and  upon  that 
property  he  resided  until  the  time  of  his  death,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  vears. 
He  was  reared  in  the  Democratic  political  faith,  but  after  casting  his  vote  for 
President  Lincoln  he  remained  in  sympathy  with,  the  Republican  party.  To 
his  first  marriage  twelve  children  were  born,  the  four  survivors  being:  Leon- 
ard, the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Emily,  the  widow  of  Mr.  Buchmaster,  of  Allen 
county,  Ohio:  Minerva,  the  wife  of  Frank  Harvey,  of  Bucyrus;  and  Enslev, 
a  resident  of  Missouri.  Mr.  Starner  was  married  three  months  prior  to  his 
death,  to  a  Miss  Kile. 

Leonard  Starner  was  born  in  1825  and  accompanied  the  family  when  it 
came  to  Ohio  and  later  when  it  located  in  Crawford  county.  He  was  given 
the  best  educational  advantages  that  the  time  afforded,  and  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-one began  life  for  himself.  On  May  13,  1852,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  M.  Warner,  who  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  New  York,  born 
three  miles  from  Buffalo,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Warner,  who 


;86  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

came  to  this  county  in  1838,  settling  in  Bucyrus  township,  later  removing  to 
Seneca  township,  where  he  died. 

After  marriage  Mr.  Starner  began  farming  on  a  tract  of  eighty  acres 
which  he  had  purchased,  and  this  has  been  the  family  home  ever  since,  twenty 
additional  acres  having  been  since  added.  A  family  of  twelve  children  were 
born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  the  eight  survivors  of  this  family  being  as  fol- 
lows :  Ranford,  of  Nevada,  Ohio ;  Phoebe  J.,  the  wife  of  Griffin  Davise,  of  In- 
diana;  Joseph  L.,  of  Todd  township;  John,  of  Nevada,  Ohio;  Edward,  of 
Nevada,  Ohio;  Alfretta,  the  wife  of  Frank  Shaffstall,  who  is  the  home  farmer; 
Eugene,  of  Todd  township ;  and  Luella,  at  home. 

In  politics  our  subject  has  ever  been  one  of  the  stanch  supporters  of  the 
Republican  party  and  has  taken  an  active  and  intelligent  interest  in  all  public 
affairs.  Although  not  formally  connected  with  any  church  organization,  Mr. 
Starner  contributes  to  the  support  of  all;  and  although  he  has  lived  a  com- 
paratively quiet  life  it  has  been  one  of  usefulness  and  uprightness,  and  he  en- 
joys the  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 

GEORGE  E.  SIGLER. 

One  of  the  highly  esteemed  old  settlers  of  Todd  township,  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  this  place  for  more  than  half  a  cen- 
turv,  is  George  E.  Siger,  who  was  born  in  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
October  23,  1826.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  log  school-house  of 
pioneer  times,  and  even  the  instruction  there  received  was  obtained  under 
difficulties,  as  he  was  obliged  to  walk  more  than  two  miles  in  order  to  reach 
the  schol-house.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  Mr.  Sigler  began  life  for 
himself.  His  father  had  a  sawmill  in  the  woods,  in  Crawford  county,  and  our 
subject  worked  in  this  mill  for  two  years  and  also  assisted  in  clearing  and 
cultivating  the  farm. 

Mr.  Sigler  married  Miss  Harriet  Hoorick  and  his  children  are  named 
Loraine,  Elliott,  Rosamund  and  Dal.  Soon  after  marriage  Mr.  Sigler  began 
making  improvements  on  his  farm  of  eighty  acres.  It  was  heavily  timbered 
and  much  hard  work  was  required  in  order  to  clear  and  cultivate  it,  but  finally 
seventy  acres  were  in  fine  condition.  There  the  family  lived  until  187 J,  when 
Mr.  Sigler  removed  to  the  tract  upon  which  he  now  resides,  this  consisting  of 
one  hundred  and  seventeen  acres,  and  since  locating  upon  it  Mr.  Sigler  has 
given  his  entire  attention  to  its  improvement,  the  result  being  that  he  now 
owns  one  of  the  most  desirable  farms  in  Todd  township. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  7$7 

In  politics  he  has  been  a  life-long  Democrat.  He  is  well  and  favorably 
known  through  all  this  neighborhood,  and  is  very  well  posted  not  only  on  the 
current  events  but  can  be  most  entertaining  concerning  the  pioneer  days. 
With  interest  he  has  watched  the  wonderful  growth  of  every  industry  and  has 
done  his  part  in  the  development  of  the  farming  interests. 

THOMAS  REGULA. 

Thomas  Regula,  who  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising 
in  Chatfield  township,  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  the  vicinity  of  his  present 
home.  He  was  born  on  the  farm  in  the  township  where  George  Kibler  now 
resides,  the  date  of  his  birth  being  February  29,  1850.  His  father,  Jacob 
Regula,  was  born  in  Rhine  province  of  Germany,  in  181 1,  and  in  1831,  when 
twenty  years  of  age,  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America  as  a  passenger  on  a  sail- 
ing vessel,  which  reached  the  American  harbor  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks. 
He  at  once  made  his  way  westward  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  secured 
employment  as  a  farm  hand  in  Chatfield  township.  He  thus  worked  for  two 
years  after  which  he  purchased  thirty  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  erected  a  log- 
cabin.  He  removed  to  his  farm  in  1872,  and  continued  its  cultivation  and 
improvement  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  the  year  1890,  at  the  ripe  old 
age  of  seventy-nine  years.  In  earl}-  manhood  he  had  married  Catherine  Reidle, 
and  unto  them  were  born  the  following  children :  Louisa,  wife  of  Aaron 
Colb;  Catherine,  who  is  now  deceased;  Christina,  wife  of  Daniel  Fox,  a 
farmer ;  Peter,  who  is  living  in  Seneca  county,  Ohio ;  Jacob,  who  makes  his 
home  with  his  brother  Thomas,  who  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth. 

Thomas  Regula  was  born  and  reared  upon  his  father's  farm  and  remained 
on  the  old  home  place  until  twenty-nine  years  of  age.  He  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  until  he  had  mastered  the  usual  branches  of  learning  taught  in 
such  institutions,  after  which  he  gave  his  attention  entirely  to  the  farm  work. 
from  the  time  of  early  spring  planting  until  crops  were  gathered  in  the  autumn. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-nine  he  was  married  to  Catherine  Brown,  and  they  now 
have  four  children — Daniel,  John,  Robert  and  Edwin. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Regula  began  operating  his  father's  farm  on  the 
shares,  and  later,  when  his  labors  had  brought  to  him  some  capital  he  pur- 
chased land  of  his  own,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  one  hundred  acres,  consti- 
tuting a  valuable  place.  He  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock-raising, 
and  in  both  departments  of  his  business  is  meeting  with  good  success.  His 
place  is  well  improved  with  modern  equipments  and  the  owner  is  numbered 


788  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

among  the  substantial  and  industrious  farmers  of  his  neighborhood.  Al- 
though his  life  has  been  a  busy  one  he  has  found  time  to  devote  to  the  public 
service  and  for  several  years  has  served  as  school  director.  He  is  also  one 
of  the  trustees  of  Chatfield  township  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat,  believing 
firmly  in  the  principles  of  his  party.  As  his  entire  life  has  been  passed  in 
Chatfield  township  he  is  well  known  and  has  gained  many  friends  among  its 
residents  and  in  other  parts  of  the  county. 

JACOB   FAUSER. 

The  fine  farm  with  its  many  excellent  improvements  which  is  the  prop- 
erty of  Jacob  Fauser  is  a  monument  to  his  enterprise  and  labor,  for  all  that  he 
possesses  has  been  acquired  through  his  own  efforts.  He  was  born  in  Colum- 
biana county,  Ohio,  April  2j,  1837,  a  son  of  John  G.  Fauser,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  and  when  a  young  man  came  to  the  United 
States,  locating  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  where  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Magdaiine  Crume.  They  became  the  parents  of  nine  children, 
nameh  :  Living;  Mary,  deceased;  George  G.,  now  a  resident  of  Erie  county, 
Ohio:  Elizabeth,  who  has  passed  away;  Catherine,  the  wife  of  Abraham 
Burkey,  a  resident,  of  Lykens  township;  and  Caroline,  John,  Abraham  and 
Lena,  all  of  whom  have  departed  this  life.  The  father  of  these  children  was 
a  baker  by  trade,  but  through  much  of  his  life  followed  farming.  About 
1839  he  came  to  Crawford  count}'  and  secured  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  in  Chatfield  township,  upon  which  he  erected  a  log  cabin  of  one  room. 
Therein  he  began  life  in  true  pioneer  style,  but  as  the  years  passed  and  his 
financial  resources  increased  he  was  enabled  to  add  many  modern  improve- 
ments to  his  place.  He  continued  farming  for  many  years,  and  died  on  the 
old  homestead,  September  19,  1892,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  His  wife 
passed  away  a  year  later,  and  thus  ended  the  earthly  career  of  two  of  the  hon- 
ored pioneer  settlers  of  the  county. 

Jacob  Fauser  was  only  two  years  of  age  when,  with  his  parents,  he  came 
to  this  county,  and  amid  the  wild  scenes  of  the  frontier  he  was  reared,  sharing 
with  the  family  in  the  usual  hardships  and  trials  incident  to  the  settlement  of 
a  new  country.  As  his  age  and  strength  permitted  he  assisted  in  the  work  of 
the  home  farm,  where  he  remained  until  his  marriage,  which  occurred  in 
1868,  Miss  Elizabeth  Riedle  becoming  his  wife.  For  a  third  of  a  century  she 
has  been  to  him  a  faithful  helpmate  on  life's  journey.  The  home  has  been 
blessed  with  the  following  living  children  :     Samuel,  Jacob,  Mary,  Louisa  and 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  789 

William,   and  they  have  also  lost  three  daughters, — Elizabeth,   Emma   and 
Lydia. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Fatiser  located  on  the  farm  which  has  since 
been  his  place  of  residence.  The  young  couple  began  domestic  life  here  in 
a  little  log  building,  but  it  has  long  since  been  replaced  with  a  modern  brick 
residence,  and  many  other  accessories  of  the  model  farm  have  been  added,  in- 
cluding substantial  barns  and  outbuildings  for  the  shelter  of  grain  and  stock. 
The  farm  embraces  one  hundred  acres  of  rich  land,  and  as  a  general  farmer 
Mr.  Fauser  is  meeting  with  desirable  success,  annually  harvesting  good  crops 
and  thereby  adding  to  his  income.  He  and  his  estimable  wife  are  members 
of  the  Pietist  church,  and  in  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has 
served  as  school  director  and  road  supervisor  and  his  faithfulness  to  duty  has 
challenged  uniform  commendation.  His  worth  is  widely  acknowledged  in 
the  count v  where  he  has  made  his  home  through  more  than  six  decades  and 
which  he  has  seen  transformed  from  a  wild  region  into  one  of  rich  fertility > 
enjoying  commercial  and  agricultural  prosperity. 

JACOB  RIEDLE. 

Jacob  Riedle,  who  is  engaged  in  general  farming  in  Chattield  township, 
where  he  owns  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  was  born  in  the  same  town- 
ship. January  2.  1846,  and  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of 
the  county.  His  father,  Jacob  Riedle.  Sr..  was  born  in  Rhineburg.  Germany, 
September  24,  1809.  and  worked  in  a  stone  quarry  in  that  country.  In  1840 
he  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  father,  the  family  establishing  their 
home  in  Crawford  county.  There  were  live  children  in  the  grandfather's  fam- 
ily:  Frederick,  Mary.  Jacob,  Catherine  and  Elizabeth,  all  now  deceased. 
They  took  up  their  abode  on  a  farm  in  Chattield  township  and  there  the  grand- 
father lived  to  an  advanced  age. 

Jacob  Riedle,  Sr.,  the  father  of  our  subject,  began  working  as  a  farm  hand 
by  the  month  after  his  arrival  in  Crawford  county,  and  later  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  manufacture  of  potash.  As  a  companion  and  helpmate  fpr 
the  ijourney  of  life  he  chose  Miss  Elizabeth  Ricker.  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  five  children  :  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Jacob  Fauser  ;  Jacob,  whose  name 
heads  this  record;  Peter,  who  is  living  in  Chattield  township;  and  Catherine 
and  Mary,  who  have  departed  this  life.  In  the  year  1859  the  father  pur- 
chased forty  acres  of  the  farm  upon  which  his  son  and  namesake  now  resides. 
There  was  a  log  cabin  upon  the  place  and  a  few  improvements  had  been  made. 


79Q  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

He  at  once  began  the  work  of  developing-  the  property  and  in  due  course  of 
time  transformed  it  into  a  valuable  farm.  His  death  occurred  July  8,  1892, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1897.  They 
were  both  consistent  Christian  people,  holding  membership  in  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

When  only  thirteen  years  of  age  Jacob  Riedle,  whose  name  stands  at  the 
head  of  this  review,  came  to  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  lives.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools,  attending  through  the  winter  season,  while 
in  the  summer  he  worked  on  the  farm,  giving  his  father  the  benefit  of  his 
services  throughout  his  minority.  He  continued  to  assist  him  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  place  until  his  marriage,  when  he  assumed  the  entire  management 
and  has  since  successfully  engaged  in  its  cultivation.  He  to-day  owns  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  of  which  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres 
are  cleared  and  divided  into  fields  of  convenient  size  for  improving. 

On  the  9th  of  April,  1874,  Mr.  Riedle  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Fredericka  Brosa,  and  they  now  have  one  daughter,  Lena.  They  are  well- 
known  people  of  this  part  of  the  county  and  have  a  large  circle  of  friends. 
Their  home  is  a  pleasant  one,  and  Mr.  Riedle  has  made  most  of  the  improve- 
ments upon  the  farm.  He  is  industrious,  determined  and  self-reliant,  and  may 
well  be  called  a  self-made  man,  for  his  prosperity  has  come  as  the  merited  re- 
ward to  his  efforts. 

FRAN-K   STUMPF. 

Frank  Stumpf,  a  well-known  representative  of  the  agricultural  interests 
of  Crawford  county,  is  now  living  on  section  21,  Jackson  township.  He  was 
born  upon  the  farm  which  is  yet  his  home,  March  28,  1857,  and  in  his  life  mani- 
fests many  of  the  characteristic  traits  of  his  German  ancestry.  His  father, 
Joseph  Stumpf,  was  a  native  of  Baden,  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of 
farming  until  thirty-five  years  of  age,  when  he  crossed  the  briny  deep  to  the 
new  world  and  located  upon  the  farm  which  is  now  the  home  of  his  son  Frank. 
He  at  first  owned  eighty  acres  of  land,  but  with  the  passing  years  increased  his 
realtv  possessions  until  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  a  valuable  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty-six  acres.  His  political  support  was  of  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  Democracy.  In  this  count}-  he  married  Miss  Catherine  Becher,  who 
was  born  in  Crawford  county  and  pursued  her  education  in  a  log  school  house 
near  her  home.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  the  fatherland  and  became  early 
settlers  of  this  community.     The  parents  of  our    subject    had    the    following 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  79 1 

children,  all  born  on  the  old  homestead  where  Frank  Stumpf  now  resides, 
namely:  Vince,  a  conductor  on  the  Ohio  Central  Railroad;  Lawrence,  now 
deceased;  Lawrence,  the  second  of  the  name,  who  is  farming  in  Crawford 
county ;  Elizabeth,  of  Galion ;  Amore  and  Martin,  who  have  passed  away ; 
John,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  with  his  brother  Frank ;  Lee,  who  is  in  the 
employ  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company ;  and  Anth- 
ony, who  has  also  passed  away. 

Frank  Stumpf,  of  this  review,  is  the  third  child.  His  entire  life  has  been 
passed  in  Crawford  county  and  in  his  youth  he  engaged  in  the  pleasures  of 
the  playground  and  the  duties  of  the  school-room  and  in  the  labors  of  the 
field,  finding,  perhaps,  in  the  first  mentioned  the  greatest  enjoyment,  but  the 
other  two  proved  to  him  a  practical  preparation  for  life's  responsible  duties. 
He  and  his  brother  John  now  own  and  operate  the  old  homestead  together  and 
are  enterprising  agriculturists  whose  labors  are  bringing  to'  them  a  good  finan- 
cial return. 

Mr.  Stumpf,  of  this  review,  was  married  to  Miss  Sophia  Seafrety,  who 
was  born  in  German}'  and  died  in  1898.  Mr.  Stumpf  wedded  Agnes  Winters, 
a  sister  of  his  first  wife.  She  was  born  in  Germany,  June  8,  1877,  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  twins,  but  one  is  now  deceased. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Stumpf  is  a  Democrat.  He  and  his  family 
are  members  of  St.  Joseph's  Catholic  church. 

WILLIAM  BROWN. 

The  subject  of  this  review  is  a  man  of  much  influence  in  his  community, 
for  he  is  highly  respected,  and  is  justly  regarded  as  a  man  of  sound  judg- 
ment in  public  affairs  as  well  as  in  matters  relating  to  the  farm.  The  property 
which  he  now  owns  is  located  in  Vernon  township,  and  is  one  of  the  best  im- 
proved and  fertile  farms  of  the  locality. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  native  son  of  Crawford  county,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Vernon  township,  on  the  24th  of  April,  1852,  a  son  of  John  and 
Catherine  (Kinney)  Brown.  He  was  early  inured  to  the  labors  of  field  and 
meadow,  and  his  educational  advantages  were  those  afforded  by  the  common 
Schools  of  the  neighborhood.  At  the  early  age  of  seventeen  years  he  beg'an  his 
career  as  a  farm  hand,  working  for  neighboring  farmers  until  after  his  mar- 
riage, when  he  located  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  belonging  to 
his  father-in-law,  in  Vernon  township,  making  his  home  thereon  for  two  years. 
In  1880  he  became  the  owner  of  the  farm  which  he  now  occupies,  consisting  of 


792  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

one  hundred  and  thirty  acres,  and  here  lie  has  ever  since  made  his  home.  He 
has  been  very  successful  in  his  farming  operations,  and  in  addition  to  the 
raising  of  the  cereals  best  adapted  to  this  soil  and  climate  he  is  also  extensively 
engaged  in  the  breeding  of  Aberdeen  and  Durham  cattle.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  also  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  Shire  and  Norman  horses,  but 
of  late  years  he  has  paid  but  little  attention  to  that  branch  of  business.  In  the 
spring  of  1900  he  acquired  a  two-thirds  interest  in  a  one-hundred-acre  farm, 
formerly  known  as  the  Carlisle  place,  and  his  present  fine  residence  was 
erected  in  1893. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Brown  was  celebrated  in  January.  1878,  when  Miss 
Clara  McManus  became  his  wife.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William  McManus. 
Two  children  have  been  born  unto  this  union, — Frank  and  John  W.,  both  at 
home.  The  Democracy  receives. Mr.  Brown's  hearty  support  and  co-opera- 
tion, and  religiously  he  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  in  which 
he  is  an  active  and  zealous  worker.  He  is  well  known  as  a  public-spirited 
citizen,  and  exhibits  among  his  excellent  traits  of  character  honesty,  integrity 
and  sterling  worth. 

JACOB  BROWN. 

Jacob  Brown  is  one  of  the  thrifty  and  substantial  farmers  of  Crawford 
county,  where  he  has  passed  his  entire  life.  Personally  he  bears  a  high  repu- 
tation for  honorable  and  upright  dealing  with  his  fellow  men,  and  is  always 
found  in  the  front  rank  in  the  world  of  improvement  and  public  benefit. 

Mr.  Brown  was  born  in  Vernon  township,  Crawford  county,  on  the  28th 
of  November,  1855,  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine  Brown.  He  acquired  a  lim- 
ited education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  locality,  and  as  early  as  nine  years 
of  age  he  was  following  the  plow,  making  a  hand  at  farm  work,  and  from  that 
time  until  reaching  years  of  maturity  he  spent  much  of  his  time  in  working  for 
neighboring  farmers.  After  his  marriage  he  rented  one  of  his  father-in-law's 
farms  for  three  years,  the  place  consisting  of  two  hundred  and  ten  acres,  and 
was  located  west  of  the  place  on  which  he  now  resides.  In  1881  he  became 
the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of  his  present  homestead,  which  he  purchased  of  his 
father-in-law,  and  by  unremitting  labor  and  close  attention  to  business  success 
has  attended  his  efforts.  In  1893  ne  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  adjoin- 
ing his  home  on  the  west,  formerly  known  as  the  Cole  place,  thus  making-  him 
the  possessor  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land.  Here 
he  is  successfully  engaged  in  general  farming  and  in  the  raising  of  Shorthorn 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  793 

cattle.  His  fields  are  under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation,  and  in  both  branches 
of  his  business  prosperity  has  abundantly  rewarded  his  well-directed  efforts. 

On  the  14th  of  October,  1875,  Mr.  Brown  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Mary  Schwerer,  also  a  native  of  Vernon  township,  and  a  daughter  of 
George  and  Elizabeth  (  Heltman)  Schwerer.  The  parents  were  born  in  Darm- 
stadt, Germany,  and  their  marriage  was  celebrated  just  prior  to  their  embark- 
ing on  their  journey  for  the  new  world.  After  their  arrival  in  America  they 
spent  a  short  time  in  Pennsylvania  and  then  continued  the  journey  to  Mans- 
field, Ohio,  where  they  remained  for  some  years,  when  they  came  to  Crawford 
county,  locating  in  Leesville.  Later  they  removed  to  the  farm  which  adjoins 
our  subject's  place  on  the  east,  and  there  they  are  now  spending  the  evening 
of  life  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  their  former  toil. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  have  been  born  four  children,  namely:  Will- 
iam J.,  who  operates  one  of  his  father's  farms;  Elsie  M.,  wife  of  Aaron  Cole, 
of  Vernon  township ;  and  Ralph  W.  and  Edmon  E.,  who  are  still  at  home. 
Mr.  Brown  gives  his  political  support  to  the  Democracy,  but  has  refused  to 
allow  his  name  to  be  used  in  connection  with  public  office,  as  the  honors  or 
emoluments  of  public  positions  have  had  no  attraction  for  him.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he 
has  held  the  office  of  steward  therein.  His  life  has  been  characterized  by 
energy,  perseverance  and  hard  work,  and  to  these  principles  his  success  is  due. 
He  began  his  career  under  adverse  circumstances,  having  been  compelled  to 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  and  his  success  in  life  illustrates  most  forcibly 
the  power  of  patient  and  persistent  effort  and  self-reliance. 

ADAM  FEICK. 

One  of  the  prosperous  and  highly  respected  farmer  citizens  of  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  who  has  been  and  still  is  prominently  identified  with  the  political 
and  religious  interests  of  his  locality,  is  Adam  Feick,  the  owner  of  one  of  the 
best  cultivated  and  improved  farms  in  the  county. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Feick  was  in  Vernon  township,  in  this  county,  on  June 
10,  1845,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Philip  and  Elizabeth  (Fetter)  Feick,  and  was 
one  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  five  of  whom  still  survive,  these  being  as  fol- 
lows:  John,  of  this  township;  Jacob,  a  carpenter  in  Crestline,  Ohio;  Adam, 
our  subject;  George,  on  the  old  home;  and  Mack,  of  this  township. 

Philip  Feick,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadtr 
Germanv,  and  grew  to  manhood  there,  where  he  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade. 


794  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Immediately  after  his  marriage  he  and  his  bride  emigrated  to  America,  lo- 
cating in  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  carried  on  his  business  for  three 
years.  When  neighbors  and  friends  began  the  westward  movement  which  re- 
sulted in  the  settlement  of  this  part  of  Ohio,  Mr.  Feick  also  decided  to  secure 
some  land  in  order  to  make  further  provision  for  his  family.  With  one  horse 
and  a  spring  wagon  he  came  to  Crawford  county,  and  as  his  means  were  lim- 
ited he  gave  the  horse  and  wagon  as  part  payment  on  a  tract  of  forty  acres  of 
land  in  Vernon  township.  At  that  time  little  clearing  and  no  cultivation  had 
been  done  on  this  land,  which  was  partly  swamp  and  partly  timber.  During 
the  spring  and  fall  rains  the  struggling  pioneers  lost  many  of  their  cattle  by 
their  miring-  in  the  overflowed  marshy  grounds.  However,  Mr.  Feick  pos- 
sessed the  sturdy  perseverance  of  his  race  and  did  not  permit  himself  to  be 
discouraged,  and  in  time  he  conquered  difficulties  and  became  one  of  the  very 
successful  farmers  of  the  county,  owning  at  the  time  of  his  death  about  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  fine  land,  all  of  which  he  had  placed  under  cultiva- 
tion and  improvement.  His  years  extended  to  seventy-seven  and  he  had  been 
one  of  the  most  useful  and  progressive  citizens  of  his  township.  In  early  life 
he  had  been  connected  with  the  Lutheran  church,  but  after  the  division  came 
he  became  a  member  of  the  German  Reformed  church  and  for  years  was  both 
a  trustee  and  an  elder.  A  man  of  strong  character,  he  was  a  leader  among  his 
Democratic  brethren,  and  served  in  many  of  the  local  offices  and  was  township 
trustee  for  a  long  period. 

Although  Adam  Feick  is  now  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  well-in- 
formed citizens  of  his  township,  his  early  educational  advantages  were  very 
limited.  His  schooling  was  principally  in  the  German  schools,  only  five  weeks 
being  afforded  him  in  the  English  school;  but  any  disadvantage  of  that  kind 
has  long  since  been  forgotten,  for  Mr.  Feick,  in  his  public  life,  has  mingled 
with  the  residents  of  his  county  to  so  great  a  degree  that  any  difference  is 
little  noted.  His  father  was  an  energetic  and  industrious  man.  and  he  re- 
quired the  same  habits  in  his  children,  so  that  very  little  time  was  given  in 
those  days  to  books,  while  the  work  on  the  farm  was  pressing. 

On  June  20,  1866,  our  subject  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Cook,  who 
was  a  native  of  Richland  county,  Ohio,  and  who  was  a  daughter  of  George 
Cook,  a  native  of  Germain-,  who  came  to  America  after  attaining-  manhood, 
and  settled  in  Richland  county,  where  he  became  one  of  the  substantial  citizens. 
After  his  marriage  our  subject  worked  for  his  father-in-law  for  some  eighteen 
months  and  then  removed  to  his  present  home  farm  of  eighty  acres,  which  had 
been  purchased  by  his  father,  some  time  prior  to  this,  with  this  end  in  view. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  795 

In  1878  this  fine  farm  became  the  property  of  our  subject,  his  father  only  re- 
quiring- of  him  one-quarter  of  the  crop  during  the  former's  lifetime. 

Three  children  were  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  and  two  of  these  still 
survive,  these  being :  Catherine,  the  wife  of  Philip  Glower,  of  Jefferson  town- 
ship; and  Philip,  of  Sandusky  township.  Mrs.  Feick  died  on  February  28, 
1872,  and  on  October  7,  1873,  our  subject  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Frank,  who  was  a  native  of  Wyandot  county,  Ohio,  and  the  daughter  of  Peter 
Frank,  who  emigrated  to  Wyandot  county  from  Hesse-Darmstadt.  Seven 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Feick,  as  follows :  Peter,  of  Jeffer- 
son township;  William,  at  home;  Ida,  at  home;  Bena,  the  wife  of  William 
Holcher,  of  Crestline,  Ohio;  and  Lizzie,  Christian  and  Tillie,  at  home. 

Air.  Feick  has  been  very  prominent  in  Democratic  political  circles.  For 
four  years  he  served  as  constable  and  for  nine  years  was  the  efficient  super- 
visor of  the  township.  The  high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  in  the  county 
was  shown  in  1893,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  important  position  of  a  director 
on  the  board  of  county  infirmary,  and  for  six  years  lie  faithfully  and  consci- 
entiously performed  the  duties  of  the  office. 

Mr.  Feick  has  lived  a  busy  and  useful  life,  but  he  has  never  neglected  his 
duties  as  a  consistent  member  of  the  German  Reformed  church,  in  which  he 
has  served  as  trustee  and  is  now  one  of  its  faithful  stewards.  He  has  been 
liberal  in  support  of  all  charitable  and  benevolent  enterprises  in  his  locality 
and  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  county,  highly  esteemed 
both  at  home  and  abroad. 

SOLOMON  HARLEY. 

The  birth  of  Solomon  Harley,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  biography,  was 
in  Chatfield  township,  in  this  county,  on  October  24,  1841,  and  he  was  the 
second  son  in  the  family  o>f  his  parents,  John  and  Anna  (Rock)  Harley.  Ten 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harley,  the  seven  survivors  being  as  fol- 
lows :  George,  a  merchant  in  Leesburg-,  Kosciusko-  county,  Indiana ;  Solomon, 
the  subject  of  this  biography;  Susan,  the  wife  of  John  Bittikofer,  of  Sulphur 
Springs,  in  this  count}-.  Mary,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Knecht,  of  Petoskey,  Mich- 
igan; Caroline,  the  wife  of  Aaron  Flohr,  of  Xew  Washing-ton,  in  this  county; 
Alexander,  the  county  treasurer  of  Kosciusko^  county,  Indiana;  and  Isaac,  of 
Shelby,  Ohio. 

John  Harley  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  in  1815,  and  he  was  a  son  of 
John  and  Margaret  Harley,  people  of  limited  means  who  came  to  America' 


796  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

after  their  son  had  become  able  to  care  for  them.  He  nobly  fulfilled  this 
filial  dut}',  building  them  a  house  for  their  comfortable  residence  and  cared  for 
them  until  their  lives  ended.  John  Harley  was  but  seventeen  years  of  age 
when  he  came  to  America  and  made  his  home  soon  after  in  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio.  There  he  married  and  lived  for  two  more  years  in  the  same  locality, 
coming  then  to  Crawford  county.  Here  he  located  on  a  farm  of  eighty  acres, 
in  Chatfield  township,  forty  acres  of  which  he  had  purchased  prior  to  coming 
hither,  the  other  forty  acres  being  given  him  by  his  father-in-law.  Upon  this 
land  Mr.  Harley  erected  a  log  cabin,  living  in  an  old  shed  while  he  was  building 
this  residence.  In  time  he  cleared  his  land  and  in  later  years  he  purchased  ad- 
ditional land  until  his  farm  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  In 
1864  he  sold  this  farm  and  purchased  the  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  which  com- 
prise the  farm  of  our  subject,  located  in  Sandusky  township.  Before  remov- 
ing to  this  place  Mr.  Harley  built  on  it  one  of  the  handsomest  and  most  at- 
tractive residences  in  Crawford  county,  making  it  a  home  filled  with  comforts 
and  conveniences.  Here  his  useful  life  closed  three  years  later,  passing  away 
surrounded  by  sorrowing  friends.  In  politics  he  had  ever  been  an  ardent 
Republican,  and  was  active  in  public  affairs  in  his  neighborhood.  In  former 
years  he  had  been  connected  with  the  Methodist  church,  but  at  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Reformed  church. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  on 
December  8,  1812,  and  she  was  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Maria  Barbara 
(Reith)  Rock,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania. 
They  came  to  Crawford  county  from  Columbiana  county,  having  resided  there 
some  years,  and  located  in  Liberty  township  at  an  early  day.  Mr.  Rock  came 
into  the  possession  of  about  three  hundred  acres  of  land  and  was  one  of  the 
substantial  farmers  of  the  county.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died  in  her 
eighty-ninth  year,  on  February  3,  1901,  having  been  for  many  years  one  of  the 
most  devoted  members  of  the  Reformed  church. 

Solomon  Harlev,  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools.  After  attaining  his  majority  he  remained  at 
home  as  the  farmer,  receiving  his  share  of  the  yield,  but  in  1870  he  purchased 
an  interest  in  a  sawmill  and  after  that  period  he  gave  the  greater  part  of  his 
time  and  attention  to  the  management  of  this  property,  continuing  to  operate 
this  mill  during  the  larger  part  of  twenty-five  years.  After  his  marriage  he 
removed  to  a  residence  situated  near  the  mill,  and  here  his  first  wife  died,  three 
years  later,  and  then  he  returned  to  the  home  farm,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  797 

In  1875  our  subject,  in  connection  with  his  brother  Isaac,  took  charge  of 
the  home  farm  and  carried  on  a  general  line  of  agricultural  work  in  the  interest 
of  the  heirs,  continuing  until  about  1887,  when  the  whole  burden  was  assumed 
by  our  subject,  his  brother  Isaac  marrying  at  that  time  and  removing  to  an- 
other locality.  Mr.  Harley  still  continued  on  the  farm  and  in  1900  bought  the 
property.  His  long  residence  upon  it  made  it  doubly  valuable  to  him,  and  he 
has  now  not  only  one  of  the  best  farms  but  also  one  of  the  finest  residences  in 
this  vicinity. 

The  first  marriage  of  Solomon  Harley  was  in  1870,  to  Miss  Minerva  A. 
Stevens,  who  was  a  native  of  Cranberry  township,  in  this  county,  and  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Stevens,  a  resident  of  Tiro,  of  whom  extended  men- 
tion is  made  in  another  part  of  this  work.  Two  children  were  born  of  this 
union,  the  survivor  being  Elmer  J.,  who  is  in  the  insurance  business  in  Kan- 
sas City.  The  second  marriage  of  our  subject  was  in  1875,  to  Miss  Anna 
Immel,  who  was  a  native  of  Cranberry  township  and  a  daughter  of  Philip 
Immel,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Crawford 
county.  To  this  marriage  six  children  have  been  born,  the  five  survivors  beinpr 
as  follows:  Nora,  Charles,  Homer,  Clara  and  Leroy,  all  of  these  still  residing" 
in  their  beautiful  home,  with  the  exception  of  Charles,  who  lives  in  Tiro. 

In  politics  Mr.  Harley  has  been  a  life-long  Republican  and  has  most  effi- 
ciently served  for  the  past  twelve  years  as  justice  of  the  peace,  filling  also  many 
of  the  other  offices,  serving  during  one  term  as  the  careful  and  accurate  town- 
ship treasurer,  and  for  several  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  school 
directors,  and  many  of  the  excellent  reforms  introduced  into  the  school  system 
in  this  district  have  resulted  from  his  intelligent  interest.  Mr.  Harley  is 
justly  considered  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Sandusky  township,  and  is  a 
man  who  has  established  a  reputation  through  the  county  for  unimpeachable 
integrity. 

AMOS  F.  KELLER. 

Rising  above  the  heads  of  the' masses  are  many  men  of  sterling  worth  and 
value,  who  by  sheer  perseverance  and  pluck  have  conquered  fortune,  and  by 
their  own  unaided  efforts  have  risen  from  the  ranks  of  commonplace  to  emi- 
nence and  positions  of  respect  and  trust.  It  is  to  his  perseverance  and  in- 
domitable energy  that  Amos  F.  Keller  owes  his  success  in  life,  as  well  as  to  his 
keen  and  brilliant  mind.  He  has  continued  through  life  a  diligent  student, 
being  now  one  of  the  best  informed  men  on  general  subjects  in  Crawford 
countv,  and  as  an  orator  he  also  stands  in  the  front  rank. 


793  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

A  native  son  of  the  Buckeye  state,  Mr.  Keller  was  born  in  the  house 
where  he  still  resides,  his  parents  being  Phillip  and  Hannah  (Stucker) 
Keller.  He  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
neighborhood,  supplementing  the  knowledge  there  gained  by  a  scientific 
course  under  Professor  Churchill,  of  Oberlin  University,  and  for  eight  years 
thereafter  he  also  pursued  the  Ohio>  teachers'  reading  course.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  years  he  began  teaching  in  the  district  schools,  which  profession  he  fol- 
lowed for  eighteen  years  during  the  winter  months,  while  in  the  summers  he 
worked  in  field  and  meadow.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  and  his 
brother,  John  H.,  took  charge  of  the  home  farm,  which  they  conducted  on 
the  shares  for  two  years,  after  which  our  subject  had  entire  charge  of  the  old 
homestead,  the  brother  removing  to  another  farm.  On  the  30th  of  October, 
1895,  Mr.  Keller  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  H.  Maudesta  Carrothers, 
a  daughter  of  James  B.  Carrothers,  of  Vernon  township  and  a  sketch  of  whom 
will  be  found  on  another  page  of  this  work.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with 
three  children, — Constance  Rebecca,  John  Carrothers  and  Robert  Warren. 

In  political  matters  Mr.  Keller  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  his  first  vote  was  cast  in  its  favor,  but  in  later  life  he  has  identified 
himself  with  the  Labor  party.  In  1894  he  was  a  candidate  on  the  People'3 
ticket  for  congress,  and  in  1896  and  again  in  1900  he  stumped  this  entire 
section  of  the  country  for  Bryan.  He  has  also  held  the  position  of  organizer 
of  labor  under  Powderly  one  year.  Mr.  Keller  is  a  great  reader,  and  in  recent 
years  his  study  has  largely  been  confined  to  philosophical  and  historical  works, 
while  at  the  present  time  he  is  engaged  in  reading  law.  He  has  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  complete  general  libraries  in  Crawford  county.  Religiously 
he  is  an  active  member  of  the  German  Reformed  church,  in  which  he  is  at  the 
present  time  serving  as  an  elder,  and  he  is  as  broad-minded  and  liberal  in  his 
religious  views  as  upon  all  other  subjects.  With  a  capacity  and  experience 
which  would  enable  him  to  fulfill  any  trust  to  which  he  might  be  chosen,  he 
has  never  sought  to  advance  himself  in  office,  but  has  been  content  to  do  his 
duty  where  he  could  and  leave  the  self-seeking  to  others.  Viewed  in  a  per- 
sonal light,  he  is  a  strong  man,  of  excellent  judgment,  lair  in  his  views  and 
highly  honorable  in  his  relations  with  his  fellow  men.  He  is  a  man  of  very 
strong  convictions,  and  his  integrity  stands  as  an  unquestioned  fact  in  his 
career.  He  has  always  been  a  student,  and  the  scope  and  amplitude  of  his 
knowledge  render  him  a  charming  conversationalist.  He  is  in  full  sympathy 
with  all  the  great  movements  of  the  world  about  him,  and  watches  the  progress 
of  events  with  the  keenest  interest. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  799 

JACOB  PRY. 

Jacob  Pry,  who  is  a  well-known  and  highly  esteemed  resident  of  Craw- 
ford count}-,  Ohio,  was  born  in  Sandusky  township,  in  this  county,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1846,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Rickey  (Bowman)  Pry,  the  for- 
mer of  whom  was  born  in  Germany  in  1803  and  died  on  April  1,  1893,  in  his 
ninetieth  year.  After  coming  to  the  United  States  with  his  mother  and 
brothers  and  sisters,  the  father  of  our  subject  bought  a  farm  near  Sulphur 
Springs,  in  Liberty  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  later  sold  it  and 
bought  the  fine  property  now  owned  and  occupied  by  our  subject. 

Jacob  Pry,  of  this  biography,  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm  and 
attended  the  common  schools.  After  reaching  his  twenty-first  year  he  started 
out  to  make  a  career  for  himself,  beginning  as  a  farm  hand,  his  labor  bringing 
excellent  wages.  In  this  line  he  continued  until  his  marriage,  on  April  28, 
1870,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Gundrum,  who  was  a  native  of  Sandusky  township. 

After  marriage  Mr.  Pry,  in  association  with  his  brother  John,  bought  the 
farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  the  latter,  and  here  the  two  brothers  com- 
bined their  interests  together  for  some  years.  Then  our  subject  removed  from 
there  and  engaged  in  farming  on  rented  land  for  a  number  of  years.  In  the 
latter  part  of  the  '80s  our  subject  and  Lewis  Pry  bought  the  old  Kinsley  farm, 
consisting  of  ninety-six  acres,  and  for  three  years  they  carried  on  extensive- 
farming  operations,  at  the  end  of  which  period  our  subject  purchased  his 
present  home  farm,  consisting  of  ninety  acres,  to  which  he  removed  in  1896, 
and  here  he  has  since  resided.  This  is  one  of  the  highly  cultivated  and  valu- 
able farms  of  the  county,  and  Mr.  Pry  has  the  reputation  of  being  a  thorough 
and  progressive  farmer  as  well  as  a  useful  and  most  intelligent  citizen. 

In  his  political  sympathies  Mr.  Pry  is  independent,  although  he  was; 
elected  as  township  trustee  on  the  Populist  ticket.  His  term  of  service  was 
most  satisfactory  and  demonstrated  the  confidence  and  esteem  in  which  he  is 
held  by  his  fellow  citizens.  He  has  long  been  a  leading  member  and  generous 
supporter  of  the  United  Brethren  church,  where  he  is  highly  valued  for  his 
exemplary  life  and  high  moral  character. 

CALEB  PFAHLER. 

As  an  example  of  the  usefulness  and  prominence  to  which  men  of  char- 
acter and  determination  may  attain,  it  is  but  necessary  to  chronicle  the  life  of 
Caleb  Pfahler,  one  of  the  representative  agriculturists  of  Crawford  county. 
45 


8od  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

He  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  this  locality,  his  birth  having  occurred  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  on  the  ioth  of  May,  1835.  He  is  a  son  of 
Matthias  and  Barbara  (Pfahler)  Pfahler,  who  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  but  our  subject  is  now  the  only  survivor  of  the  family.  The  father 
was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  about  1792,  and  was  there  reared  and 
married.  In  1832  he  came  with  his  wife  and  four  children  to  the  United 
States,  but  one  child  died  during  the  voyage  and  was  buried  at  sea.  After 
landing  in  New  York  the  family  made  their  way  to  Ohio,  and,  after  leaving 
his  wife  and  children  in  Canton,  this  state,  the  father  and  his  brother  George, 
who  had  accompanied  him  to  the  new  world,  proceeded  on  foot  to'  Crawford 
county,  where  the  father  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  where  our  subject  now 
resides,  while  the  brother  secured  an  eighty-acre-  tract  one  mile  south  of  this 
place,  and  after  completing"  their  arrangements  they  returned  to  Canton,  loaded 
their  few  household  effects  into  wagons  which  they  hired  and  came  with  the 
family  to  their  Crawford  county  home.  Their  first  residence,  which  was  a 
cabin  built  of  round  logs,  was  erected  bv  tire  original  owner,  and  this  served 
as  their  place  of  abode  for  many  years,  after  which  the  father  erected  a  larger 
and  more  commodious  hewed-log  house.  In  this  residence  he  spent  his  de- 
clining years,  passing  away  in  1855.  He  cleared  his  farm  from  the  dense 
forest,  experiencing  all  the  hardships  and  difficulties  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  a 
pioneer,  and  subsequently  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Cranberry  town- 
ship, which  is  now  the  property  of  the  heirs  of  our  subject's  brother,  Matthias 
Pfahler.  The  father  was  an  active  and  worthy  member  of  the  German  Lu- 
theran church,  and  in  his  political  affiliations  was  a  Democrat.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  survived  her  husband  for  fourteen  or  fifteen  years. 

Caleb  Pfahler,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  acquired  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  old  pioneer  log  school  house,  with  its  puncheon  floor  and  slab 
benches  to  serve  as  seats.  He  supplemented  the  knowledge  there  gained  with 
three  terms  in  the  New  Washington  schools,  where  he  received  superior  educa- 
tional advantages.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  left  the  parental  roof  and 
apprenticed  himself  to  the  tanner's  trade  with  Matthias  Kibler,  his  brother-in- 
law,  in  Xew  Washington,  where  he  remained  for  three  years,  and  then,  having 
completed  his  apprenticeship,  he  spent  some  time  in  travel,  spending  the  fol- 
lowing- summer  in  Illinois  and  Iowa.  In  the  fall  of  1856  he  returned  to  his 
home  in  Ohio,  and,  his  father  having  died  the  year  previous,  he  took  charge 
of  the  home  farm,  operating  the  same  on  shares.  However,  he  purchased 
the  interests  of  the  other  heirs,  and  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  death  he  became 
the  sole  owner  of  the  old  family  homestead.     In  1875  he  purchased  an  ad- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  801 

joining  sixty-eight  acres,  and  his  landed  possessions  now  aggregate  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-eight  acres.  Year  by  year  prosperity  has  attained  his  efforts, 
and  he  is  now  numbered  among  the  representative  agriculturists  of  Crawford 
count)-,  but  his  success  has  come  to  him  as  the  result  of  unremitting  energy, 
good  management  and  close  attention  to  business. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Pfahler  was  celebrated  in  February,  1862,  Miss 
Eliza  Buck  becoming  his  wife.  She  is  a  native  of  Licking  county,  Ohio,  and 
a  daughter  of  John  N.  and  Anna  (Swisher)  Buck,  natives,  respectively,  of 
Germany  and  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pfahler  have  had  eight  chil- 
dren, namely:  John,  who  resides  at  Liberty  Corners,  Crawford  county;  Silas, 
also  of  this  county;  Frank,  who  still  resides  with  his  parents  and  is  engaged 
in  threshing ;  Samuel  and  Ira,  who  manage  the  home  farm  for  their  father ; 
Charlie,  deceased;  and  Anna  and  William,  who  are  still  at  home.  Mr.  Pfahler 
casts  his  ballot  in  favor  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Democracy.  He  is 
now  passing  his  remaining  years  in  his  pleasant  home  in  Sandusky  township, 
where  he  enjoys  all  the  comforts  of  domestic  bliss  and  where  he  finds  rest  and 
quiet. 

LEWIS    PRY. 

Lewis  Pry,  of  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is  a  member  of  a  well-known  and 
highly  respected  family  of  this  county,  and  is  also  one  of  its  most  highly 
esteemed  citizens.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Pry  was  in  Sandusky  township,  in  Craw- 
ford county,  in  1847,  and  ne  was  a  son  °f  Frederick  and  Rickey  (Bowman) 
Pry,  the  former  of  whom  was  long-  a  resident  of  Crawford  count}'  and  a  worthy 
representative  of  his  German  ancestors,  a  man  whose  word  was  ever  kqual  to 
his  bond  in  any  business  transaction.  Frederick  Pry  was  long-  known,  as  his 
years  extended  far  beyond  the  three-score  and  ten  of  the  Psalmist,  his  death 
occurring  on  April  1,  1893,  m  his  ninetieth  year. 

Lewis  Pry,  the  immediate  subject,  was  reared  under  a  good  and  pious 
father  and  mother,  and  attended  the  common  schools  in  his  youth,  beginning 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one  to  make  a  career  for  himself.  His  first  attempt  was 
on  the  home  farm,  which  he  managed  on  shares.  In  1873  he  married  Miss 
Catherine  Fleer,  who  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  a  daughter  of  Sebastian 
Heer.  She  came  to  America  with  her  parents  when  she  was  three  years  old. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heer  spent  a  short  time  in  Wayne  county.  Ohio,  prior  to  lo- 
cating in  Crawford  county,  but  later  purchased  the  farm  upon  which  our  sub- 
ject now  resides,  and  here  the  last  days  of  Airs.  Pry's  parents  were  spent. 


8o2  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

After  marriage  Mr.  Pry  settled  upon  his  father-in-law's  .farm  and  con- 
tinued to  manage  and  operate  this  land  until  the  death  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heer. 
This  property  was  then  sold  and  a  brother-in-law  of  our  subject  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  it,  and  our  subject  bought  twenty-five  acres,  building  upon  his 
tract  a  commodious  farm  house,  and  here  the  family  resided  until  1896,  when 
he  purchased  the  remaining  eighty  acres,  and  he  then  removed  his  family  to 
the  old  Heer  homestead,  and  there  they  have  since  resided.  Here  Mr.  Pry  has 
one  hundred  and  five  acres.  Formerly  he  owned  a  one-half  interest  in  the  old 
Kinsley  homestead,  of  ninety-six  acres,  and  also  twenty  acres  south  of  his 
home  farm,  but  this  land  he  has  disposed  of. 

Of  the  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pry  we  may  name  Matilda,  the  wife 
of  Barney  Cole,  of  Vernon  township,  this  county;  William,  a  farmer  on  his 
father's  land;  Daniel,  Charles  and  Franklin,  at  home.  Mr.  Pry  is  one  of  the 
leading  Democrats  of  this  section  and  actively  supports  his  party,  men  and 
measures.  Although  he  is  not  connected  by  membership  with  any  religious 
organization,  he  is  a  regular  attendant  at  divine  services,  and  liberally  supports 
all  church  and  charitable  enterprises.  He  stands  well  in  the  estimation  of 
his  fellow  citizens  and  is  known  as  a  good  farmer  and  a  useful  and  excellent 
citizen. 

ALEXANDER  SMITH. 

Many  years  have  passed  since  Alexander  Smith  came  to  Crawford  county 
to  cast  in  his  lot  with  its  pioneers.  People  of  the  present  day  can  scarcely 
realize  the  struggles  and  dangers  which  attended  the  early  settlers,  the  heroism 
and  self-sacrifice  of  lives  passed  upon  the  borders  of  civilization,  the  hardships 
endured,  the  difficulties  overcome.  To  the  pioneer  of  the  early  days,  far  re- 
moved from  the  privileges  and  conveniences  of  city  or  town,  the  struggle  for 
existence  was  a  stern  and  hard  <  me,  and  of  these  men  and  women  must  have 
possessed  indomitable  energies  and  sterling  worth  of  character,  as  well  as 
marked  physical  courage,  when  they  thus  voluntarily  selected  such  a  life  and 
successfully  fought  its  battles  under  such  circumstances  as  prevailed  in  this 
then  new  and  undeveloped  country. 

Mr.  Smith  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  2d  of 
June,  1 82 1,  a  son  of  Joseph  S.  and  Jane  (Hogan)  Smith.  The  father  was  also 
born  in  Washington  county  of  the  Keystone  state,  his  birth  occurring  in  1797. 
He  was  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Jane  (Snodgrass)  Smith,  both  natives  of  the 
Emerald  Isle.     After  coming  to  the  United  States  the  grandfather  became  a 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  803 

well-known  and  prominent  farmer  of  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  spent  his  remaining  clays.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  war  of  1812,  and 
was  a  man  highly  respected  and  esteemed  for  his  many  estimable  traits  of 
character.  His  son,  Joseph  S.,  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  county  of  his 
nativity,  and  was  early  inured  to  the  work  of  field  and  meadow.  After  his 
marriage  he  located  on  a  portion  of  his  father's  farm,  where  he  remained  until 
1825,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  came  with  his  wife  and  two  children  by 
wagon  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio.  During  a  portion  of  the  journey  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  go  ahead  and  clear  a  road  ere  the  wagon  could  proceed, 
and  on  his  arrival  here  he  located  on  the  farm  on  which  he  still  resides,  he 
having  entered  the  land  from  the  government  in  1821  while  on  a  prospecting 
tour  through  Ohio.  The  place  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and 
was  then  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  native  timber,  and  while  he  erected 
a  cabin  the  family  were  obliged  to  live  in  the  wagon.  Mr.  Smith  cleared  and 
improved  this  place,  and  in  later  years  erected  a  more  modern  and  commodious 
hewed-log  house,  in  which  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  passing  away  in  1843, 
in  early  life.  He  was  an  active  church  worker  and  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian denomination,  and  he  aided  materially  in  the  erection  of  the  first  Pres- 
byterian church  in  Crawford  county.  Our  subject,  who  was  then  a  lad  of 
thirteen  years,  drove  an  ox-team  in  hauling  the  timber  used  in  its  construc- 
tion. In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Smith  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  also 
active  in  military  affairs,  and  for  a  number  of  years  served  as  captain  oi  a 
company.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  who  was  born  in  Maryland,  in  1797, 
was  a  daughter  of  William  Hogan,  who  removed  to  Washington  count}', 
Pennsylvania,  from  Maryland,  his  native  state,  and  was  of  Irish  extraction. 
Mrs.  Smith  survived  her  husband  about  ten  years,  dying  in  1855,  and  was  ac- 
cidentally killed  by  being  thrown  from  a  buggy.  They  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  three  of  whom  still  survive, — Alexander,  the  subject  of  this 
review;  William  W.,  a  resident  of  Woodson  county,  Kansas;  and  Tabitha«J., 
the  widow  of  James  Majors. 

Alexander  Smith,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  reared  to  the 
quiet  purusits  of  the  farm  and  received  his  educational  advantages  in  the  old 
pioneer  log  school  house,  with  its  puncheon  floor,  slab  benches  and  greased 
paper  windows.  In  1843,  after  his  marriage,  he  erected  a  log  cabin  on  a 
portion  of  his  father's  farm,  which  he  operated  on  the  shares,  thus  continuing 
for  about  five  years.  In  the  meantime,  however,  the  farm  had  been  divided, 
and  on  the  expiration  of  the  five  years  our  subject  purchased  the  interests  of 
the  other  heirs  and  thus  became  the  possessor  of  the  entire  homestead.     In 


8o4  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

1857  he  erected  his  present  substantial  frame  residence,  and  his  farm,  which 
consists  of  one  hundred. and  fifty-two  acres,  is  one  of  the  valuable  places  of 
Crawford  county.  For  the  past  twenty  years,  however,  he  has  lived  retired, 
in  the  enjoyment  of  a  well-earned  rest,  the  result  of  unfaltering  energy,  wise 
judgment  and  business  ability.  The  management  of  the  farm  is  now  left  to 
his  sons.  In  the  days  of  the  horse-power  thresher  Mr.  Smith  also  devoted 
a  part  of  his  time  to  threshing,  but  his  principal  occupation  has  been  farming, 
and  in  that  vocation  his  efforts  were  attended  with  a  high  and  well-merited 
degree  of  success. 

The  year  1843  witnessed  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Smith  and  Miss  Nancy  J. 
Dix,  a  native  of  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Dix. 
This  union  was  blessed  with  seven  children,  four  of  whom  still  survive, 
namely:  Joseph  M.,  a  resident  of  Crawford  county;  Porter  W.,  of  Okla- 
homa ;  Alexander,  who  operates  the  home  farm ;  and  Martha  J.,  the  wife  of 
Oliver  McKeehen,  also  of  Sandusky  township,  Crawford  county.  The  wife 
and  mother  passed  away  in  death  on  the  14th  of  August,  1887,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years.  For  the  past  fifty-seven  years  Mr.  Smith  has  been  an  active 
and  zealous  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  during  all  of  that  time  has 
served  as  an  elder  therein,  much  of  the  time  also  acting  as  a  trustee.  In  politi- 
cal matters  he  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Democracy.  He  has  been  the  choice 
of  his  party  for  a  number  of  local  offices,  having  served  for  two  terms  as  town- 
ship trustee,  two  terms  as  clerk  of  his  township,  two  terms  as  township  as- 
sessor, and  for  more  than  twenty  years  has  held  the  office  of  township  treasurer. 
In  all  of  these  positions  he  discharged  his  duties  with  the  utmost  fidelity  and 
honesty,  and  in  all  relations  of  life  he  has  ever  been  true  to  principle  and  the 
right. 

JOHN  GUISS. 

Research, into  the  early  history  of  Crawford  county  indicates  the  fact  that 
the  Guiss  family  was  founded  here  in  early  pioneer  days  and  that  they  became 
identified  with  agricultural  interests,  thus  aiding  in  the  work  of  reclaiming 
wild  land  for  purposes  of  civilization.  Our  subject  is  numbered  among  the 
native  sons  of  the  county,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Cranberry  township, 
on  the  farm  which  Jacob  Sheets  and  wife  now  own.  His  father,  Abraham 
Guiss,  was  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  son  of 
Jacob  Guiss.  Both  removed  from  the  Keystone  state  to  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio,  at  a  very  early  day,  locating  near  Xew  Lisbon,  and  in  1836  they  came 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  S05, 

with  their  respective  families  to  Crawford  county.  The  journey  was  made 
with  ox-teams  and  they  were  twenty-one  days  upon  the  way.  In  addition  to 
their  household  effects  and  other  personal  property  they  brought  with  them 
three  geese,  one  of  which  is  still  living  and  is  now  in  possession  of  our  sub- 
ject. The  grandfather  entered  nearly  one  thousand  acres  of  government  land 
and  took  up  his  abode  where  Jacob  Myres  resides.  He  was  the  father  of 
twelve  children,  namely:  John,  George.  Abraham,  Christian.  Henry,  Anne, 
Susan,  Catherine,  Martha  and  others  whose  names  are  not  remembered. 
The  grandfather,  Jacob  Guiss,  or  real  name  Guissinger,  wandered  from  home 
when  quite  young,  and  on  going  to  school  the  "inger"  was  omitted  by  the 
teacher  and  thus  only  Guiss  remains. 

The  Guiss  family  lived  in  true  pioneer  style  and  endured  the  usual  hard- 
ships and  trials  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  settlers  upon  the  frontier.  Amid  such 
surroundings  our  subject  was  reared,  and  upon  the  old  homestead  he  remained 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  began  teaching  in 
the  district  school,  having  thirty-five  scholars,  of  whom  thirty-one  were  rela- 
tives. He  remained  in  charge  of  that  school  for  two  years,  and  for  a  similar 
period  had  charge  of  the  New  Washington  school,  after  which  he  was  engaged 
in  photographic  work  in  Plymouth,  Ohio,  for  two  years.  Subsequently  he  spent 
one  year  as  a  bookkeeper  in  Cleveland,  and  then  returning  to  Plymouth,  he 
clerked  in  a  general  store  for  two  years.  The  succeeding  year  was  spent  as  a 
salesman  in  Shelby,  Ohio,  after  which  he  bought  an  interest  in  a  store  in  West 
Liberty,  carrying  on  business  at  that  place  for  two  years.  He  was  next  owner 
of  a  half  interest  in  a  store  in  Sulphur  Springs,  where  he  carried  on  mercantile 
pursuits  for  fourteen  years,  meeting  with  good  success  in  his  undertakings. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  removed  to  the  farm  upon  which  he  now 
lives  and  which  has  been  his  home  continuously  since  1880.  He  is  engaged  in 
general  farming,  having  eighty  acres  of  rich  land,  which  he  has  placed  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation. 

On  the  19th  of  November,  1863,  Mr.  Guiss  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Susan  Fry,  and  unto  them  have  been  born  six  children  :  William  H.,  a 
practicing  physician  residing  in  Tiro,  Ohio;  Mellville,  who  makes  his  home  in 
Cedartown,  Georgia,  where  he  is  serving  as  treasurer  and  secretarv  of  the 
Alabama  &  Georgia  Iron  Company;  Ethie,  who  is  engaged  in  school-teaching 
and  makes  her  home  with  her  parents;  Charles  A.,  who  was  also  engaged  in 
teaching  school,  but  is  now  taking  a  course  at  the  Ohio  State  University  :  War- 
ren G.,  who  is  the  principal  of  the  Chatfield  schools;  and  Maude  R.,  who  is 
attending  the  Heidelburg  School  of  Oratory.     The  children  have  been  pro- 


8o6  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

vided  with  good  educational  privileges,  all  but  one  being  graduates  of  the 
Washington  high  school. 

Mr.  Guiss  has  frequently  been  called  to  public  office  by  his  fellow  towns- 
men, who,  recognizing  his  worth  and  ability,  have  chosen  him  for  public  hon- 
ors. For  nine  years  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  discharged  his  duties 
with  strict  fairness  and  impartiality.  He  was  also  township  clerk  of  Liberty 
township,  was  assessor,  notary  public  for  six  years,  and  for  ten  years  was 
assistant  postmaster  at  Sulphur  Springs.  In  politics  he  is  a  stalwart  Demo- 
crat, and  in  every  position  in  which  he  has  served  he  has  discharged  his  duties 
in  a  most  able  and  energetic  manner,  winning  the  commendation  of  all  con- 
•cerned.  In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Lutheran.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  at  New  Washington,  has. filled  all  the  chairs  and  is 
now  a  past  chancellor.  His  life  exemplifies  the  beneficent  spirit  of  the  fra- 
ternity. He  is  widely  and  favorably  known  and  is  held  in  the  highest  regard 
where  he  is  best  known. 

JACOB  CRUM. 

One  of  the  old  and  highly  respected  farmers  of  Crawford  count)'  is  Jacob 
Crum,  who  has  established  a  reputation  as  a  thorough  farmer  and  estimable 
and  useful  citizen  during  a  residence  here  which  covers  more  than  a  half  cen- 
tury. Mr.  Crum  was  born  in  Adams  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  April  10, 
1825,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Moses  and  Margaret  (Rex)  Crum,  and  was  one  of 
a  family  of  six  children  which  was  born  U>  his  parents.  Of  this  family  our 
subject  and  his  brother  Michael/ who  is  a  resident  of  Richland  county,  are  the 
only  living  representatives. 

Moses  Crum  was  a  farmer  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  born  in  1792, 
and  from  that  state  he  emigrated  to  Ohio,  about  1838,  locating  in  Sharon 
township,  Richland  county.  Here  he  lived  until  1877,  at  which  time  he  passed 
away,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years  and  two  months.  His  most  worthy 
widow  survived  him  for  about  ten  years,  her  age  reaching*  ninety-five  years. 
Mr.  Crum  possessed  at  the  time  of  his  decease  about  two  hundred  and  forty 
•acres  of  land,  and  provided  well  for  his  children,  ever  taking  a  deep  interest 
in  their  welfare. 

Jacob  Crum  was  reared  to  farm  work  and  was  about  thirteen  years  old 
when  his  parents  removed  to  Ohio.  His  educational  advantages  were  limited, 
his  only  opportunity  being  during  the  few  winter  months  when  he  could  be 
spared  from  the  farm,  the  school  house  being  such  as  the  pioneer  locality  pro- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  807 

videcl,  as  at  that  time  the  advantages  of  education  were  not  always  appreciated 
by  those  who  were  obliged  to  provide  houses  and  teachers. 

Our  subject  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage,  in  1855,  to  Miss  Susan 
Naser,  who  was  a  native  of  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  who  was 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  Naser,  who  came  to  Richland  county  in  1834.  Mr. 
Naser  located  in  Sharon  township  and  lived  there  his  remaining  years.  After 
marriage  our  subject  and  his  young  wife  began  housekeeping  on  the  farm 
which  he  now  occupies,  in  Vernon  township.  This  property  was  a  present 
from  his  honored  father  and  comprised  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  acres,  to 
which  our  subject  has  since  added  other  lands.  In  1880  he  purchased  a  tract 
of  fortv' acres,  which  is  located  one- fourth  of  a  mile  south  of  his  home  place, 
and  in  1885  he  bought  another  farm,  the  location  of  the  latter  being  in  Auburn 
township,  across  the  highway  from  his  residence  farm,  and  consists  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy  acres.  With  these  additions  our  subject  owns  three  hun- 
dred and  seventy-six  acres  of  land,  and  carries  on  extensive  farming  and  stock- 
raising  operations. 

Seven  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crum,  as  follows :  Sam- 
uel, residing  on  the  Auburn  township  farm  ;  Elzina,  the  wife  of  Warren  Turtle, 
of  Shelby;  Jeremiah,  of  the  state  of  Washington;  Curtis,  of  Shelby,  Ohio; 
John,  residing  at  home;  Catherine,  the  wife  of  Edward  Johnson,  of  Shelby; 
and  Luella,  deceased.  In  politics  Mr.  Crum  has  been  a  life-long  Democrat, 
and  has  been  of  service  to  his  locality  in  several  offices,  notably  as  school 
director,  for  several  years.  He  has  been  long  one  of  the  leading  members  of 
the  Reformed  church,  as  was  his  wife  until  her  death,  in  1888.  During  his 
long  life  in  this  locality  Mr.  Crum  has  witnessed  many  changes,  and  lias  done 
his  part  in  (developing  the  agricultural  section  in  his  vicinity,  and  is  held  in 
high  esteem  and  is  one  of  the  most  substantial  citizens  of  the  county. 


JOHN  BURGBACHER. 

The  pioneer  history  of  Crawford  county  would  be  incomplete  without 
mention  of  this  gentleman,  who  for  more  than  sixty-five  years  has  made  his 
home  within  her  borders,  his  time  and  attention  being  given  largely  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  has  assisted  in  reclaiming  the  wild  land  for  purposes 
of  civilization  and  in  many  ways  has  contributed  to  the  substantial  develop- 
ment and  growth  of  the  county.  He  has  always  been  an  interested  witness 
•of  its  improvement,  from  the  time  when  the  region  was  dotted  here  and  there 


8o8  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

with  rude  log  cabins,  down  to  the  present,  when  line  farms  and  thriving 
villages  indicate  the  prosperous  condition  of  a  contented  and  happy  people. 

Mr.  Burgbacher  was  born  in  \\  urtemberg,  Germany,  June  23,  1824,  a  son 
of  Johannes  and  Rosina  (Bypus)  Burgbacher.  In  1835  the  father  brought 
his  wife  and  children  to  America,  sailing  in  June  of  that  vear  and  reaching 
New  York  after  a  voyage  of  sixty-two  days.  From  the  eastern  metropolis 
they  proceeded  by  lake  and  canal  to  Sandusky  and  thence  by  team  to  Crawford 
county.  He  was  a  wagon-maker  by  trade,  but  after  coming  to  this  country 
he  located  on  the  farm  where  our  subject  now  resides,  purchasing-  eighty 
acres  of  land,  of  which  four  acres  had  been  cleared,  while  a  log  cabin  had 
been  builded.  The  land  was  covered  with  heavy  timber,  beech,  oak,  elm  and 
ash,  but  the  father  and  his  sons  at  once  began  to  clear  awav  the  trees  and 
prepare  the  fields  for  cultivation.  For  four  years  after  their  arrival  the  fa- 
ther and  his  son  John  tilled  what  corn  they  planted  with  a  hoe.  The  deer 
were  so  numerous  that  they  would  often  come  to  the  hay  stack  and  feed  with 
the  cows.  Everything  was  wild,  the  land  was  in  its  primitive  condition  and 
the  work  of  progress  and  improvement  seemed  scarcelv  begun,  but  in  course 
of  time  all  this  was  changed  and  the  farm  is  now  one  of  the  most  valuable 
farming  properties  in  the  count}-.  The  father  died  in  1842,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven  years,  while  his  wife  passed  away  December  14,  1850.  They  were 
the  parents  of  five  children. 

Air.  Burgbacher,  of  this  review,  was  eighteen  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  his  father's  death.  He  then  assumed  the  management  of  the  home  farm, 
which  he  has  since  operated  and  which  has  continuously  been  his  place  of  resi- 
dence since  1835.  He  to-day  owns  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  rich  land, 
all  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  his  farm  is  one  of  the  best  improved  in 
this  portion  of  the  county.  He  is  energetic  and  progressive  in  his  methods 
and  his  earnest  labor  has  brought  to  him  success  as  the  vears  have  gone  by. 

On  the  3d  of  July,  1849,  Mr-  Burgbacher  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Susan  M.  Koenig,  a  native  of  Germany  and  a  daughter  of  William  and  Marie 
L.  (Fay)  Koenig,  who  came  to  America  in  1833  and  located  in  Chatfield  town- 
ship, Crawford  county.  He  secured  eighty  acres  of  wild  land,  where  Gottlieb 
Knicht  is  now  living,  and  erected  thereon  a  log  cabin  of  one  room.  This  con- 
tained besides  a  stove,  a  table  and  chairs,  three  beds,  and  in  that  room  the  fa- 
ther, who  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  also  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  barrels. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days  in  the  home  of  our  subject  and  both 
died  when  eighty-two  years  of  age.  Unto  Air.  and  Airs.  Burgbacher  have 
been  born  nine  children  :    Otto  P.,  who  died  in  childhood ;  Mary,  wife  of  Will- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  809 

iam  Hohl,  of  Lima,  Ohio ;  John,  a  resident  farmer  of  Defiance  county,  Ohio ; 
William,  of  Chatfield  township;  Rosa,  the  wife  of  Jacob  Bringle,  of  Chatfield 
township;  Henry  and  Jacob,  who  are  deceased;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  F.  E. 
Hiser,  who  is  engaged  in  the  operation  of  a  sawmill  and  tile  factory  in  Car- 
rothers ;  and  Hannon,  a  merchant  of  Seneca,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Burgbacher  has  been  a  prominent  factor  in  public  affairs  for  many 
years  and  has  been  called  upon  to  serve  in  many  positions  of  honor  and  trust. 
In  1862  he  was  elected  county  commissioner  and  served  for  two  terms  of 
three  years  each,  being  chosen  to  the  office  as  the  Democratic  candidate.  In 
1853  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  and  since  that  time  has  continuously 
served  in  the  office,  with  the  exception  of  nine  years.  He  has  also  been  trustee 
for  many  years  and  school  director  for  forty  years,  and  in  every  office  in 
which  he  has  been  called  to  serve  he  has  discharged  his  duties  in  a  manner 
winning  him  the  highest  commendation  of  all  concerned.  He  and  his  wife 
hold  membership  in  the  Lutheran  church  and  are  earnest,  consistent  Christian 
people,  everywhere  honored  and  esteemed  for  their  sterling  worth.  Mr.  Burg- 
bacher aided  in  laying  out  some  of  the  roads  of  the  county  and  has  ever 
borne  his  part  in  the  work  of  public  progress  as  a  citizen  who  has  the  general 
good  deeply  at  heart. 

SOLOMON  SEERY. 

Solomon  Seery  has  resided  upon  the  farm  in  Lykens  township  which 
is  now  his  home  for  more  than  two-thirds  of  a  century,  taking  up  his  abode 
there  when  a  boy  of  ten  years.  He  was  born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio,  Septem- 
l:er  22,  1823,  a  son  of  Solomon  Seery,  one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  Craw- 
ford county,  who  aided  in  its  substantial  development  in  early  days.  In  the 
fall  of  1833  tne  father  brought  his  family  to  Crawford  county,  where  our 
subject  has  since  made  his  home.  He  began  his  education  in  a  log  school- 
house,  seated  with  slab  benches  and  supplied  with  other  primitive  furniture, 
and  the  methods  of  instruction  were  almost  equally  crude.  Although  a  youth 
of  only  ten  summers  when  he  came  to  this  county,  he  aided  his  father  in  the 
work  of  clearing  the  fields  for  cultivation  and  assisted  in  the  plowing,  planting 
and  harvesting. 

In  1855  occurred  the  marriage  of  Solomon  Seery  and  Miss  Elizabeth 
Park,  and  unto  them  have  been  born  three  children,  namely:  Independence, 
a  hoop  manufacturer  of  St.  Croix  Falls,  Wisconsin;  John  W.,  a  resident 
farmer  of  Lykens  township;  and  Russell  O.     The  wife  and  mother  died  April 


810  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

20,  1890,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years,  respected  by  all  who  knew  her,  so 
that  her  loss  was  deeply  mourned  by  her  many  friends,  as  well  as  her  imme- 
diate family. 

Throughout  his  entire  life  Mr.  Seery  has  carried  on  general  farming, 
and  to-day  he  owns  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  of  rich  land,  all  in 
Lykens  township.  The  well  tilled  fields  yield  to  him  golden  harvest  and  every- 
thing about  the  place  is  kept  in  good  condition.  In  the  early  days  he  was 
celebrated  as  a  coon  hunter.  For  a  half  century  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
United  Brethren  church  and  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  time  has  served 
as  trustee,  while  for  a  long  period  he  was  class-leader  and  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday-school.  His  first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for  Henry  Clay,  the 
Whig  candidate,  and  at  the  present  time  he  is  a  Prohibitionist.  He  gives  his 
support  to  all  movements  calculated  to  promulgate  temperance,  morality  and 
intellectuality  and  has  aided  in  many  interests  for  the  general  good.  His  life 
has  ever  been  honorable  and  upright  and  all  who  know  him  esteem  him  for  his 
genuine  worth. 

HENRY  J.  OBERLANDER. 

On  the  farm  in  Lykens  township  which  is  yet  his  home  Henry  J.  Ober- 
lander  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day  on  the  31st  of  May,  1847,  and 
throughout  his  entire  life  he  has  been  connected  with  the  agricultural  interests 
of  Crawford  county.  He  is  now  numbered  among  its  leading  and  representa- 
tive farmers,  and  wherever  he  is  known  is  held  in  high  regard. 

His  father,  Jacob  Oberlander,  was  born  and  reared  in  York  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  there  he  married  Elizabeth  Allbright.  They  began  their 
•domestic  life  upon  a  farm  in  that  county  and  also  lived  for  a  time  in  Adams 
county,  Pennsylvania,  but  determined  to  try  his  fortune  farther  west.  In 
1832  Mr.  Oberlander  made  his  way  to  Richland  county,  Ohio,  hiring  a  horse 
team  with  which  to  accomplish  the  journey.  There  he  resided  until  1835, 
when  he  came  to  Crawford  county  and  entered  a  tract  of  land  of  eighty  acres 
in  Lykens  township,  from  the  government.  The  following  year  he  brought 
his  family  to  the  new  home  and  soon  they  were  living  in  true  pioneer  style  in 
a  little  log  cabin  containing  but  one  room.  The  farm  was  covered  with  a 
heavy  growth  of  timber  and  it  required  many  long  years  of  arduous  toil  to 
clear  and  improve  the  place.  Throughout  the  remainder  of  his  days  Jacob 
Oberlander  carried  on  farming  here,  and  at  one  time  was  the  owner  of  four 
hundred  and  twentv  acres  of  valuable  land.     He  made  many  excellent  im- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  8ir 

provements  upon  his  place  and  his  property  became  one  of  the  most  attractive 
and  desirable  farms  of  the  county.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Pietist  church 
and  an  earnest  Christian  gentleman,  who  commanded  the  respect  and  confi- 
dence of  all  with  whom  he  was  associated  in  the  active  affairs  of  life.  He  died 
January  21,  1887,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-three  years. 

On  the  old  homestead  Henry  Oberlander  has  spent  his  entire  life.  The 
common  schools  afforded  him  his  educational  privileges  and  under  his  father's 
direction  he'  early  became  familiar  with  all  the  duties  that  fall  to  the  lot  of 
the  agriculturist.  Together  they  carried  on  their  farming  operations  until  the 
father's  death,  and  Mr.  Oberlander  of  this  review  has  since  resided  on  the  old 
hi  me  place,  devoting  his  energies  to  the  cultivation  of  his  farm,  comprising 
one  hundred  acres,  of  which  ninety  acres  is  cleared  and  the  greater  part  di- 
vided into  fields,  which  are  highly  improved.  He  carries  on  general  farming 
and  his  well  directed  labors  bring  to  him  a  good  financial  return. 

On  the  25th  of  June,  1874,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Oberlander 
and  Miss  Sarah  J.  Feltis,  of  Wyandot  county,  Ohio,  and  unto  them  have  been 
born  four  children :  Irvin  J.,  who  married  Florence  Bogart  and  is  living  at 
home ;  Lawrence  E.,  who  married  Ida  Spade  and  is  a  farmer  of  Lykens  town- 
ship; Iona  B.,  the  wife  of  John  Wisenhour,  of  Lykens  township;  and  Cora 
M.,  the  wife  of  Noah  Aleck,  by  whom  she  has  one  child,  Lena  L.  Mr.  Ober- 
lander and  his  family  are  well  known  people  of  the  community  and  enjoy 
the  warm  regard  of  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  never  sought  or  desired  office,  preferring  to  give  his 
time  and  attention  to  his  business  interests,  in  which  he  is  meeting  with  credit- 
able success. 

JACOB  BROEDE. 

Jacob  Broede,  who  is  carrying  on  general  farming  and  stock-raising  in 
Lykens  township,  where  he  owns  and  operates  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
land,  is  one  of  the  worthy  German-American  citizens  of  Crawford  county. 
His  birth  occurred  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  August  25,  1832,  his  parents  being 
Adam  and  Catherine  (Blinn)  Broede.  Upon  his  father's  farm  he  was  reared 
and  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land  he  acquired  a  good  education.  At  length 
he  determined  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  new  world,  believing  that  better  ad- 
vantages were  here  afforded  young  men.  Accordingly  he  crossed  the  At- 
lantic in  1 85 1  and  after  a  voyage  of  twenty-two  days  upon  a  sailing  vessel  he 
made  his  way  to  Utica,  New  York,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand,  by  the 


8 12  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

month,  for  two1  and  a  half  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  returned 
to  Germany,  on  account  of  his  father's  death,  and  assumed  the  management 
of  the  home  farm,  which  he  operated  for  six  years.  He  then  again  came  to 
America,  spending  three  months  in  the  Empire  state  and  in  the  fall  of  i860 
he  arrived  in  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  seven  months. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Chat- 
field  township  and  for  three  years  made  his  home  thereon,  buying  his  present 
farm  in  1864.  He  purchased  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres  of  Albert  Ham- 
mond and  a  few  years  later  added  to  this  a  tract  of  fifty-six  acres.  His  landed 
possessions  now  aggregate  two  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres,  and  thereon 
he  is  successfully  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  his  business 
ability,  careful  management  and  enterprise  enabling  him  to  overcome  all  ob- 
stacles and  work  his  way  upward  to  prosperity. 

Mr.  Broede  has  been  twice  married.  He  first  wedded  Jacobina  Poth,  and 
unto  them  was  born  a  son,  August,  who  is  now  overseer  of  the  brewery  owned 
by  the  firm  of  Poth  &  Sons,  of  Philadelphia,  the  senior  partner  being  his  uncle. 
For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Broede  chose  Eva  Ehresmann,  and  they  have  eight 
children:  Jacob  J.,  of  Seneca  county;  Adam,  who  is  now  living  in  Iowa; 
Emma,  the  wife  of  Albert  Angeny ;  Albert,  a  resident  farmer  of  Seneca  county  ; 
Malinda,  the  wife  of  Henry  Kurgis;  Henry,  Lizzie  and  Charley,  all  at  home. 

Mr.  Broede  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  Democracy  and,  while  he  keeps  well  informed  on  the  issues  of 
the  day,  has  never  sought  office.  He  belongs  to  the  German  Reformed  church 
and  is  a  man  of  genuine  worth.  Pie  has  never  had  occasion  to  regret  his 
determination  to  come  to  America,  for  in  this  land  of  the  free  he  has  found 
the  opportunity  he  sought  for  advancement  in  the  business  world  and  has  not 
only  gained  a  comfortable  competence,  but  has  won  many  friends. 

ABRAHAM  HAAS. 

Old  and  honorable  families  of  Germany  have  given  to  America  mam- 
citizens  of  exceptional  worth.  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  has  its  share  of  such 
and  Abraham  Haas  is  one  of  the  best  known  of  this  class  in  Lykens  town- 
ship. Mr.  Haas  was  born  near  Columbiana.  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  No- 
vember 3,  1834.  a  son  of  Conrad  Haas,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  was  brought 
to  America  by  his  parents  when  he  was  ten  years  old.  The  family  settled  in 
Pennsylvania  and  thence  Conrad  Haas  came  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Columbiana 
county,  where  he  married  Catharine  Meyer,  who  bore  him  eleven  children, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  813 

of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  nativity.  John, 
their  first  born  child,  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  Their  daughter  Lydia 
is  the  widow  of  Solomon  Rupert.  Their  daughter  Sarah  married  Philip 
Hogert  and  is  dead.  Their  son  Benjamin  lives  at  Aurora,  Illinois.  Their 
daughter  Catharine  is  the  wife  of  D.  Y.  Ditty,  of  Lykens  township,  Craw- 
ford county,  Ohio.  Their  son  Henry  lives  in  Holmes  township,  in  the  same 
count}'.  Their  daughter  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  David  Faileck,  of  Lykens 
township.  Their  daughter  Susan  is  the  wife  of  John  Meyers,  of  Lykens  town- 
ship. 

In  the  spring  of  1835  Conrad  Haas  brought  his  family  to  Crawford 
county,  making  the  journey  from  Columbiana  county  with  ox-teams,  and 
settled  in  Lykens  township,  where  he  homesteaded  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  government  land,  which  he  developed  into  the  farm  on  which  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  now  lives.  At  that  time  the  land  was  heavily  timbered 
and  he  was  obliged  to  make  a  small  clearing  on  which  to  erect  a  log  cabin  of 
r<  nind  logs.  He  carried  the  work  of  improvement  forward  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
sible and  became  prominent  in  his  neighborhood.  He  died  in  1848,  at  the 
age  of  forty-one  years.  His  death  was  most  untimely,  for  he  was  a  useful  man 
in  the  township,  where  he  built  the  first  school  house,  helped  to  organize  sev- 
eral schools  and  laid  out  roads.  He  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Baptist 
church  and  contributed  liberally  to  all  its  interests.  His  wife  died  at  about  the 
age  of  sixty  years. 

When  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  brought  to  Lykens  township,  he 
was  about  six  months  old.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  reared 
to  farm  work  and  by  the  death  of  his  father,  when  he  was  fourteen  years  old, 
was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  at  a  comparatively  early  age.  For  three 
years  after  his  father's  death  the  home  farm  was  leased.  Young  Haas  worked 
in  the  neighborhood  for  a  year  and  afterwards  worked  near  Columbiana  until 
his  mother  got  her  family  together  and  came  back  to  the  farm.  Then,  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  years,  he  took  charge  of  the  place  which  he  has  man- 
aged successfully  since,  except  during  a  year  and  a  half  when  he  lived  in  Wood 
county.  He  now  owns  eighty  acres  of  the  old  homestead,  and  the  good  house 
and  other  improvements  on  the  place  were  placed  there  by  himself.  He  has 
done  general  farming  and  has  dealt  extensively  in  horses,  and  during  the  days 
of  horse-power  threshers,  he  ran  threshing  machines  in  season  for  many  years. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  he  is  not  without  influence  in  the  councils  of 
his  party,  but  he  has  never  sought  nor  accepted  public  office.  He  was  married 
in  1857  to  Miss  Martha  Schupp,  a  woman  of  many  good  qualities,  who  has 


814  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

been  to  him  a  most  worthy  helpmeet.  The  recollections  of  his  school  days  in- 
clude vivid  memories  of  crude,  old-fashioned  schools,  taught  in  log  school 
houses  with  puncheon  floors  and  slab  seats  and  desks,  and  he  has  during 
all  his  active  life  done  everything  in  his  power  to  advance  the  cause  of  public 
education. 

SAMUEL  DEW  ALT. 

The  well-known  citizen  of  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
whose  name  is  mentioned  above,  is  of  that  sturdy  Pennsylvania  stock,  which, 
transplanted  to  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  has  been  fruitful  in  enterprise, 
progressiveness  and  enlightenment. 

Samuel  Dewalt  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives  October 
1 8,  1855,  a  son  of  Robert  Dewalt,  who  was  born  in  Lehigh  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1818,  and  was  married  there  to  Elizabeth  Broder,  who  bore  him  six 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth. 
Their  daughter  Isabella  married  Owen  Olds,  of  Texas  township,  Crawford 
count}-,  Ohio.  Their  daughters  Henrietta  and  Savannah  and  their  son  Alex- 
ander are  dead.  The  fifth  in  order  of  birth  was  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Their  youngest  son,  Richard,  is  dead.  In  1850  Robert  Dewalt  removed  from 
Lehigh  county,  Pennsylvania,  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  settled  on  the 
farm  on  which  his  son  Samuel  now  lives.  His  first  purchase  of  land  there 
was  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  thirty  acres  of  which  were  cleared, 
and  on  which  a  log  cabin  had  been  erected.  He  died  there  February  17, 
1894,  aged  seventy-seven  years,  and  his  wife  died  October  10,  1877.  They 
were  members  of  the  German  Reformed  church  and  Mr.  Dewalt  took  a  great 
interest  in  all  its  work,  serving  in  the  offices  of  deacon  and  elder  and  as  a 
member  of  the  building  committee  which  had  charge  of  the  erection  of  its 
house  of  worship. 

Samuel  Dewalt  was  interested  with  his  father  in  agricultural  enterprises 
until  1876,  when  he  took  charge  of  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives.  He 
owns  one  hundred  acres  of  the  old  Dewalt  homestead,  which,  together  with 
eighty  acres  in  another  tract,  makes  his  real  estate  holdings  aggregate  one 
hundred  and  eighty  acres.  These  two  pieces  of  land  adjoin  and  constitute 
one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  vicinity.  Mr.  Dewalt  is  a  Democrat  in  politics 
and  is  a  member  of  the  German  Reformed  church.  He  was  married  in  1876 
to  Mahala  Shawk,  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  and  they  have  four  children,  Dora ; 
Delora,  who  is  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Swalley;  Alta  and  Ralph.     Mr.  Dewalt  is  a 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  81$ 

man  of  much  recognized  public  spirit,  who  remembers  with  pride  the  fact  that 
he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  township  and  has  always 
taken  an  interest  in  their  development  and  improvement.  There  is  no  cmes- 
tion  affecting  the  public  welfare  in  which  he  does  not  take  an  intelligent  in- 
terest and  there  is  no  movement  for  the  general  good  which  he  is  not  ready- 
to  assist  to  the  extent  of  his  ability.  He  naturally  takes  an  interest  in  the 
church,  toward  the  upbuilding  of  which  his  good  father  labored  so  zealously, 
and  he  is  liberal  in  his  assistance  of  all  its  varied  interests. 

ANDREW  MOORE. 

Any  adequate  account  of  the  life  of  a  self-made  man  is  necessarily  both 
interesting  and  instructive.  It  is  always  a  story  of  human  ambition,  struggles 
and  triumph  and  as  such  must  claim  the  attention  of  every  student  of  human 
nature  and  of  the  progress  of  the  people  at  large;  and  as  an  example  of  what 
may  be  done  by  industry  and  perseverance  by  one  actuated  by  worthy  motives, 
it  is  worth}'  the  emulation  of  all  young  men  who  have  their  way  in  the  world 
to  make.  Such  a  career  as  is  here  indicated  has  been  that  of  Andrew  Moore* 
of  Benton,  Lykens  township,  Crawford  count}',  Ohio. 

Andrew  Moore  was  born  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  Februarv  2,  1847,.. 
and  when  he  was  six  years  old,  in  1853,  his  father  died.  Not  long  afterward, 
his  mother  took  her  family  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  settled  in  Texas 
township,  where,  at  the  early  age  of  twelve  years,  the  boy  began  working  on 
farms  by  the  month.  This  was  necessary  from  the  fact  that  his  mother  was 
very  poor  and  that  as  soon  as  the}'  were  old  enough  her  four  sons  were  obliged. 
to  earn  money  to  lie  expended  toward  her  support  and  the  maintenance  of, 
their  home.  The  names  of  these  sons  were  William,  Joseph  P.,  Andrew  and' 
1  [enry.  Soon  after  the  Civil  war  began  Mrs.  Moore,  who  was  a  devout  Chris- 
tian woman  of  much  education  and  refinement  and  of  great  patriotism,  made- 
the  following  declaration,  which  her  son  remembers  word  for  word:  "I 
know  that  this  is  to  be  a  terrible  war  and  we  must  make  sacrifices  to  save 
the  Union  and  I  am  willing  that  my  sons  should  go  to  the  front,  and  may 
(  rod  protect  them  and  bring  them  back  to  me."  The  sons  whom  she  thus  de- 
voted to  the  service  of  her  country  were  her  only  support.  Joseph  P.,  the 
second  son.  was  the  first  to  avail  himself  of  this  permission.  He  enlisted  in 
1  8  n  as  a  private  in  Company  H,  Forty-ninth  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  on  New  Year's  morning, 
1862.     William,  the  eldest  son,  was  the  next  to  enlist  and  he  was  color-bearer 

46 


816  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

in  the  One  Hundred  and  First  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was 
killed  while  carrying  the  flag  in  the  front  line  of  battle  at  Chickamauga,  in 
August,  1863.  At  that  time  Andrew  was  only  little  more  than  sixteen  years 
old,  but  without  serious  objection  on  the  part  of  his  mother,  who  believed  that 
it  was  her  duty,  if  necessary,  to  sacrifice  her  last  son  old  enough  to  be  of  any 
assistance  to  the  cause  of  freedom,  enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
third  Regiment  of  Infantry  at  Martinsburg,  West  Virginia.  His  first  experi- 
ence of  battle  was  at  Newmarket,  where  he  was  dangerously  wounded  in  the 
left  thigh  by  a  minie  ball.  After  lying  for  two  days  in  a  field  hospital  he 
was  taken  to  Clairsville  hospital,  in  the  mountains  near  Cumberland,  Maryland. 
After  he  had  been  under  treatment  there  three  months  he  was  able  to  go  home 
on  a  furlough.  He  rejoined  his  regiment  at  Kernstown  and  after  that  fought 
at  Winchester,  Cedar  Creek,  and  in  other  engagements  and  participated  in 
the  righting  which  resulted  in  the  fall  of  Petersburg  and  Richmond.  After 
the  evacuation  of  Richmond  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Ohio  and 
the  Fifty-fourth  Pennsylvania  Regiments  were  detached  to  burn  the  bridge 
across  the  river  to  keep  Lee's  army  from  crossing.  When  they  arrived  at  the 
bridge  Lee's  cavalry  was  on  the  point  of  crossing  the  river,  and  not  only 
succeeded  in  doing  so,  but  took  about  five  hundred  prisoners  of  war  from  the 
two  federal  regiments  mentioned,  Mr.  Moore  among  them,  who  were  under 
guard    with  the  Confederates  when  Lee  surrendered. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Moore  returned  to  Benton,  Lykens  township,  Craw- 
ford county,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  only  a  short  time,  however,  before  go- 
ing to  Oil  City,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  employed  for  three  years.  Re- 
turning to  Texas  township,  he  farmed  four  years  and  after  that  sold  agri- 
cultural implements  for  twelve  years.  After  that  he  was  for  five  years  a 
buyer  for  Young  &  Brother,  lumber  dealers  at  Canton,  Ohio.  Since  that 
time  he  has  been  buying  timber  on  his  own  account,  cutting  it  up  into  saw- 
logs  and  selling  it  in  that  form  to  lumber  manufacturers. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  is  a  member  of  Roberts  Post,  No.  672, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Benton,  Ohio.  He  has  held  the  office  of  town- 
ship trustee  and  has  otherwise  served  his  fellow  townsmen  with  ability  and 
credit.  His  mother,  of  Christian  and  patriotic  memory,  who  was  a  lifelong 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  church,  died  at  Benton  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
one  vears. 

Mr.  Moore  was  married  June  i,  1868,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Haskins,  and 
she  has  borne  him  three  children.  Their  son  Earl  was  accidentally  killed  in 
1895,  ^"hile  attempting  to  get  on  board  a  moving  train  of  cars.     Their  daugh- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  Si  7 

ter  Bertha  is  now  Mrs.  Haskins.  Their  son  Clyde,  who  is  a  proficient  stenog- 
rapher, is  a  student  at  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  School  at  Valparaiso, 
Indiana. 

JAMES  BRIXE. 

Men  popularly  known  as  Pennsylvania  Dutchmen  have  gone  forth  from 
the  Keystone  state  to  all  parts  of  the  west  and  southwest  and  wherever  they 
have  gone  they  have  planted  the  standard  of  enterprise,  prosperity  and  pop- 
ular enlightenment  and  have  maintained  it  wherever  they  have  flung  it  to  the 
breeze.  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  was,  perhaps,  specially  favored  in  receiviiig  a 
large  number  of  settlers  of  German  antecedents  and  of  Dutch  ancestry  from 
her  sister  state  beyond  the  Alleghenies.  A  name  that  has  become  well  known 
in  Texas  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  the  history  of  which  may  be 
traced  through  many  generations  of  such  sturdy  men  and  women  as  have  here 
been  referred  to  is  that  of  Brine,  which  is  most  worthily  represented  by  James 
Brine,  who  was  born  in  Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  6,  1833. 

James  Brine  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm  in  Pennsylvania  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  entered  upon  a 
three-years'  apprenticeship  to  the  shoemaker's  trade.  After  completing  his 
apprenticeship  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  Pennsylvania  until  1855,  when  he 
went  to  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  and  worked  on  a  farm  by  the  month  at  Honey 
Creek  for  five  years.  After  that  he  rented  a  farm  nine  years  and  managed  it 
with  such  success  that  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  was  able  to  buy  the 
farm  of  sixty  acres  on  which  he  now  lives.  He  has  purchased  twenty  acres 
elsewhere  and  now  owns  eight}'  acres,  which  he  devotes  to  general  farming. 

December  27,  i860,  Mr.  Brine  was  married  in  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  to 
Amanda  Fotelman,  a  native  of  Lehigh  county,  Pennsylvania,  who  had  emi- 
grated to  Seneca  county  with  her  parents  two  years  before.  James  and 
Amanda  (Fotelman)  Brine  became  the  parents  of  six  children,  the  following 
items  of  information  concerning  whom  will  be  interesting  in  this  connection. 
James,  their  first  born  child,  is  dead.  Their  daughter  Nora,  born  next  after 
James.  is  the  wife  of  Warren  Johnson,  of  Lykens  township,  Crawford  county, 
Ohio.  Alfred,  their  third  child  in  order  of  birth,  is  dead.  Their  daughter 
Cora  married  Benjamin  Hushouer,  of  Texas  township,  Crawford  county, 
Ohio.  Their  daughters  Mattie  and  Ruth  are  members  of  their  household. 
It  has  been  one  of  the  ambitions  of  Mr.  Brine's  life  to  bring  his  daughters  up 
to  be  good  women  and  to  educate  them  in  such  a  manner  as  to  enable  them  to 


8i8  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

take  the  station  in  life  to  which  their  mental  attainments  and  personal  graces 
entitle  them. 

In  political  affiliations  Mr.  Brine  is  a  Republican,  proud  of  the  history 
of  his  part}-  and  ardently  devoted  to  its  principles  and  work.  Taking  a  broad 
and  comprehensive  view  of  all  public  questions  and  knowing  that,  like  charity, 
national  progress  begins  at  home,  he  has,  while  not  being  an  office  seeker  or 
in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term  a  politician,  given  his  aid  to  the  utmost  pos- 
sible extent  to  every  movement  tending  to  advance  the  interests  of  his  township 
and  county. 

OWEN  OHL. 

The  man  whose  name  is  above  is  one  of  the  old  and  honored  citizens  of 
Texas  township.  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  is  a  native  of  the  Wyoming  Val- 
ley in  Pennsylvania,  having  been  born  in  Luzerne  county,  February  -8,  1833, 
a  son  of  Philip  and  Mary  (Kless)  Ohl,  who  had  six  children,  named  as  fol- 
lows: Joshua,  John,  Owen,  Abraham,  Caroline  and  Elizabeth,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  only  one  now  living.  Philip  Ohl  served  his  coun- 
try as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  181 2  and  became  a  man  of  local  prominence  at 
his  old  home  in  Pennsylvania.  In  1851  he  moved  with  his  family  from  Penn- 
sylvania to  Ohio,  and  located  in  Texas  township,  Crawford  county,  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  his  son  Owen.  He  bought  eighty  acres  of  land,  on 
which  was  a  small  clearing  and  a  log  house.  He  made  improvements  and  re- 
mained there  continuously  until  1876,  when  he  died,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years. 

Owen  Ohl  lived  on  his  father's  home  farm  until  1869,  when  he  removed 
to  Lykens  township,  where  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  lived 
seven  years.  After  that  he  lived  for  four  years  on  a  farm  owned  by  his 
father-in-law,  Robert  Dewalt,  and  then  returned  to  his  father's  old  homestead. 
He  has  been  successful  in  a  material  way  and  has  acquired  two  hundred  acres 
of  land,  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  which  he  divided  among  his  chil- 
dren in  1901,  retaining  only  his  old  homestead.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat 
and  he  and  his  wife  and  children  are  communicants  of  the  German  Reformed 
church. 

Mr.  Ohl  was  married  May  11.  1861,  to  Miss  Isabelle  Dewalt,  daughter 
of  Robert  Dewalt,  of  Lykens  township,  and  they  have  had  seven  children, 
the  following  data  concerning  whom  will  be  of  interest  in  this  connection. 
Their  son   Robert  lives  in  Wyandot  county,  Ohio.     Their  daughter  Marv  is 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  819 

the  wife  of  P.  A.  Frankenfield,  of  Texas  township,  Crawford  county.  Their 
son  Richard  E.  is  a  farmer  in  Seneca  county,  Ohio.  Their  daughter  Laura 
E.  is  the  wife  of  Albert  Braldie,  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio.  Their  son  William 
is  a  well-known  citizen  of  Texas  township.  Their  son  Albert  is  a  member  of 
their  household.  Their  daughter  Ida  is  the  wife  of  Willard  Moore,  of  Texas 
township. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ohl  are  passing  the  declining  years  of  their  lives  quietly 
and  calmly,  with  few  bitter  memories  and  with  many  pleasant  thoughts  of 
their  past  years,  for  their  lives  have  been  blameless  and  their  worldly  success 
has  been  won  by  most  worthy  means.  Their  charity  has  not  been  stinted  and 
they  have  many  times  proven  themselves  friends  to  those  in  need.  Their 
example  has  been  a  good  one  to  their  children  and  to  all  who  know  them  and 
-they  are  justly  held  in  high  esteem  by  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances. 

OBADIAH  BANKS. 

The  family  of  Banks,  which  produced  the  well-known  resident  of  Texas 
township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  whose  name  is  the  caption  of  this  article, 
is  the  same  old  colonial  family  of  which  the  late  General  Nathaniel  P.  Banks, 
warrior  and  statesman,  was  a  representative.  Obadiah  Banks  comes  of  a 
good  old  New  York  family  and  was  born  in  Cayuga  county,  that  state,  No- 
vember 29,  1834.  His  father,  Rhesa  Banks,  was  born  in  Connecticut  and 
married  Lucinda  Mead,  who  bore  him  seven  children,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  the  first  in  order  of  birth.  Ursula  and  Marion,  twins,  were 
next  in  order  of  birth  and  they  are  both  dead.  The  next  born  was  Sybil,  who 
has  also  passed  away.  Their  fifth  child,  Celestia,  married  Martin  Welsh  The 
next  in  order  of  nativity  was  Ellen,  who  is  the  wife  of  C.  Jump,  of  Benton, 
Crawford  county,  Ohio.  Their  young'est  child,  David,  lives  in  Texas  town- 
ship, Crawford  county.  In  the  course  of  events  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Banks  removed 
with  their  children  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  settled  in  Texas  township, 
where  Mr.  Banks  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which  he  de- 
veloped into  a  good  farm  and  on  which  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dy- 
ing in  1885,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  His  wife  died  ten  years  earlier. 
He  was  a  man  of  prominence  in  the  township  and  was  influential  in  public 
affairs  and  for  a  time  he  ably  filled  the  office  of  township  trustee. 

In  1854,  when  his  parents  located  in  Texas  township,  Obadiah  Banks 
was  twenty  years  old.  He  remained  with  his  father,  assisting  him  in  the  man- 
agement of  his  farm  until  June,  1864,  when  he  married  Miss  Jane  Mulsog, 


820  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

by  whom  he  has  two  children,  Eva,  who  married  C.  H.  Miller,  who  is  a  school 
teacher  at  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  and  Truman,  who  is  a  member  of  his  father's  house- 
hold. 

Soon  after  he  was  married  Mr.  Banks  located  on  his  present  farm,  which 
has  been  his  home  since  that  time,  except  for  three  years.  He  owns  eighty 
acres  of  well  improved  land,  which  he  is  cultivating  profitably  and  is  regarded 
as  '  me  of  the  well-to-do  farmers  of  the  township.  He  has  always  taken  a  deep 
interest  in  the  causes  of  education  and  temperance  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Prohibition  party.  That  he  is  not  without  considerable  influence  in  local 
affairs  will  lie  understood  when  the  fact  is  considered  that  he  has  held  the 
office  of  constable  six  years  and  has  for  four  years  been  township  trustee  of 
Texas  township,  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  has 
always  contributed  liberally  toward  the  maintenance  of  Christian  worship  in 
his  neighborhood.  All  in  all  he  is  a  man  of  much  public  spirit,  who  is  ready 
at  all  times  to  assist  any  measures  which  he  deems  likely  to  further  the  general 
interests  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

ANDREW  FRAXKEXFIELD. 

Reference  has  been  frequently  made  in  this  work  to  the  good  influence  of 
Pennsylvania  blood  upon  the  settlement  and  development  of  the  great  middle 
west.  Of  such  ancestry  is  Andrew  Frankenfield,  of  Texas  township,  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  who  was  born  in  Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  6, 
1820.  and  was  there  reared  to  a  practical  knowledge  of  farming  and  educated 
in  the  common  schools.  In  due  time  he  married  Rebecca  Besulma,  who  bore 
him  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  seven  are  living. 

In  185 1  Air.  Frankenfield  removed  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
bought  five  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  erected  a  cabin  and  a  log  blacksmith 
shop.  Later  he  bought  fifty  acres  of  heavily  timbered  land,  which  he  grad- 
ually cleared  and  put  under  cultivation  and  on  which  he  lived  for  twenty-five 
years,  farming  and  doing  carpenter  work  as  there  was  a  demand  for  his  serv- 
ices. At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  located  on  a  farm  in  Seneca  county, 
(  )hio,  where  he  lived  until  1868,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  seventeen  acres  in  Texas  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  where 
he  has  given  his  attention  to  general  farming  with  much  success. 

Politically  Mr.  Frankenfield  affiffiliates  with  the  Democratic  party  and 
his  influence  in  local  public  matters  is  recognized.  At  the  same  time  he  is  not 
in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term  a  practical  politician  and  he  has  never  sought 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  821 

nor  accepted  office.  He  is  a  communicant  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  has 
for  many  years  been  a  liberal  contributor  toward  the  support  of  its  various 
interests.  He  began  life  poor  and  is  a  self-made  man.  whose  success  has  been 
won  most  worthily  and  who  is  highly  regarded  by  all  who  know  him. 

E.  LAMBERT. 

It  is  always  a  pleasure  to  the  writer  and  it  should  edify  the  reader  to 
peruse  and  consider  any  adequate  sketch  of  the  career  of  a  man  who  has  made 
his  way  to  worldly  success  without  the  aid  of  influential  friends  and  in  spite 
of  many  discouragements,  a  man  who.  with  the  single  idea  of  achieving  vic- 
tory, pushes  obstacles  from  his  path  and.  making  himself  superior  to  circum- 
stances, presses  forward  to  the  goal  which  he  seeks.  Such  a  man  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  who,  though  a  farmer  in  a  rural  community,  more  fittingly 
represents  the  possibilities  of  legitimate  American  enterprise  than  a  Gould  or 
a  Morgan. 

Mr.  Lambert  comes  of  that  sturdy  old  Pennsylvania  stock  which  has 
given  strength  and  activity  to  enterprise  and  impetus  to  education  and  en- 
lightenment in  all  parts  of  our  great  west,  and  was  born  in  Northampton 
county,  in  the  Keystone  state,  February  2,  1819.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
became  early  familiar  with  hard  work  and  only  the  most  meager  educational 
advantages  were  available  to  him.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  began  to  work 
at  the  blacksmith's  trade.  In  1843  he  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to  Sum- 
merville,  Xew  Jersey,  and  worked  there  as  a  blacksmith  for  seven  years. 
From  Summerville  he  went  to  Ohio,  and  locating  in  Lykens  township.  Craw- 
ford county,  opened  a  blacksmith  shop  there,  which  he  conducted  successfully 
for  four  years,  when  he  traded  it  for  another  shop  at  Benton,  in  the  same 
county,  where  he  carried  on  blacksmithing  until  1864. 

In  the  year  last  mentioned  Mr.  Lambert  retired  from  blacksmithing  and 
bought  the  eighty-acre  farm  in  Todd  township,  Crawford  county.  Ohio,  on 
which  he  has  since  lived  and  the  acreage  of  which  he  has  since  increased 
until  it  embraces  one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  acres.  The  writer  wishes  to 
impress  upon  the  mind  of  the  reader  the  fact  that  Mr.  Lambert  has  acquired 
this  fine  property  by  his  own  unaided  efforts,  by  many  years  of  hard  toil,  dur- 
ing which  he  has  dealt  with  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact  with  the 
most  scrupulous  honesty.  These  facts  are  known  to  all  who  know  Air.  Lam- 
bert and  they  should  go  far  to  discourage  a  belief  which  has  taken  root  in  the 
minds  of  many  voting  persons  that  the  easy  way  and  the  trickey  way  is  the 


822  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

only  sure  way  to  financial  success.  Such  a  man  exerts  upon  the  community  at 
large  an  influence  more  potent  for  good  than  that  of  a  dozen  millionaires,  who 
have  made  their  money  by  grinding  the  faces  of  the  poor  and  are  flaunting  it 
brazenly  before  an  outraged  world. 

Mr.  Lambert  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  has  held  the  office  of  super- 
visor of  his  township,  which  he  filled  most  ably  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction 
of  all  concerned,  but  he  has  been  without  political  aspirations  and  has  believed 
and  acted  religiously  upon  the  belief  that  one  man  who  does  his  duty  thor- 
oughly as  it  comes  to  his  hands  from  day  to  day,  is  more  useful  than  any  ten 
men  who  go  about  advising  others  what  they  should  do,  especially  men  who 
are  actuated  by  the  professional  politician's  hope  of  profiting  by  the  labor  of 
others.  Mr.  Lambert  is  now  eighty-two  years  old  and  he  attributes  his  healthy 
longevity  to  an  active  and  regular  life  and  to  the  fact  that  he  has  never  used 
tobacco  or  liquor  in  any  form. 

Air.  Lambert  was  married  in  1845,  to  Miss  Margaret  Kunnsman,  who 
has  borne  him  six  children.  Alary.  Adam,  Samuel,  Emma,  David  and  Sarah, 
■of  whom  all  except  David  and  Sarah  are  living. 

DANIEL  BECK. 

The  record  of  a  life  well  spent  and  useful  is  always  interesting  and  edify- 
ing and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  brevity  necessary  to  the  plan  of  this 
work  does  not  admit  of  the  introduction  of  all  details  of  the  life  of  such  men  as 
the  late  Daniel  Beck,  of  Jefferson  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio. 

Daniel  Beck,  who  is  descended  from  good  Pennsylvania  ancestry,  was 
born  in  AYestmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  181 8,  and  lived  there  until 
1830,  attending  school  and  assisting  about  the  home  work.  In  the  year  last 
mentioned,  in  company  with  his  father  and  other  members  of  his  family,  he 
went  to  Crawford  county.  Ohio,  where  Adam  Beck,  the  father,  built  a  grist- 
mill within  the  borders  of  Jefferson  township,  and  took  up  land  and  engaged 
in  farming.  Daniel  grew  to  manhood  as  his  father's  assistant  in  his  agricult- 
ural and  other  enterprises  and  remained  with  him  until  1845,  when,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-seven,  lie  married.  Then  under  an  independent  arrangement 
he  took  charge  of  his  father's  farm,  on  which  he  lived  until  1855.  In  1857  ne 
located  on  the  farm  which  became  known  as  his  homestead  and  on  which  he 
died  November  30.  1892.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  and  he  exerted  a 
recognized  influence  upon  public  affairs. 

In  1845  Mr.  Beck  married  Nancy  Lareiner,  who  was  born  in  Perry  count}'. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  823 

Ohio,  February  5,  1821.  Their  son  Robert  W.  is  dead.  Their  son  Joseph 
lives  in  Indiana.  Their  sons  William  and  Shannon  and  their  daughter  Louisa 
are  dead.  Their  daughter  Margaret  is  living  in  Morrow  county,  Ohio.  Mrs. 
Beck,  who  survives  her  husband,  is  the  daughter  of  Robert  Lareiner,  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland,  who  at  the  age  of  six  years  was  brought  to  America  by  his 
parents,  who  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  Later  Robert  and  one  of  his  brothers 
went  to  Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  making  the  journey  out  from  Pennsylvania 
on  foot.  Mrs.  Beck's  first  recollections  of  home  are  of  a  floorless  log  cabin, 
and  she  states  that  she  never  had  anything  to  do  with  a  stove  until  after  her 
marriage.  The  Beck  homestead,  now  under  her  control,  consists  of  eighty 
acres  of  rich  and  well  cultivated  land,  which  is  a  valuable  agricultural  prop- 
erty. Mrs.  Beck  is  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children  and  the  only  one  now 
living. 

SAMUEL  S.  FREESE. 

The  family  of  Freese  has  long  been  well  known  in  Pennsylvania,  where 
the  name  has  become  identified  with  success  and  agricultural  and  mechanical 
pursuits,  in  financial  and  commercial  circles,  in  the  professions  and  in  politics. 
AYherever  representatives  of  the  family  have  gone,  following  the  westward 
course  of  the  empire,  they  have  not  only  planted  well,  cultivated  thoroughly 
and  reaped  abundantly,  but  have  been  so  upright  in  their  dealings  with  their 
fellow  men  and  so  public-spirited  in  their  relations  to  their  fellow  citizens  that 
every  where  the  name  has  become  a  synonym  for  good  citizenship.  There  may 
have  been  men  named  Frees  who  have  fallen  short  of  realizing  this  description, 
but  such  have  never  been  known  in  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  where  the  family 
has  been  well  represented  by  Samuel  Freese,  of  Jefferson  township,  and  by 
others. 

Samuel  S.  Freese  was  born  at  Lancaster,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, October  8,  1820,  one  of  the  five  children  of  John  J.  and  Susan  ( Eldis) 
Freese,  and  he  is  the  only  one  of  them  now  living.  The  others  were  named 
William,  Elizabeth,  Susan  and  Adam.  In  1823,  when  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  about  three  years  old,  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Holmes  county, 
Ohio,  where  the  family  lived  until  1831,  when  they  removed  to  Crawford 
county.  John  J.  Freese  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Jefferson  township,  on 
which  some  improvements  had  been  made  and  a  one-room  log  house  had  been 
erected.     Mr.  Freese  died  at  Galion,  Ohio. 

Samuel  Freese  was  brought  up  to  farm  work  and  received  a  meager  edu- 


824  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

cation  in  the  subscription  school  taught  in  a  log  school  house  near  his  pioneer 
home.  He  has  a  vivid  recollection  of  early  days  in  Crawford  county  and  re- 
members the  now  flourishing  city  of  Galion  at  a  period  in  its  history  when  it 
consisted  of  only  a  few  scattered  log  cabins.  He  remained  on  the  farm,  as- 
sisting his  father,  until  1848,  when,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years,  he  married 
Lena  Eberlv  and  moved  on  his  present  farm,  on  which  there  then  stood  a 
small  log  house,  which  has  since  given  place  to  a  substantial  modern  resi- 
dence. He  proved  himself  to  be  a  man  of  exceptional  business  capacity  and 
became  the  owner  of  more  than  hve  hundred  acres  of  land,  three  hundred 
acres  of  which  he  has  divided  among  his  children.  His  home  farm  of  two 
hundred  acres  he  devotes  to  general  farming"  and  stock-raising. 

Samuel  and  Lena  (Eberlv)  Freese  have  children  named  John,  Caroline, 
Eliza  and  "William. 

ADAM  ASHCROFT. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  son  of  parents  who  were  pioneers  in 
what  is  now  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  was  born  within  the  limits  of  Jeffer- 
son township  at  so  early  a  date  that  he  might  well  claim  pioneership  for  him- 
self. He  comes  of  the  old  Pennsylvania  family  of  Ashcroft  and  his  father  was 
Newton  Ashcroft,  a  son  of  Adam  Ashcroft,  in  honor  of  whom  the  present 
Adam  Ashcroft  was  named  and  who  was  himself  an  early  settler  in  Crawford 
county.  Adam  Ashcroft  came  out  from  Pennsylvania  in  1828  accompanied 
by  his  son  Newton  and  other  members  of  his  family  and  settled  in  Jeffer- 
son township,  where  he  bought  the  farm  which  is  now  the  property  and  home 
of  his  grandson,  the  second  Adam  Ashcroft.  It  consisted  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land,  on  which  there  had  been  a  small  clearing,  in  the  midst 
of  which  stood  a  lonely  little  log  cabin.  Adam  Ashcroft,  who  was  a  surveyor 
and  school  teacher,  became  prominent  in  the  county  and  being  a  member  of 
the  church,  with  a  gift  for  prayer  and  speech,  he  did  effective  work  among  the 
early  settlers  as  an  exhorter  and  an  evangelist.  He  was  a  very  industrious 
man  and  worked  on  his  woodland  farm  early  and  late,  chopping  down  trees, 
logging,  grubbing  and  burning  out  stumps  and  in  all  necessary  ways  preparing 
for  cultivation,  and  when  he  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years,  it  was  a  farm 
of  which  he  had  long  been  proud. 

Adam  Ashcroft.  grandson  of  Adam  Ashcroft  and  son  of  Newton  Ash- 
croft, was  born  in  1834  and  passed  his  youth  on  the  farm  and  in  obtaining  a 
practical  education  in  local  subscription  schools,  an  ambition  in  which  he  was 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  825 

encouraged  by  his  mother,  who  before  her  marriage  to  Newton  Ashcroft, 
was  Miss  Mary  Hershener.  Of  the  seven  children  of  Newton  and  Mary 
(Hershener)  Ashcroft,  three  of  whom  were  sons  and  four  of  whom  were, 
daughters,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  his  sisters  survive.  Elizabeth  is  the 
widow  of  Samuel  Trosh.  Mary  is  the  wife  of  John  Creider.  Catherine  is 
the  wife  of  John  Johnson.  Lydia  is  the  wife  of  Johnson  Davis.  John  and 
Henry  are  dead.  Newton  Ashcroft,  who  is  a  carpenter  and  stone  cutter  by 
trade,  was  a  constant  resident  of  Jefferson  township,  from  his  advent  there  in 
1828,  until  his  death  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  nnety-two.  His  wife  died  at  the 
age  of  eightv-eight  years.  Their  son  Adam,  who  now  owns  one  hundred  and 
eleven  acres  of  his  grandfather's  original  homestead,  has  lived  on  the  place 
all  his  life,  except  during  two  years  and  he  took  charge  of  the  place  in  1858. 
He  owns  two  other  pieces  of  land  of  twenty-five  and  thirteen  acres,  respec- 
tivelv.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  began  working  at  the  carpenter's  trade, 
at  which  he  was  employed  four  years. 

In  [858  Mr.  Ashcroft  married  Lydia  Crieder.  who  has  borne  him  four 
children,  as  follows :  Homer,  who  lives  in  Wells  county,  Indiana ;  Alice,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Richard  Hiltner,  of  Jefferson  township;  Edith,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Harry  Smith,  of  Jefferson  township;  and  Pearl,  who  is  the  wife  of  William 
De  Gray,  of  Jefferson  township.  Since  he  married  Mr.  Ashcroft  has  given 
his  attention  entirely  to  farming,  in  which  he  has  been  very  successful.  Po- 
liticallv  he  is  a  Republican,  devoted  to  the  principles  and  measures  of  his  party 
and,  while  he  is  not  without  influence  in  local  affairs,  he  is  neither  a  practical 
politician  nor  an  office  seeker,  but  he  is  a  man  of  recognized  public  spirit.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  is  a  liberal  supporter  of 
Christian  worship  in  his  township. 


CHARLES  M.  HILBORN. 

Charles  M.  Hilborn  is  one  of  the  successful  and  progressive  farmers  of 
Bucvrus  township,  and  is  also  a  well-known  and  highly  respected  citizen.  Mr. 
Hilborn  is  a  native  of  Crawford  county,  having  been  born  in  Todd  township, 
September  9,  1863,  and  is  a  descendant  on  both  paternal  and  maternal  sides 
from  pioneer  settlers  of  this  county  and  of  Richland  count}'.  Grandfather  Hil- 
born was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Richland  county,  while  Grandfather 
Joseph  Reinhart  came  to  Todd  township,  Crawford  county,  when  it  was  but 
a  wilderness.  The  father  and  mother  of  our  subject  were  Samuel  L.  and  Mary 


$26  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

(Reinhart)  Hilborn,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Richland  county  and 
the  latter  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania. 

Charles  M.  Hilborn,  of  this  biography,  is  the  second  child  in  a  family  of 
ten  children  born  to  his  parents,  and  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  where 
he  remained  until  attaining  his  majority.  His  education  was  pursued  in 
the  common  schools,  and  he  grew  to  manhood  a  line  type  of  the  agricultural 
regions  of  one  of  the  best  counties  in  the  state  of  Ohio. 

After  leaving  the  parental  roof  Mr.  Hilborn  spent  the  first  summer  in 
operating  a  threshing  machine,  and  was  so  successful  in  this  line  that  he  has 
made  that  a  business  for  every  season  since,  three  years  of  this  time  being 
a  partner  in  the  threshing  business.  His  occupation  has  been  exclusively  that 
of  a  farmer,  and  since  1890  he  has  operated  a  fine  farm  in  this  township,  where 
he  has  become  prominent  in  Democratic  politics.  During  1896-97  he  was 
the  efficient  assessor  of  Bucyrus  township,  and  in  1900  he  was  almost  success- 
ful in  his  candidacy  for  trustee,  having  gained  the  confidence  of  the  public  by 
his  excellent  management  of  the  business  connected  with  his  former  office. 

Air.  Hilborn  was  married  in  1888  to  Miss  Catherine  Hirtz,  who  was  born 
in  Holmes  township,  Crawford  county,  and  he  has  six  children  living.  Mr. 
Hilborn  and  family  belong  to  the  highly  esteemed  and  respected  residents  of 
the  township. 

BENJAMIN  A.  SINN. 

The  agricultural  interests  of  Crawford  count)-,  Ohio,  are  in  the  hands 
of  experienced  and  capable  men,  whose  fertile  fields  and  attractive  surround- 
ings testify  to  their  efficiency  in  their  chosen  line  of  effort. 

Among  the  thriving  agriculturists  of  Bucyrus  township  is  the  leading 
citizen,  Benjamin  A.  Sinn,  whose  birth  took  place  in  a  log  cabin,  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Jonathan  Carmean,  in  this  township,  on  September  23,  1832. 
His  parents  were  George  and  Sarah  (Hawk)  Sinn,  who  reared  a  family  of 
ten  children.  George  Sinn  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  came  with  his 
wife  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  in  1826,  where  they  were  among  the  pioneers. 
He  successfully  operated  a  grist  and  sawmill  in  this  county,  and  about  1856 
purchased  a  farm  on  section  4  in  Bucyrus  township,  upon  which  he  lived  for 
man}-  years.  His  death  occurred  in  1870,  his  wife  surviving  for  six  years.  Mr. 
Sinn  was  a  man  of  character  and  prominence,  well  and  favorably  known 
throughout  the  county,  and  thrice  acceptably  filled  the  position  of  county 
auditor,  in  addition  holding  other  offices  of  honor  and  trust. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  827 

Benjamin  Sinn,  of  this  biography,  was  reared  on  the  farm,  but  the  major 
portion  of  his  time  was  employed  in  the  mill,  where  he  became  thoroughly  in- 
structed as  a  miller,  both  in  grinding  and  sawing.  In  1857  he  decided  to  see 
something  of  the  country,  starting  westward,  and  after  a  period  spent  in  Iowa 
reached  Denver,  Colorado.  At  that  time  the  present  flourishing  and  beau- 
tiful city  was  but  a  collection  of  log"  cabins,  and  mining  was  the  principal  in- 
dustry, the  greater  part  of  the  population  having  been  attracted  thither  for 
that  purpose.  Mr.  Sinn  also  became  interested  in  mining,  but  after  a  year  of 
trial,  with  but  indifferent  success,  he  turned  his  face  homeward,  passing- 
through  the  state  of  Misouri. 

Upon  reaching  Ohio  Mr.  Sinn  took  charge  of  a  gristmill  at  Sycamore, 
Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  one  year,  and  then  went  into  the  operation  of  a 
sawmill  at  Glenville,  where  he  continued  for  eight  years,  passing-  the  succeed- 
ing five  years  upon  a  farm.  The  following  ten  years  were  spent  by  Mr.  Sinn 
in  the  successful  operation  of  a  sawmill  in  Fulton  county,  Ohio.  It  was  not 
until  1882  that  he  decided  to  settle  down  to  an  agricultural  life  on  his  present 
farm,  which  he  purchased  from  his  father,  but  since  that  time  he  has  shown 
such  marked  ability  in  his  chosen  line  that  his  success  as  a  farmer  and  also  as 
a  stock-raiser  is  well  known  through  the  locality.  Mr.  Sinn  still  continues 
to  look  after  his  stock  and  farming  interests,  but  not  so  actively  as  formerly. 
A  lifelong  Democrat,  he  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  township  affairs,  and  was 
an  efficient  trustee  of  the  same  in  1867-8.  He  enjoys  the  esteem  and  respect 
of  the  community  and  is  considered  one  of  the  representative  men  of  Bucyrus 
t<  >wnship. 

LEO  WHITE. 

Leo  White,  a  young  and  successful  farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  Dallas 
township,  Crawford  count}",  is  a  son  of  Willard  T.  White,  a  retired  farmer, 
residing  in  BUcyrus,  Ohio.  The  White  family  is  numbered  among  the  oldest 
in  the  county.  Going  back  in  the  history  of  the  ancestry,  it  is  found  to  be  of 
Virginia  stock.  Charles  White,  the  paternal  great-grandfather  of  Leo  White, 
was  born  and  reared  in  the  Old  Dominion  and  was  about  sixteen  years  of /age 
when  the  Revolutionary  war  began.  His  name  appears  on  the  muster  roll  of 
militia.  He  was  in  active  military  service  several  years  during  the  struggle 
of  the  colonies  for  American  independence,  being  for  a  portion  of  that  period 
under  the  immediate  command  of  General  Washington.  He  served  also  as 
one  of  the  "minute 'men."     When  his  father  died  he  inherited  as  a  portion  of 


828  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

his  estate  several  slaves,  and  being  reared  amid  slavery  conditions  he  was  not 
at  first  opposed  to  the  system.  Through  inheritance  and  purchase  he  became 
in  time  the  owner  of  a  large  number  of  slaves.  He  removed  to  Fayette  count)-, 
Kentucky,  and  while  there  he  liberated  his  bondsmen.  He  had  fought  for  lib- 
erty in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  could  not  believe  it  right  to  hold  his 
fellow  men  in  bondage  or  reconcile  it  with  the  principles  of  eternal  justice. 
Becoming  disgusted  with  the  iniquitous  system,  he  liberated  his  negroes,  thir- 
teen in  number,  and  soon  afterward  removed  to  Ross  county ,  Ohio,  taking  up 
his  abode  there  about  1812.  He  followed  farming  with  fair  success  in  that 
county,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1856, 
when  he  had  attained  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-six  years.  He  had  three 
sons,  namely:  Samuel,  George  and  Charles  W.,  and  the  first  two  served  in 
the  American  army  during  the  war  of  1812. 

The  youngest  son,  Charles  W.  White,  was  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject.    He  was  born  in  Fayette  county,  Kentucky,  Jul)"   18.   1802,  and  when 
about    eight    years    of    age    accompanied    his  father  on  his  removal  to  Ross 
county,  Ohio.     At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  left  the  parental  home  and  visited 
the  ''New  Purchase"  in  northern  Ohio.     He  secured  work  on  the  Indian  mill, 
located  on  the  Sandusky  river,  being  employed    by    the    government  Indian 
agent  at  fifteen  dollars  per  month.     There  he  worked  for  three  years  and 
saved  his  money,  with  which  he  purchased  two  hundred  and  seven  acres  of 
land  in  what  is  now  Dallas  township,  Crawford  count)'.     After  working  for 
the  succeeding  nine  years  for  different  people,  he  removed  to  his  land,  and  by 
industry,  economy  and  good  business  management  became  one  of  the  largest 
land-owners  and  most  successful  farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  the  county.     In 
1830  he  married  Hannah  Simmons  Hoover,  and  unto  them  were  born  the  fol- 
lowing named  children:    Lorena,  W'illard  T.  and  Charles.      W'illard  T.  White, 
the  father  of  Leo  White,  was  born  in  Dallas  township,  August  8,  1845.     After 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-dealing  on  an  extensive  scale  for  many  years 
and  meeting  with  prosperity  in  his  undertakings,  Mr.  White,  the  father,  re- 
moved to  Bucyrus,  where  he  is  now  living  in  retirement  from  business  cares. 
Leo  White  resides  upon  the  old  homestead  in  Dallas  township,  where  his 
birth  occurred  July  17,  1870.      He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  has 
always  been  connected  with  the  cultivation  of  the  fields  and  the  raising  and 
sale  of  stock.     He  has  dealt  quite  largely  in  cattle  and  is  a  very  energetic, 
wide-awake  young  business  man,  carefully  conducting  his  interests,  yet  his 
methods  are  progressive  and  his  enterprise  and  straightforward  dealings  have 
gained  him  prominence  as  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  his  community. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  829 

In  1899  Air.  White  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Velma  Maud  Skemer, 
a  daughter  of  Levi  Shemer,  of  Dallas  township,  and  they  have  one  child,  Helen 
Lorena.  Mr.  White  is  now  serving  as  township  treasurer,  an  office  to  which 
he  has  been  twice  elected.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
(  >rder  of  Elks,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  and  influential  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity in  which,  his  entire  life  has  been  passed. 

ELIAS  CRISSINGER. 

Elias  Crissinger,  a  trustee  of  Dallas  township  and  a  prominent  farmer 
and  successful  stock-raiser,  was  born  near  Peru,  Illinois,  August  11,  1853.  Pie 
was  a  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Baker)  Crissinger,  both  natives  of  Ohio, 
the  former  of  Marion  county  and  the  latter  of  Crawford  county.  The  paternal 
grandparents  were  of  Dutch  ancestry  and  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  early  in  its  settlement,  later  going  to  Marion  county 
where  they  spent  their  last  days. 

William  Crissinger  was  reared  in  Marion  county,  but  his  wife  grew  up  in 
Crawford  county,  where  her  father,  Benajah  Baker,  was  a  pioneer  settler  of 
Whetstone  township.  Later  in  life  he  removed  to  Indiana  and  died  in  Jasper 
county.  Four  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crissinger,  one  o>f  whom 
has  passed  away.  After  the  death  of  our  subject's  mother  in  Illinois,  when  he 
was  but  two  years  old,  the  father  placed  the  children  in  the  care  of  their 
paternal  grandparents.  Later  he  married  a  second  time  and  lived  in  Marion 
count)-,  and  from  there,  in  1861,  he  entered  the  United  States  army,  and  upon 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  enlistment  re-enlisted,  and  died  at  Murfreesboro 
while  serving  in  the  cause  of  his  country. 

Our  subject  did  not  live  with  his  grandparents  very  long,  as  after  his 
second  marriage  the  father  claimed  his  children.  After  his  death  they  were 
directed  by  a  guardian  and  thus  Elias  had  several  early  homes,  but  was  given 
a  common-school  education  and  was  taught  how  to  work  on  a  farm.  From 
early  life,  however,  he  was  obliged  to  earn  all  he  received  and  perhaps  the 
stern  discipline  of  neseccity  helped  to  make  him  the  reliable  and  excellent  man 
he  now  is. 

In  1874  Mr.  Crissinger  was  married  to  Harriet  L.  Houser,  a  daughter  of 
Anthony  Houser,  of  Marion  county,  Ohio,  and  then  settled  in  Dallas  county, 
where  he  began  farming,  first  as  a  renter.  An  accidental  discharge  of  a  sh<  it- 
gun  so  injured  his  hand  that  the  amputation  of  his  arm  below  the  elbow  be- 
came nescessarv,  and  affliction  which  was  borne  with  most  woderful  courage. 


830  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

For  the  following  seventeen  years  the  family  resided  in  Marion  county  upon 
a  forty-acre  farm  given  to  Mrs.  Crissinger  by  her  father,  but  in  1896  he 
bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  in  Dallas  township,  Crawford 
county,  where  he  has  since  lived  and  followed  farming. 

In  1897  Mr.  Crissinger  was  elected  trustee,  and  in  1900  was  re-elected 
for  a  second  term  and  in  the  spring  of  1901  he  was  made  assessor  also  and  is 
now  serving  in  both  positions,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  community- 
In  politics  he  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party  and  is  one  of  the  representa- 
tive men  of  his  community.  With  his  wife  and  family  of  eight  children  he 
belongs  to  the  Methodist  church,  where  he  is  most  highly  esteemed  for  his 
many  traits  of  Christian  character.  His  business  relations  have  brought  him 
into  contact  with  almost  all  the  residents  of  the  township  and  there  is  no  one 
who  nas  more  friends  than  Elias  Crissinger. 

JESSE  HOLLINSHEAD. 

The  family  of  Hollinshead  are  representatives  of  those  who  have  been 
leaders  in  thought  and  in  action  wherever  their  lots  have  been  cast.  The  fam- 
ily has  been  ably  represented  in  Ohio,  by  Richard  Hollinshead  and  his  sons,  one 
of  whom,  Jesse  Hollinshead,  is  a  prominent  citizen  of  Texas  township,  Craw- 
ford county. 

Jesse  Hollinshead  was  born  near  McConnellsville,  Morgan  county,  Ohio, 
August  2^,,  1823,  a  son  of  Richard  and  Catharine  (George)  Hollinshead,  who 
had  five  sons  and  three  daughters  and  two  of  whose  sons,  Jesse  and  Philip, 
fought  gallantly  for  the  Union  cause  in  the  Civil  war,  the  former  in  Company 
H,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  the 
latter  in  the  Fourteenth  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry. 

In  1829  Richard  Hollinshead  moved  with  his  family  from  Morgan  coun- 
tv,  Ohio,  to  Seneca  county,  and  in  1838  to  Crawford  county  where  he  bought 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Lykens  township,  of  the  United  States 
government,  his  purchase  being  comprised  in  what  was  known  as  the  Indian 
reserve.  The  land  was  heavily  timbered  and  he  cleared  a  small  space  in  which 
he  erected  a  log  cabin  and  addressed  himself  bravely  to  the  work  of  improving 
his  property ;  but  he  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years,  in  1842,  only  four  years 
after  his  arrival  there,  and  his  wife  died  in  1853.  When  his  parents  located 
in  Lykens  township,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  fifteen  years  old,  and  he 
received  a  scanty  education  in  the  common  schools  and  was  brought  up  to  the 
hard  life  of  a  poor  boy  on  the  frontier.     He  began  an  independent  career  at 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  831 

the  age  of  twenty  years,  when  he  married  Christina  Feasel,  who  bore  him  five 
children.     She  died  on  the  29th  of  September,  1893. 

Amanda,  eldest  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Christina  (Feasel)  Hollinshead, 
married  J.  G.  Snyder,  a  wagon-maker  and  sawmill  proprietor  of  Benton, 
Ohio.  Their  daughters,  Sarah  and  Catharine,  and  their  sons,  Lawson  and 
Herman,  are  dead.  They  have  only  one  grandchild,  Jesse  H.  Hollinshead,  son 
of  their  son  Lawson. 

August  19,  1862.  Mr.  Hollinshead  enlisted  in  Company  H,  One  Hundred 
and  Twenty-third  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  At  Winchester,  where 
he  saw  his  first  experience  of  battle,  he  was  made  a  prisoner  of  war.  After 
being  confined  two  days  in  Libby  prison  he  was  transferred  to  Belle  Isle 
prison,  from  which  he  was  liberated  after  about  thirty  days  on  parole  and 
went  to  a  camp  at  Martinsburg,  Virginia,  and  participated  in  the  engagements 
at  New  Market  and  Snickers  G  ap.  He  fought  under  General  Hunter  at  Kerns- 
town  and  later  under  General  Sheridan  at  the  battle  of  Opecken.  Still  later  he 
participated  in  the  fighting  at  Fisher's  Hill  and  Cedar  Creek,  and  after  that  his 
regiment  was  transferred  to  the  Army  of  the  James,  under  command  of  Gen- 
eral Grant,  and  for  a  time  was  stationed  at  Camp  Holley  at  Deep  Bottom.  Mr. 
Hollinshead  fought  at  Hatchers  Run  and  participated  in  the  movements  against 
Petersburg  and  Richmond.  After  the  fall  of  Richmond,  as  a  means  of  pre- 
venting Lee  from  crossing  the  river  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Ohio 
and  the  Fifty-fourth  Pennsylvania  Regiments  were  detailed  to  destroy  a 
bridge,  and  in  an  attempt  to  carry  out  that  purpose  were  captured  by  the  enemv 
and  were  prisoners  with  Lee  at  the  time  of  the  latter's  surrender. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Hollinshead  returned  to  Ohio  and  took  up  carpenter 
work  and  for  nearly  forty  years  was  successfully  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  has  been  township  trustee  three  years 
and  is  a  member  of  Roberts  Post,  No.  672,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

TFIE    MONNETT    FAMILY.  < 

The  Monnett  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Craw- 
ford county.  Its  origin  is  traced  to  the  French  Huguenot  refugees.  One 
branch  came  from  near  Lyons,  France,  having  been  driven  from  their  native 
country  after  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  A.  D.  1685.  Many  tied 
to  England,  some  to  Holland,  and  afterward  three  brothers  emigrated  from 
England  to  America  and  settled  in  Maryland  and  Virginia.     A  large  number 

of  the  French  families  by  the  same  name  are  now  living  in  Montreal,  main-  <  if 
47 


■832  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

them  keeping'  up  their  native  tongue,  and  others  are  found  in  the  French  set- 
tlements of  New  Orleans.  Different  branches  of  the  same  family  vary  the 
orthography  somewhat,  some  attaching  the  final  "e,"  others  omitting-  one  of 
the  "n's,"  and  some  of  the  old  families  even  spelling  it  with  one  "n"  and  one 
"t."  The  Anglicized  or  American  spelling  is  with  the  two  "n's"  and  two 
"t's,"  and  usually  accented  on  the  last  syllable,  but  perhaps  more  properly  with 
an  equal  emphasis  on  the  first  and  last  syllables. 

The  earliest  record  of  accurate  data  of  the  Crawford  and  Marion  counties 
branch  of  the  family  is  of  Isaac  Monnett,  born  about  1726,  in  Westmoreland 
count}-.  Maryland,  where  there  is  still  an  old  homestead  by  that  name.  Isaac 
and  his  wife  Elizabeth  had  children  at  this  place,  and  among  their  immediate 
descendants  was  Abraham  Monnett,  born  March  16,  1748.  The  latter  mar- 
ried Ann  Hillary,  daughter  of  William  Hillary;  branches  of  this  family  are 
still  found  in  Virginia,  also  in  Ross  and  Pickaway  counties,  Ohio.  Of  this 
Abraham  Monnett  and  Ann  were  born  the  following  children,  namely :  Isaac, 
Osborn,  William,  Thomas,  Elizabeth,  Margaret,  Ann  and  Jeremiah.  Isaac, 
Osborn,  Thomas  and  Jeremiah  settled  in  Crawford  and  Marion  counties. 
This  elder  generation  all  seemed  to  have  lived  to  an  advanced  age  and  some 
to  extreme  old  age,  and  have  everywhere  left  a  highly  honorable  record. 
Abraham  Monnett,  the  father  of  Jeremiah,  moved  into  Ohio  in  1803,  and  en- 
tered a  section  of  land  in  Pickaway  county,  and  also'  land  in  Ross  count;,-, 
which  sections  are  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kingston  on  the  border  line  between 
Ross  and  Pickaway  counties,  and  still  bear  the  name  of  Monnett  sections. 
Part  of  the  real  estate  is  now  in  the  possession  of- the  Downs  family. 

The  Monnett  family  in  religion  became  Virginian  Episcopalians,  but  in 
the  pioneer  life  of  Ohio  became  Methodists. 

The  wife  of  Jeremiah,  hereinafter  referred  to,  and  her  ancestors  were 
Roman  Catholics, — a  strange  meeting  of  the  Jesuits  and  the  Huguenots  after 
generations  of  religious  persecution!  It  could  be  truthfully  said  of  the  elder 
pioneer  Monnett  family  that  they  were  "diligent  in  business,  fervent  in  spirit, 
serving  the  Lord.''  The  above  named  Jeremiah  was  an  enthusiastic,  old-time 
and  old-style  Methodist,  and  opened  his  home  at  all  times  generously  to  the 
circuit-rider,  presiding  elders  and  the  bishops.  Before  the  days  of  churches 
his  home  was  the  "meeting-house."  His  daily  family  prayer,  his  exemplary 
life  and  his  exhortations,  precept  and  example,  have  left  their  impress  upon 
all  who  came  in  contact  with  him,  even  descending-  to  the  third  and  fourth 
generations.  The  good  deeds  done  by  Jeremiah  Monnett  have  been  to  his 
descendants  an  inspiration,  and  he  has,  truly,  by  them  been  "sainted." 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  833 

Jeremiah  Monnett  was  born  September  12,  1784,  and  his  wife  Aley 
(daughter  of  Jacob  and  Hannah  Slag-el)  was  born  March  1,  1788.  They 
were  the  parents  of  seven  sons  and  seven  daughters,  two  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  Twelve  lived  to  mature  manhood  and  womanhood :  Jacob,  born 
March  18,  1806;  Isaac,  November  16,  1807;  Abraham,  October  12,  181 1; 
Elsie,  October  13,  1813;  Margaret,  July  n,  1816;  Hannah,  December  13, 
1817;  Ann,  August  25,  1819;  John,  January  11,  1820;  Jeremiah,  January  2, 
1823;  Mary,  April  2,  1824;  Thomas  J.,  January  16,  1826;  and  Martha,  Janu- 
ary 21,  1828. 

At  the  marriage  of  Jeremiah  Monnett  with  Aley  Slagel,  at  Cumberland, 
Maryland,  a  part  of  the  bride's  dower  included  a  number  of  slaves.  All  of 
these  so  delivered  to  him  in  bondage,  he  freed,  and  he  early  became  an  abo- 
litionist. 

In  1814,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  young  family,  he  removed  to  Pick- 
away county,  Ohio,  and  located  near  Kingston,  and  thence  he  moved  directly 
north,  in  the  year  1835,  to  a  point  five  miles  south  of  Bucyrus,  Crawford 
county,  being  half  way  between  Sandusky  City  and  Columbus.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  physical  strength,  filled  with  energy  and  possessed  of  great 
endurance.  He  not  only  managed  his  large  landed  estate  wisely  but  also 
reared  his  family  of  twelve  children  to  be  honored  citizens  wherever  they  took 
up  their  abode  for  life.  His  interest  in  church  buildings  and  church  founding 
and  education  never  ceased,  and  he  filled  his  posterity  with  high  ambitions 
along  these  nobler  lines.  Hardly  a  Methodist  church,  in  fact  church  building 
of  any  denomination,  in  that  part  of  the  county,  but  that  he  assisted  finan- 
cially, as  well  as  personally,  attending  their  services  and  admonishing  and  ex- 
horting more  earnest  work  for  the  Master  whom  he  lived  to  honor.  About 
the  year  1844  he-  founded  and  established  Monnett  chapel  and  donated  the 
premises  whereon  to  build  the  same.  This  little  spot  has  been  famous  in  that 
community  for  the  number  of  noble  youth,  also  men  and  women  of  more 
mature  years,  who  have  received  their  inspiration  for  a  religious  life  and  their 
aspirations  for  a  higher  social  development.  In  this  year,  1901,  as  a  fulfill- 
ment to  his  request  of  forty  years  ago,  we  might  say,  as  a  fulfillment  of  his 
prophecy,  a  memorial  stone  chapel  has  been  contracted  for,  to  supplant  the 
present  church  edifice  that  has. occupied  the  site  so  dedicated  by  him  about 
sixty  years  ago.  He  requested,  and  frequently  repeated  in  his  last  prayers, 
"that  a  church  would  be  continued  there  to  the  last  generation."  This  ex- 
emplary citizen  and  his  noble  wife  each  lived  to  within  a  few  weeks  of  four- 
score years,  and  are  both  buried  in  the  cemetery  adjoining  Monnett  chapel. 


834  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Many  of  his  children  and  part  of  their  families  have  chosen  this  for  their  last 
resting  place. 

Abraham  Monnett,  his  son,  referred  to  in  another  part  of  this  work,  car- 
ried on  as  his  life  work  stock-raising,  farming  and  banking  in  Marion  county, 
and  amassed  an  unusually  large  estate,  leaving  at  his  death  property  to  about 
the  amount  of  six  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Mrs.  Martha  Warner,  widow 
of  the  late  R.  K.  Warner,  is  the  only  survivor  of  the  large  family  and  occupies 
a  large  landed  estate  adjoining  the  old  homestead. 

The  descendants  of  Jeremiah  Monnett  have  made  enviable  records  also 
in  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Nebraska,  Missouri  and  in  almost  all  the 
western  states.  Colleges  have  been  endowed,  seminaries  named  for  their 
beneficences,  and  public  charities  and  churches  have  ever  been  remembered 
by  many  of  these  noble  sons  of  a  noble  sire.  From  his  family  altar  and  from 
the  hearthstone  of  this  devout  pioneer  have  gone  forth  influences  that  have 
reproduced  ministers,  lawyers,  professors,  teachers,  physicians,  railroad  men, 
bankers,  ranchmen,  land-owners, — in  fact,  almost  all  the  honorable  professions 
and  vocations  have  been  honored  by  the  descendants. 

Thomas  Jefferson  Monnett;  the  seventh  and  youngest  son  of  Jeremiah 
and  Aley  Monnett,  came  with  his  parents  to  Crawford  county  in  1835,  at  the 
age  of  nine  years.  Being  the  youngest  in  the  family,  he  had  better  oppor- 
tunities than  some  of  the  elder  ones  for  cultivating  his  natural  instinct  and 
taste  for  scholarship  and  literary  life;  and  in  addition  to  attending  the  district 
schools  he  prepared  for  college  in  a  select  school  held  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
afterward  attended  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware,  to  fit  himself 
for  the  ministry.  He  was  licensed  to  exhort  as  early  as  1845.  He  prepared 
for  his  life-work  by  teaching  school  in  the  winters  and  working  on  the  farm  in 
summer,  and  all  the  time  taking  an  active  part  in  church  work.  After  com- 
pleting his  education  he  became  a  member  of  the  North  Ohio  Conference  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  was  stationed  at  Melmore,  Fostoria, 
Kenton,  Upper  Sandusky  and  other  points.  He  was  an  extremely  hard 
worker  in  his  pastorates,  finally  breaking  his  health  down  in  the  work  of 
i860  and  1861,  and  so  severely  injuring  his  throat  that  for  years  he  was 
obliged  to  retire  from  the  regular  work.  In  taking  up  his  secular  work  from 
1864  until  he  retired  from  active  work  in  1899,  he  never  failed  to  give  much 
time  to  church  and  Sunday-school  work  and  educational  enterprises.  For 
twenty  years  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  Woolen  Mills  at  Bucyrus ;  for  eighteen 
years  he  was  president  of  the  Bucyrus  Gas  Company  and  owner  of  the  plant, 
and  at  the  same  time  was  interested  in  banking  and  stock-raising  and  engaged. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  835 

In  looking  after  his  landed  estates.  He  spurned  all  sham  methods  of  accumu- 
lating- wealth,  and  his  word  was  considered  in  commercial  and  business  circles 
as  good  as  his  bond;  and,  notwithstanding  his  attention  given  to  church  and 
educational  work,  he  amassed  a  comfortable  fortune,  as  well  as  endowing  his 
children  with  a  liberal  education  and  financial  opportunities. 

Thomas  J.  Monnett  died  of  bronchitis  May  10,  1901,  at  his  beautiful 
home  in  Bucyrus,  in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age,  and  was  buried  at 
Monnett  Chapel  near  his  parents,  brothers  and  sisters,  the  spot  so  dear  to 
him.  He  was  married  October  19,  1847,  to  Miss  Henrietta  Johnston,  daugh- 
ter of  Hon.  Thomas  F.  Johnston  and  Martha  (Walton)  Johnston,  honored 
pioneers  and  leaders  in  their  community  and  for  many  years  residents  of 
Marion  county.  Of  this  marriage  were  born  seven  children,  hereinafter  re- 
ferred to.  Mrs.  Henrietta  Monnett  died  November  20,  1871,  at  the  early  age 
of  forty-one,  leaving  five  children  surviving  her.  Mr.  Monnett  was  mar- 
ried the  second  time,  to  Miss  Sarah  Rexroth,  who  was  at  the  time  prin- 
cipal of  the  Bucyrus  high  school.  She  was  an  alumna  of  Mount  Union  Col- 
lege and  brought  with  her  a  rich  Christian  experience,  a  well-trained  intellect 
and  a  mind  and  heart  full  of  noble  inspirations.  She  gave  the  best  years  of 
her  life  to  the  rearing  of  the  family  and  fitting  them  for  the  more  serious 
duties  of  life  and  training-  them  for  high-school  and  college  education,  along 
with  her  other  arduous  family  duties.  She  was  a  devoted  companion  and  a 
ministering  angel  to  Mr.  Monnett  in  his  declining-  years. 

The  children  of  Thomas  J.  and  Henrietta  Johnston  Monnett  were  Web- 
ster and  Agnes,  who  died  in  childhood ;  John  Gilbert,  known  among  his  com- 
panions as  "Bert,"  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  March  26,  1879. 
Orin  Bruce,  the  oldest  of  the  surviving  children  was  born  September 
29,  1850,  at  the  farm  near  Monnett  chapel.  He  attended  school  at 
Kenton  and  Upper  Sandusky,  and  afterward  the  district  school,  complet- 
ing his  education  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University.  Bruce  spent  sev- 
eral years  in  the  Bucyrus  Woolen  Mills,  was  superintendent  of  the  gas  works 
and  was  interested  in  the  grocery  business  for  many  years.  He  retired  to  one 
of  his  farms  in  Bucyrus  township,  where  he  resides  in  luxury  and  ease,  sur- 
rounded by  his  happy  family.  He  was  married  November  24,  1877,  to  Miss 
Anna,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Katherine  Hoffman.  The}/  have  two  chil- 
dren,— Ethel  Mae  and  Bessie  Monnett. 

William  Arthur  Monnett,  the  second  son,  was  born  at  Fostoria,  January 
4,  1854,  attended  the  union  schools  at  Upper  Sandusky  and  the  district 
schools  in  Crawford  countv,  and  graduated  at  a  commercial  college  at  Pitts- 


$36  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

burg,  Pennsylvania,  in  1873.  He  spent  ten  years  as  one  of  the  foremen  of 
Wood  Brothers  in  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  Chicago.  He  has  always  been  a 
stockman,  and  for  years  has  occupied  the  old  family  homestead  where  he  still 
resides.  He  was  married,  February  25,  1875,  to  Miss  Annetta  Boyer,  daugh- 
ter of  J.  P.  and  Charlotta  (Stough)  Boyer.  They  have  three  children, — Kay, 
Grace  and  Charlotta. 

The  third  son  was  Francis  Sylvester  Monnett,  burn  in  Kenton,  Hardin 
county,  Ohio,  March  19,  1857.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  and  select 
schools  and  took  a  preliminary  training  under  Mrs.  Sarah  Rexroth  Monnett, 
his  stepmother,  who  assisted  in  training  him  for  the  high  school  and  the 
university.  He  graduated  at  the  Bucyrus  high  school  in  1875;  took  the  full 
Greek  classical  course  at  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  graduating  in  1880, 
and  received  numerous  honors  at  college  in  his  class,  literary  societies  and  in 
his  fraternity.  In  childhood  he  mapped  out  his  career  and  stated  before  he 
entered  the  high  school  at  Bucyrus  that  he  expected  to  graduate  at  the  high 
school  and  at  Delaware  and  take  a  course  in  law  at  Harvard  University.  He 
did  not  vary  from  his  self-arranged  program,  except  to  substitute  the  National 
Law  School  of  Washington,  D.  C,  for  the  Harvard  Law  School,  either  one  of 
which  he  had  his  choice  of  entering.  Having  several  warm  friends  at  the 
National  Law  School,  and,  preferring  the  opportunities  afforded  at  the  capital 
city,  he  chose  the  latter  and  graduated  at  that  institution  on  June  15,   1882. 

Pie  was  admitted  to  practice  law  in  the  District  of  Columbia  in  June  of 
that  year,  under  the  common-law  practice,  and  was  admitted  by  the  supreme 
court,  in  1882,  to  practice  law  in  Ohio.  He  opened  up  an  office  January  1, 
1883,  at  Bucyrus,  thoroughly  in  love  with  his  profession,  and  always  adopted 
the  maxim,  "Keep  thy  shop  and  thy  shop  will  keep  thee."  He  was  never 
without  a  substantial  clientage,  and  entered  actively  into  the  social,  political 
and  professional  life  of  Bucyrus  and  its  environments.  He  was  twice  elected 
city  solicitor  by  the  Republican  party,  a  party  greatly  in  the  minority  in  this 
Democratic  Gibraltar.  He  was  a  frequent  delegate  to  the  county,  district  and 
state  Republican  conventions.  H'is  young  friends  in  power  in  the  district 
urged  him  to  accept  the  nomination  for  congress,  but  as  he  had  pledged  him- 
self to  place  in  nomination  and  support  "Uncle"  Stephen  R.  Harris,  he  de- 
clined to  betray  his  friend  Harris,  placed  him  in  nomination  and  assisted  in 
electing  the  first  Republican  congressman  ever  sent  from  the  district ;  and 
in  turn  Harris's  friends  urged  his  nomination  for  attorney  general  of  the 
state  of  Ohio,  for  which  place  he  was  nominated  at  Zanesville,  this  state,. 
May  30,  1895,  and,  being  elected,  served  in  that  office  from  1896  to  1900. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  S37 

In  this  position  he  carried  through  to  the  United  States  supreme  court  the 
taxation  cases  against  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  the  rive  ex- 
press companies  and  the  thirteen  national  bank  cases,  winning  each  and  every 
contest,  and  in  his  second  term  took  up  the  fight  on  behalf  of  the  state  of 
Ohio  against  the  Standard  Oil  trust,  the  Tobacco  trust,  the  Cracker  trust, 
the  Beer  trust,  and  was  the  author  of  the  anti-trust  act  passed  by  the  Ohio  leg- 
islature in  1898.  When  he  retired  from  office  there  were  pending  upward  of 
twenty-five  cases  of  ouster  against  these  law  violators.  His  vigorous  cam- 
paign against  monopoly  brought  a  cyclone  of  corporate  wrath  that  hurled  him 
from  his  office.  He  resumed  general  practice  the  day  following  his  termina- 
tion of  office  as  attorney  general,  and  has  a  large  and  remunerative  clientage 
in  the  state  and  federal  courts  at  Columbus  and  throughout  the  state. 

Mr.  Monnett  has  campaigned  in  almost  every  county  in  the  state  many 
times,  and  spoken  before  the  leading  literary  clubs  of  Boston,  Philadelphia 
and  several  times  at  Xew  York  City,  Chicago  and  Detroit,  and  campaigned 
for  the  national  committees  through  the  northwest.  He  is  a  constant  con- 
tributor, on  economic  questions,  to  the  leading  magazines  and  newspapers  of 
the  country. 

He  took  a  trip  abroad  for  pleasure  and  study  in  the  summer  of  1899, 
under  contract  with  a  newspaper  syndicate  to  write  up  municipal  ownership  of 
four  of  the  leading  cities  of  England,  which  articles  were  broadly  published 
throughout  the  United  States  in  the  leading  newspapers. 

Mr.  Monnett  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  K.  Gormly,  daughter  of  James 
B.  and  Virginia  (Swingly)  Gormly,  of  Bucyrus,  February  16,  iSSS.  Mrs. 
Monnett  was  a  pupil  of  the  Cincinnati  Musical  College  after  graduating  at  a 
private  school  at  Newburgh,  New  York,  and  also  took  a  short  course  at  the 
Ohio  Wesleyan  at  Delaware.  She  took  a  prominent  position  among  the  club 
women  of  the  capital  city,  and  takes  a  keen  delight  in  public  and  social  affairs. 
She  has  always  been  a  church  worker,  both  at  Bucyrus  and  at  Columbus. 

The  fourth  child  was  Miss  Effie  Monnett,  an  only  daughter,  who  was 
born  December  25,  1865.  She  attended  private  school  and  was  fitted  for  the 
high  school  by  her  stepmother,  graduating  at  the  high  school  in  1884  and  at 
the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  in  1888.  She  was  fond  of  her  classical  studies 
but  excelled  in  her  mathematical  grades  in  all  her  classes.  On  February  12, 
1891,  she  was  united  in  marriage  to  Smith  W.  Bennett,  an  active  young  at- 
torney of  Bucyrus,  who  was  afterward' selected  as  special  counsel  in  the  office 
of  attorney  general  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  under  F.  S.  Monnett,  and  still  retains 
the  same  position  under  Attorney  General  Sheets.     Two  children  were  born 


838  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

of  this  marriage:  Hugh  Monnett  and  Grace  Lizetta.  Mrs.  Effie  Bennett 
failed  in  health  late  in  the  year  1896,  and  spent  the  fall  and  winter  and  the 
following  summer  in  Alabama,  Texas  and  New  Mexico,  and  finally  suc- 
cumbed to  the  dread  malady,  consumption,  on  the  27th  of  October,  1898,  and 
was  buried  in  Oakwood  cemetery,  Bucyrus,  Ohio. 

JOHN  C.  CAHILL. 

Prominent  among-  the  eminently  successful  farmers  of  Crawford  county, 
Ohio,  is  John  C.  Cahill,  who  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  intelligent 
agriculturists  of  his  locality  and  one  who  has  raised  his  farming  operations  into 
a  science.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Cahill  was  on  the  farm  which  he  now  occupies, 
in  Vernon  township,  on  April  14,  1862,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Richard  Wallace 
and  Catherine  (Richards)  Cahill.  and  was  a  member  of  a  family  of  thirteen 
children  born  to  his  parents.  The  seven  survivors  of  this  once  large  family 
are:  Eliza,  who  is  the  wife  of  Washington  Cummins;  James,  who  resides  in 
Tiro;  Isaac,  who  is  an  attorney  in  Bucyrus;  Richard,  an  attorney  who  resides 
in  Napoleon,  Henry  county,  Ohio;  Warren,  who  lives  in  this  township;  John 
C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  ;  Jennette  Gundrum,  of  Toledo,  Ohio. 

Richard  W.  Cahill,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  distinguished  citizen 
of  Crawford  count}-.  He  was  born  in  Derby  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  on  March  0,  1801,  and  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  He  was  a 
son  of  Abram  and  Nancy  (  Wallace)  Cahill.  His  father  was  an  officer  in  the 
state  militia,  and  at  one  time  had  charge  of  all  of  the  forces  in  western  Penn- 
sylvania. In  1818  Richard  W.  Cahill  removed  with  his  parents  to  Wayne 
county,  Ohio,  in  1827  removed  to  Crawford  county  and  later  purchased  the 
farm  which  our  subject  now  occupies.  In  1829  he  married  Miss  Eliza  Cum- 
mins, who  died  in  1843.  To  this  union  were  born  two  children:  Abraham, 
who  became  a  distinguished  lawyer  of  the  Dayton,  Ohio,  bar ;  and  David  C, 
now  a  practicing  attorney  of  Bucyrus,  Ohio.  In  1844  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Catherine  Richards.  In  1841  Mr.  Cahill  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature 
and  was  re-elected  in  1842  and  in  1843,  serving"  his  constitutency  in  an  ad- 
mirable, non-partisan  mannar.  In  1850  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Ohio 
constitutional  convention,  serving  with  distinction  as  a  member  of  that  body, 
In  all  his  career,  both  public  and  private,  the  sympathies  of  Richard  W. 
Car  ill  were  always  with  the  great  masses  of  the  common  people,  and  he  was 
at  ail  times  an  uncompromising  foe  of  corporations.  Mr.  Cahill  became  a 
large  land  owner  before  his  death,  which  took  place  on  October  2,  1886.     His 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY:  839 

home  farm  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  while  he  also  owned 
two  hundred  acres  east  of  the  town  of  DeKalb,  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
in  Auburn  township,  which  is  now  the  property  of  B.  F.  Lash,  and  other 
holdings.  He  was  a  power  in  the  Democratic  party  and  held  many  of  the 
township  offices  besides  his  public  service  in  the  legislature  and  constitutional 
convention.  He  was  known  as  a  consistent  Christian  gentleman,  and  his  de- 
clining years  were  comforted  by  the  affection  of  all  who  knew  him. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  1822,  in  Vernon  township,  which 
is  now  Jefferson  township,  a  daughter  of  James  Richards,  who  was  the  second 
settler  in  the  township,  appearing  here  in  1821.  He  was  the  first  blacksmith 
in  the  locality,  and  shortly  after  the  erection  of  his  cabin  built  a  small  round- 
log  shop.  He  made  cow  bells,  prepared  iron  points  for  plows,  hammered 
out  and  tempered  axes,  obtaining  his  supplies  of  iron  from  Sandusky  City. 
Mr.  Richards  found  much  to  do  in  repairing  settlers'  wagons  that  had  become 
disordered  in  the  long  journey  from  the  east.  At  this  date  there  were  but 
two  roads  in  the  township.  The  Columbus  and  Sandusky  road,  running  north 
and  south  through  the  township,  had  been  first  cut  out  about  the  year  1818, 
and  was  simply  a  blazed  path  through  the  forest,  from  which  undergrowth 
and  fallen  trees  had  been  removed.  The  death  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  on  February  28,  1898. 

John  C.  Cahill,  whose  successful  farming  operations,  in  connection  with 
his  prominent  identification  with  all  progressive  movements  in  the  township, 
has  became  an  important  factor  in  this  part  of  Craword  county,  was  reared 
on  his  father's  farm.  His  primary  education  wTas  completed  in  the  public 
schools,  from  which  he  graduated  into  the  normal  college,  at  Ada,  with  a  view 
of  still  pursuing  higher  branches  in  a  university.  However,  his  father  was 
alone  on  the  farm  and  needed  his  assistance,  and  in  1880  our  subject  returned 
to  the  old  home  and  took  charge  of  the  operations  there.  His  parents  ex- 
perienced tender  care  as  long  as  they  lived,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father 
he  purchased  the  interest  of  the  other  heirs  and  now  owns  the  old  Cahill  farm, 
with  the  exception  of  two  small  portions.  Mr.  Cahill  is  a  thoroughly  hon- 
orable man,  liberal  with  his  employes  and  generous  of  heart — destitution  and 
poverty  never  appealing  to  him  in  vain.  Modest  and  unassuming  in  manner, 
yet  when  drawn  out  in  conversation  his  opinions  are  sound  and  valuable  upon 
all  -questions  which  come  under  his  observation.  He  is  a  scientific  farmer, 
thoroughly  up-to-date  and  manages  his  agricultural  operations  on  the  same 
basis  that  he  would  conduct  any  other  business.  Hence  he  has  been  unusually 
•successful  and  many  of  his  neighbors  are  inclined  to  follow  his  methods. 


840  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Mr.  Cahill  was  married  in  1887,  to  Miss  Mary  Weirich,  who  was  a  native 
of  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Christian  and  Addie  (Miller)  Weirich, 
both  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  To  our  subject  and  wife  have  been  born 
three  children,  as  follows:  Allen  W.3  John  R.  and  Edith,  deceased.  In 
politics  he  has  been  a  life-long-  Democrat,  and  has  been  honored  by  his  fellow 
citizens  by  election  to  many  of  the  responsible  offices  of  the  township.  For  a 
considerable  period  he  served  as  township  trustee.  At  the  present  time  he  is 
serving-  his  second  term  as  clerk  of  the  township,  his  efficiency  and  honesty 
making  him  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  officials  in  the  count}'.  Airs. 
Cahill  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  and  our  sub- 
ject is  usually  an  attendant  upon  the  services  there  with  Airs.  Cahill.  For 
very  many  years  the  family  name  has  been  one  which  has  commanded  respect 
in  Crawford  county,  and  our  subject  is  a  worthy  representative  of  it. 

SILAS  GUNDRUM. 

Silas  Gundrum,  a  representative  citizen  and  leading  farmer  of  Crawford 
county,  was  born  in  Berks  count}-,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  14th  of  January, 
1830,  a  son  of  John  and  Charlotte  (  Fogle)  Gundrum.  The  father  was  also 
a  native  of  the  Keystone  state,  his  birth  occurring  about  1797,  and  his  father 
came  from  the  fatherland  to  the  United  States.  John  Gundrum  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade  early  in  life,  but  later  devoted  his  time  and  attention  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  About  1834  he  came  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  about 
six  months  later  located  in  Bucyrus  township,  where  he  purchased  the  farm 
of  eighty  acres  on  which  our  subject  now  resides.  This  place  was  then  cov- 
ered with  native  timber  with  the  exception  of  about  three  acres,  which  had 
been  cleared  by  a  Mr.  Cox,  the  former  owner,  and  to  this  tract  the  father  after- 
ward added  another  eighty  acres  adjoining-  the  place  on  the  south  and  which 
is  now  owned  by  Lewis  Heller.  Thus  he  became  the  owner  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which  he  improved  and  placed  under  a  fine  state  of 
cultivation,  and  he  became  known  as  one  of  the  substantial  and  reliable  citizens 
O'f  the  township.  He  passed  to  his  final  reward  in  1862.  He  was  an  active 
supporter  of  the  Democratic  ticket  and  was  a  stanch  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  His  wife  survived  him  but  a  few  months,  when  she,  too,  passed  away 
in  death.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gundrum  became  the  parents  of  sixteen  children,  sev- 
en of  whom  still  survive,  namely :  Henry,  a  resident  of  Richland  county,  Ohio ; 
Pasetta,  wife  of  Arthur  Cleland,  of  this  county;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Isaac  Cole, 
of  Richland  county,  Ohio;  Lovina.  wife  of  Henry  Cloyd,  of  Missouri;  Michael,. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  841 

who  resides  in  Steuben  county,  Indiana;  Rebecca,  wife  of  James  Smith,  of 
Tiffin,  Ohio;  and  Silas,  the  subject  of  this  review. 

The  latter  was  reared  to  manhood  in  the  place  of  his  nativity,  there  ac- 
quiring a  limited  education  in  the  old  pioneer  log  school  house  of  his  neigh- 
borhood. In  1856  he  came  to  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  and  learned  the  cabinet-maker's 
trade,  but  after  two  years  spent  in  the  city  his  father  purchased  his  eighty-acre 
tract  and,  wishing  the  son  to  assist  him  in  its  cultivation,  the  latter  located  on 
that  place,  and  in  i860  he  and  his  brother  Henry  took  charge  of  the  farm, 
conducting  the  same  on  the  shares.  After  the  father's  death  Silas  purchased 
the  home  farm  and  the  brother  became  the  owner  of  the  adjoining  eighty 
acres.  On  this  place  our  subject  has  ever  since  continued  to  make  his  home,, 
and  his  efforts  in  his  chosen  vocation  have  been  attended  with  a  high  and  well 
merited  degree  of  success.  His  fields  are  under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation, 
everything  about  the  place  being  neat  and  thrifty  in  its  appearance,  and  its 
owner  stands  among  the  foremost  agriculturists  of  Crawford  county. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  1861,  Mr.  Gundrum  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Lovina  Buck,  a  native  of  Licking  count}-,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
Buck.  .  Unto  this  union  have  been  born  eight  children,  as  follows:  John,  a 
resident  of  Polk  township,  Crawford  county;  William,  at  home;  Anna,  de- 
ceased; Joseph,  who  resides  in  Sandusky  township,  this  county;  Margaret, 
the  wife  of  Albert  Heller,  of  Sandusky  township;  Silas  and  Emma,  twins,  and 
both  now  deceased;  and  Frank,  who  is  still  under  the  parental  roof.  Mr. 
Gundrum  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Democracy  and  is  also< 
a  zealous  member  of  the  United  Brethren  church. 

WILLIAM  SHERMAN  NYE. 

William  Sherman  Nye,  one  of  the  leading  business  men  and  agriculturists 
of  Crawford  county,  is  a  native  son  of  the  Buckeye  state,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Cranberry  township,  Crawford  county,  on  the  9th  of  September, 
1865.  He  is  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Lovina  (Immel)  Nye.  The  father  was 
born  in  Medina  county,  Ohio,  on  the  2d  of  March,  1823,  his  parents  being 
Jonathan  and  Sabrina  (Briggs)  Nye.  Jonathan  Nye,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  in  1770,  and  the  father,  also  named  Jona- 
than, was  a  well  known  resident  of  Massachusetts.  The  latter  was  a  son  of 
Jonathan  Nye,  who  was  engaged  in  whale  fishing,  following  that  dangerous 
occupation  for  many  years. 

Jonathan  Nye,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  reared  to  manhood  in 


842  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

his  parents'  home,  receiving  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. After  his  marriage  he  engaged  in  farming  pursuits  on  his  own 
account,  and  a  few  years  afterward  he  removed  to  the  state  of  New  York, 
where  his  wife  died.  He  afterward  married  again,  his  second  union  being 
with  Sabrina  Briggs,  the  grandmother  of  our  subject.  By  his  first  marriage 
he  had  seven  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Soon  after  his  second 
marriage  he  came  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Medina  county,  where  he  entered  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  forest  land,  on  which  he  erected  a  log  cabin.  As 
the  years  passed  he  cleared  his  land,  there  remaining  until  1825,  when  he  sold 
that  property  and  came  to  Crawford  county,  here  entering  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  forest  land  near  what  is  now  North  Robinson.  He  cleared 
eighty  acres  of  his  land,  giving  the  remaining  eighty  acres  to  two  of  his  sons, 
and  there  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  passing  away  in  1849.  In  1853  his 
widow  was  also  called  to  the  home  beyond,  and  at  her  death  the  farm  passed 
into  possession  of  Jonathan  and  Lorenzo  Nye.  In  1857  the  brothers  sold  the 
place  and  came  to  Cranberry  township,  the  former  purchasing  the  farm  which 
he  yet  owns,  consisting  of  eighty  acres,  while  Lorenzo  became  the  owner  of 
ninetv-tive  acres  just  across  the  road  from  his  brother.  Lorenzo*  Nye  was 
married,  and  his  brother  Jonathan  boarded  with  him  until  his  marriage,  on 
the  2 1st  of  April,  1861,  to  Miss  Lovina  Immel,  who  was  a  native  of  Cran- 
berry township,  her  birth  having  occurred  on  the  farm  adjoining  that  which 
belongs  to  her  husband,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Philip  Immel,  one  of  the 
early  pioneers  of  this  township.  He  emigrated  from  Pennsylvania,  his  na- 
tive state,  his  parents  having  been  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  descent.  After  his 
marriage  Philip  Immel  emigrated  with  his  bride  to  the  Buckeye  state,  making 
the  journey  by  wagons,  and  after  his  arrival  in  Crawford  county  he  entered 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  Cranberry  township,  the  deed  being'  signed  by  Andrew 
Jackson.  He  erected  a  log  cabin,  and  blankets  were  hung'  up  for  doors  and 
to  keep  out  the  wolves.  As  time  passed  he  cleared  his  farm  and  placed  his 
fields  under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation,  and  there  he  spent  his  remaining  days, 
his  death  occurring  in  1885. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nye  began  life  in  an  old  log  cabin  on 
his  father's  farm,  and  through  this  rude  structure  the  wind  whistled  and  the 
rain  and  snow  were  blown  through  the  crevices,  it  being  almost  impossible  in 
severe  weather  to  keep  from  freezing  to  death.  For  five  years  they  remained 
in  that  primitive  dwelling,  and  in  1866  they  erected  their  pleasant  and  com- 
modious dwelling",  where  they  are  now  enjoying  the  comforts  and  many  of 
the  luxuries  of  life.      Six  children  blessed  their  union,  three  of  whom  still 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  843 

survive,  namely:  William  Sherman,  whose  name  introduces  this  review; 
Albert  Sheridan,  an  agriculturist  of  Cranberry  township;  and  Eli  Liberty, 
who  is  still  at  home.  The  father  of  these  children  is  a  Republican  in  his  politi- 
cal views,  and  during  the  Civil  war  was  a  stanch  abolitionist.  Although  not  a 
member  of  any  religious  denomination  his  views  are  in  harmony  with  the 
Methodist  doctrine,  and  he  has  always  given  liberally  of  his  time 'and  means 
to  its  support.  His  life  has  been  crowned  with  success,  and  he  now  enjoys  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has  become  acquainted. 

William  Sherman  Nye,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  review,  was  reared 
to  manhood  under  the  parental  roof,  and  his  educational  advantages  were  those 
afforded  by  the  common  schools  of  his  locality,  and  the  G.  W.  Michael  Business 
College,  of  Delaware,  where  he  prepared  himself  for  the  teacher's  profession. 
After  receiving  his  certificate  he  had  two  different  schools  tendered  him,  but 
that  occupation  did  not  prove  congenial  to  his  tastes,  and  he  accordingly  aban- 
doned all  thought  of  becoming  a  teacher.  At  the  early  age  of  fourteen  years 
he  began  working  on  the  farm,  and  from  that  time  on  the  major  portion  of  its 
work  fell  upon  his  young  shoulders.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  received 
his  share  of  the  crops,  and  for  five  years  full. .wing  his  marriage  he  remained 
on  the  home  farm,  after  which,  in  the  spring  of  1897,  he  purchased  a?d  re- 
moved to  the  place  which  he  now  occupies,  consisting  of  eighty  acres.  He 
has  placed  his  fields  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  which  annually  yield 
to  him  golden  returns,  and  he  now  ranks  high  among  the  influential  and  prom- 
inent agriculturists  and  swine-breeders  of  Crawford  county. 

On  the  29th  of  November,  1891,  Mr.  Nye  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Zella  M.  Springer,  a  native  of  Cranberry  township,  and  a  daughter  of 
S.  S.  Springer,  now  deceased.  Two  children  have  graced  this  marriage,  Ber- 
tha L.  and  Willis  L.  In  political  matters  Mr.  Nye  affiliates  with  the  Republi- 
can party,  but  the  honors  or  emoluments  of  office  have  never  had  an  attraction 
for  him,  although  he  is  a  public-spirited  and  loyal  citizen.  He  is  well  and 
favorably  known  in  the  community  in  which  he  resides,  and  numbers  its  best 
residents  among  his  warmest  and  most  confidential  friends. 

JOHN  HARKENRIDER.  . 

John  Harkenrider  is  a  well  known  representative  of  the  industrial  interests 
of  Crestline,  being  foreman  in  the  car  shops  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
Company,  located  in  this  place.  He  was  born  in  Allen  county,  Indiana,  Au- 
gust 23,   1852,  and  is  of  German  lineage.     His  father,  Henry  Harkenrider,. 


844  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  after  attaining  man's  estate  was  there  married 
to  Margaret  Grnsh,  who  was  also  born  in  the  same  country.  Believing  that 
they  might  have  better  opportunities  in  the  new  world,  they  bade  adieu  to  the 
fatherland,  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  took  up  their  abode  near  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana,  where  the  father  purchased  a  farm.  For  forty  years  he  resided  in 
Pleasant  township,  Allen  county,  and  there  died  at  about  the  age  of  sixty-live 
years.  His  widow  still  survives  him,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-eight  years, 
and  is  yet  living  on  the  old  home  place  in  Pleasant  township.  This  worthy 
couple  became  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  two  daughters. 

John  Harkenrider,  the  second  son  and  child,  was  reared  amid  the  scenes 
of  rural  life,  working  in  the  fields  in  the  summer  months,  while  in  the  winter 
season  he  attended  school,  his  time  being  thus  occupied  until  he  began  learning 
the  carpenter's  trade  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  He  began  business  as  an 
employe  of  George  Holmes,  of  Vermilion  township,  Allen  county,  Indiana, 
to  whom  he  served  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years,  and  afterward  was  em- 
ployed by  him  as  a  journeyman  for  two  years.  He  afterward  worked  for 
other  contractors  and  was  engaged  on  many  buildings  in  Fort  Wayne  as  an 
employe  of  Jesse  Lower.  In  1881  he  entere.d  the  service  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Company  as  a  carpenter,  receiving  one  dollar  and  ninety-five  cents 
per  day  for  his  services.  He  was  with  the  corporation  in  Fort  Wayne  until 
1889,  when  he  came  to  Crestline  as  foreman  of  the  car  shops  at  that  place, 
since  which  time  he  has  served  continuously  in  that  capacity.  His  long  and 
varied  experience  in  the  line  of  his  chosen  occupation  as  well  as  his  good 
executive  ability  and  capable  control  of  the  business  won  him  the  confidence 
of  the  officers  of  the  road.  He  is  well  qualified  for  the  duties  and  labors 
which  devolve  upon  him,  and  he  has  control  of  all  the  carpenter  work  in  the 
shops  of  Crestline  and  at  times  he  has  as  many  as  one  hundred  men  under  his 
supervision. 

Mr,  Harkenrider  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Shaughney,  a  na- 
tive of  Pleasant  township,  Allen  county,  Indiana.  Her  people  were  early 
settlers  of  that  locality.  Their  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  four  daughters 
and  a  son,  namely:  Lizzie,  Annie,  Maggie,  Loretta  and  Thomas.  Mr. 
Harkenrider  has  taken  a  great  interest  in  the  education  of  his  children,  realiz- 
ing the  importance  of  good  mental  training  as  a  discipline  and  preparation  for 
life's  work.  The  eldest  daughter,  Lizzie,  having  enjoyed  good  school  privi- 
leges, is  now  occupying  the  position  of  bookkeeper  at  the  Gibson  House.  Annie 
is  quite  a  successful  musician  and  is  now  engaged  in  teaching  music,  while 
the  younger  children  are  students  in  the  schools  of  Crestline.     Mr.  Harken- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  845 

rider  himself  had  but  limited  educational  privileges,  his  knowledge  being 
largely  acquired  by  study  at  night  after  working  hours  were  over.  He  has 
also  added  to  this  by  extensive  reading  and  observation  and  is  now  a  well 
informed  man.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  at 
Crestline,  and  in  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Democrat.  On  the  ticket  of 
the  party  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  city  council  and  is  now  serving  in 
that  capacity.  His  official  prerogatives  are  used  in  support  of  all  measures  for 
the  development  and  improvement  of  the  city. 

JOHN  FISHER. 

John  Fisher,  an  engineer  on  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Rail- 
road, residing  at  Crestline,  was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  February 
9,  1852.  His  father,  Adam  Fisher,  was  a  native  of  the  same  locality,  and  in 
the  year  1855  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America,  bringing  with  him  his  family. 
He  believed  that  he  might  better  provide  for  his  wife  and  children  in  the  new 
world,  and  accordingly  he  located  upon  a  farm  in  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
the  year  1878.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Catherine  Fisher,  was  also  born  in  Hesse- 
Darmstadt,  passing  away  in  Crawford  county.  Their  children  are  Adam, 
Mrs.  Grufstein,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Clemens,  Philip,  Lein,  George,  Eliza,  Fred, 
Jacob,  John  and  Mrs.  Mary  Fiddler. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  John  Fisher  we  present  to  our  readers 
the  life  record  of  one  who  is  widely  known  in  Crawford  county.  He  was 
brought  to  Ohio  by  his  parents  when  only  three  years  of  age,  and  has  here 
passed  his  entire  life.  He  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Crestline 
and  in  his  youth  worked  upon  his  father's  farm,  assisting  in  the  labors  of 
field  and  meadow  from  the  time  of  early  spring  planting  until  the  crops  were 
gathered  in  the  autumn.  Not  desiring  to  follow  the  plow  as  a  life  work,  how- 
ever, he  left  home  in  1871  to  enter  the  railroad  service  as  a  fireman  in  the 
employ  of  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad.  He  was  thus 
engaged  for  five  years,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period  he  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  engineer,  in  which  capacity  he  has  served  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century.  He  has  been  offered  postions  on  passenger  trains,  but  has  refused 
these,  preferring  to  run  on  a  freight  engine.  He  is  most  reliable,  painstaking 
and  careful,  and  he  enjoys  in  an  unusual  degree  the  confidence  of  his  superiors. 
In  the  line  of  his  chosen  life  work  he  has  social  relations  with  the  Brotherhood 
of  Locomotive  Engineers. 


846  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

In  1876  Mr.  Fisher  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Louisa  Metz,  who 
was  born  in  Crawford  county,  October  12,  1854,  her  parents  having  come  to 
Ohio  from  Germany  in  an  early  period  of  the  development  of  the  Buckeye  state. 
Two  children  grace  the  union  of  our  subject  and  his  wife, — Amos  and  Howard. 
The  parents  hold  membership  in  the  Lutheran  church,  and  in  his  political 
affiliations  Mr.  Fisher  is  a  Democrat,  supporting  the  men  and  measures  of 
the  party  and  keeping  well  informed  on  the  issues  of  the  day.  He  has  never 
been  an  aspirant  for  office,  preferring  to  give  his  entire  attention  to>  his  work. 
He  has  a  wide  acquaintance  in  Crawford  county  and  his  friends  are  almost  as 
numerous. 

R.  M.  YOUNGBLOOD. 

R.  M.  Young-blood,  who  is  occupying  the  position  of  clerk  in  the  yard- 
master's  office  of  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad  Company, 
was  born  in  the  city  of  Indiana,  Pennsylvania,  March  6,  1840.  His  father, 
William  Youngblood,  was  a  native  of  Middleton,  Franklin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  by  trade  was  a  shoemaker,  learning  the  business  in  early  life,  and 
following  it  for  a  number  of  years.  After  his  marriage  he  removed  to  Indiana, 
Pennsylvania,  and  thence  came  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Alliance,  Stark  county, 
where  he  died  when  about  sixty  years  of  age.  He  was  of  German  lineage, 
the  original  American  ancestors  having  come  from  the  fatherland.  But  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  the  Keystone  state.  William 
Youngblood  married  Miss  Isabella  McCune,  who  was  a  native  of  Franklin 
county,  where  she  resided  up  to  the  time  of  her  removal  with  her  husband  to 
Indiana  county.  She  lived  to  attain  the  age  of  eighty-live  years  and  died  in 
Alliance,  Stark  county,  Ohio.  She  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Air.  and 
Mrs.  Youngblood  were  the  parents  of  fifteen  children,  thirteen  of  whom 
reached  years  of  maturity,  while  eight  of  the  family  are  still  living,  four  of  the 
brothers  being  railroad  men. 

Mr.  Youngblood,  of  this  review,  was  the  eleventh  in  order  of  birth  and  is 
now  the  only  one  of  the  brothers  in  the  railroad  office.  He  was  in  his  eight- 
eenth year  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  from  Penn- 
sylvania to  Alliance,  and  at  that  time  he  secured  a  position  as  freight  brake- 
man,  running  from  Crestline  to  Alliance  and  Allegheny.  In  1862  he  was  made 
freight  conductor  and  followed  that  business  with  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne 
&  Chicago  Railroad  Company  until  1871,  when  he  was  made  a  passenger 
conductor,  running  from  Crestline  to  Pittsburg,   Pennsylvania,  until    1885, 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  847 

covering  a  period  of  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century,  serving  as  conductor  of  the 
same  road.  In  1885-6  he  tended  the  switches  in  the  Crestline  yards  and  from 
1886  until  1899  was  assistant  yardmaster  at  Crestline,  since  which  time  he 
has  occupied  his  present  position  in  the  yardmaster' s  office.  The  large  rail- 
road corporations  are  exacting  in  their  demands  made  on  their  employes,  yet 
are  quick  to  recognize  faithful  service  and  to  continue  in  their  employ  those 
who  are  true,  faithul  and  capable  and  to  this  class  belongs  Air.  Youngblood, 
who  has  been  with  the  company  through  the  entire  period  of  his  business  career. 
On  the  24th  of  December,  1863,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Young- 
blood  and  Miss  Sarah  Hunt,  a  native  of  Huron  county,  Ohio,  born  in  the 
village  of  London.  They  became  the  parents  of  three  children :  Harry,  who. 
is  living  in  Crestline;  Minnie,  at  home;  and  Frank,  who  is  a  clerk  in 
the  office  of  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad  Company.  In 
his  political  views  Mr.  Youngblood  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  is  well  known 
among  the  representative  people  of  the  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Vol- 
unteer Relief  Railroad  Society,  an  organizaton  formed  for  the  relief  of  all 
in  need  of  assistance  who  are  in  the  railroad  employ.  For  forty-one  years  he 
has  been  connected  with  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  line  anvl  is 
therefore  one  of  its  oldest  employes.  It  would  be  difficult  for  anyone  in  this 
or  other  walks  of  life  to  show  a  record  of  more  faithful  service  than  Mr. 
Youngblood  has  done,  and  to  those  who  desire  advancement  his  history  should 
furnish  an  example  worthy  of  emulation  in  shoving  the  power  of  fklelitv  as 
a  potent  aid  in  the  business  world. 

THOMAS  X.  PATTERSON,  D.  D.  S. 

Prominent  among  the  rising  professional  men  of  Cranberry  township, 
Crawford  county,  is  Dr.  Thomas  Newton  Patterson,  a  successful  and  popular 
practitioner  of  dentistry,  who  in  the  past  six  years  has  absorbed  the  greater 
part  of  the  patronage  in  his  line  in  this  section.  The  birth  of  Dr.  Patterson 
was  in  Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  on  August  30,  1866,  and  he  was  a  son  of 
William  and  Mary  J.  (Young)  Patterson.  The  former  was  born  in  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  pursued  the 
trade  of  millwright  for  some  years,  later  engaging  in  contracting. 

The  early  boyhood  of  Thomas  X.  Patterson  was  spent  in  his  home  and  in 
attendance  upon  the  common  schools  in  his  district,  but  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years  he  began  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  His  first  work  was  in  a 
sash  factory  in  Mansfield,  and  while  employed  there  during  the  day  he  pur- 

48 


S4S  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

sued  his  studies  at  night.  With  the  exception  of  short  intervals  he  continued  in 
the  sash  factory  for  the  following  ten  years  and  then  accepted  a  position  in  the 
wholesale  department  of  the  hardware  firm  of  Wagner  &  Son,  with  whom  he 
remained  one  year.  His  tastes,  however,  were  not  in  this  line,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  begin  the  study  of  dentistry.  In  the  fall  of  1893  he  entered  the  Ohio 
State  Medical  University  and  in  the  spring  of  1896  he  was  graduated  at  this  in- 
stitution.. In  the  following  spring  he  located  in  New*  Washington  and  since 
then  has  been  very  successful  in  his  practice.  Dr.  Patterson  is  a  student  and 
keeps  well  informed  concerning  all  of  the  modern  discoveries  in  his  chosen 
profession,  and  employs  all  of  the  modern  implements  which  have  done  so 
much  in  late  years  to-  change  the  whole  practice  of  his  science. 

Dr.  Patterson  was  married  in  February,  1896,  to  Miss  Mary  M.  Xagie, 
who  was  born  in  Mansfield,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Daniel  Nagle.  Two 
children  w7ere  born  of  this  union  :  Margaret,  deceased,  and  an  infant.  Dr. 
Patterson  is  an  active  member  of  the  United  Brethren  church,  where  he  is 
highly  regarded.  His  skill  and  close  attention  to  business  have  won  for  him 
the  confidence  of  the  public,  and  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  rising  young 
men  111  his  profession  whose  success  is  permanent. 


SAMUEL  EICHHORX. 

Among  the  worthy  German  emigrants  in  Ohio  was  John  Eichhorn,  from 
Baden,  who  in  1835  located  three  miles  south  of  Gallon,  in  Morrow-  county. 
His  son,  Adam  Eichhorn,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  in  181 7,  and  came 
over  to  America  with  his  father,  his  mother  having  died  in  1834.  On  attain- 
ing his  majority  lie  was  given  one  half  of  his  father's  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  on  which  he  erected  buildings  and  which  he  proceeded  to  im- 
prove. Pie  married  Margaret  Lover,  who  bore  him  eight  children,  three  of 
whom,  beside  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  survive:  Christian  J.,  of  Polk  town- 
ship. Crawford  county,  Ohio;  Catharine,  who  is  the  wife  of  Peter  Zimmer- 
man of  the  same  township;  and  Emma  S.,  who  is  not  married.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Eichhorn  lived  on  their  farm  in  Morrow  county  until  1866,  when  Mr.  Eich- 
horn sold  the  place  and  removed  to  Gallon,  where  he  lived  until  1873,  when 
he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  on  the  Winchester  road,  two  miles 
and  a  half  west  of  Gabon,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Octo- 
ber 24,  1900.  His  widow",  now  in  her  seventy-fourth  year,  lives  on  their 
homestead  which  is  now  managed  by  their    son,    Christian    Eichhorn.      Mr. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  849 

Eichhorn,  who  was  a  prominent  Democrat,  long  wielded  a  marked  influence 
in  the  affairs  of  his  townsmen. 

Samuel  Eichhorn  was  born  on  the  Eichhorn  homestead  in  Morrow  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  October  10,  1857,  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
brought  up  a  practical  farmer.  April  21,  1881,  he  married  Miss  Mary  E. 
Hocker,  a  native  of  Jefferson  township,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Philip  Hocker,  who  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany.  For  a  year  after 
his  marriage  he  worked  the  home  farm  on  shares,  and  in  1882  he  located  on 
his  present  farm  of  eighty  acres,  then  the  property  of  his  father-in-law,  which 
he  worked  on  shares  for  five  years.  He  then  bought  the  place  on  which,  in 
1890,  he  erected  an  addition  to  his  house  and  built  a  commodious  barn.  He 
has  adequate  outbuildings  and  all  necessary  appliances  for  successful  farm- 
ing, and  his  farm  is  considered  one  of  the  best  improved  and  equipped  agri- 
cultural properties  in  the  township.  In  1901,  Mr.  Eichhorn  bought  the  John 
Wardon  farm  of  forty  acres,  on  which  are  another  fine  residence  and  hand- 
some farm  buildings.  He  devotes  himself  to  general  farming,  but  makes  a 
specialty  of  raising  hogs,  in  which  he  has  been  very  successful.  His  methods 
have  been  so  progressive  and  so  fruitful  of  good  results  that  he  has  come  to 
be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  substantial  farmers  in  Crawford  county. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  for  six  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
township  school  board.  He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Reformed  church 
at  Galion,  in  which  for  years  he  has  held  various  offices,  and  is  now  an  elder. 

Samuel  and  Mary  E.  (Hocker)  Eichhorn  had  four  children,  three  of 
whom  survive:  Calvin  H.,  who  is  employed  at  Flickinger's  Wheel  Works, 
at  Galion,  Ohio,  and  Edwin  W.  and  Emma  M.,  who  are  members  of  their  fa- 
ther's household.  Mrs.  Eichhorn  died  December  20,  1886,  and  February  13, 
1889,  Mr.  Eichhorn  married  Miss  Mary  Edler,  a  native  of  Marion  county, 
Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Carl  Edler,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Jefferson  town- 
ship, Crawford  county,  Ohio.  By  his  second  marriage  he  has  two  sons  named 
Roy  O.  and  Earl  F.  Eichhorn. 

JACOB  ULMER. 

Jacob  Ulmer,  who  is  carrying  on  agricultural  pursuits  in  Liberty  township, 
Crawford  county,  where  he  is  known  as  a  reliable  and  highly  esteemed  citizen, 
was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  on  October  30,  1847,  a  son  °f 
Daniel  and  Barbara  (Brose)  Ulmer,  and  is  one  of  the  eight  survivors  in  a 
family  of  eleven  children.    The  names  of  these  are:    Fredericka,  the  wife  of 


850  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Adam  Durr,  of  Fort  Recovery,  Mercer  county,  Ohio;  Abraham,  of  Cran- 
berry townshp,  this  county;  Adam,  of  Bucyrus;  John,  of  Fort  Recovery; 
Jacob,  of  this  sketch;  George,  of  Fort  Recovery;  Solomon,  of  Holmes  town- 
ship; and  Samuel,  of  Sulphur  Springs. 

Daniel  Ulmer,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Germany,  in  1805, 
and  grew  up  on  the  home  farm,  also  working  at  times  for  neighboring  farmers, 
in  1832  he  left  his  native  land  with  the  intention  of  finding  a  better  opportunity 
in  America.  After  a  long  and  wearisome  voyage  of  six  weeks  he  landed  in 
Xew  York  city  and  came  on  into  Ohio  to  Crawford  county,  where  he  knew  he 
would  find  friends  who  had  preceded  him  the  years  before.  Mr.  Ulmer  came 
with  the  determination  to-  succeed,  and  immediately  entered  a  small  tract  of 
land,  containing  forty  acres,  in  Liberty  township,  located  one  and  one-half 
miles  east  of  Brandywine  Station,  and  upon  it  he  erected  a  log  cabin,  in  the 
forest,  and  soon  after  installed  his  bride  within  it  and  settled  down  to  a  busy 
life.  His  wife,  Barbara  Brose,  was  a  most  estimable  young  lady,  who  had 
come  from  Germany  on  the  same  vessel  with  him,  and  she  made  him  a  loving 
helpmate  and  was  a  cheerful  companion  through  the  pioneer  experiences  which 
followed.  Two  years  after  marriage  Mr.  Ulmer  sold  the  forty-acre  farm  and 
bought  one  of  eighty  acres,  in  the  same  township,  two  miles  north  of  Sulphur 
Springs.  Of  the  eighty  acres  live  were  already  cleared,  and  a  log  cabin  had 
been  built  upon  it  by  the  former  owner.  Here  Air.  Ulmer  went  to  work  with 
a  will,  cleared  and  improved  the  land,  and  in  later  years  bought  the  thirty- 
acre  tract  adjoining,  erected  commodious  and  comfortable  buildings  and  made 
his  farm  one  of  the  best  and  most  productive  in  the  locality.  He  was  known 
far  and  wide  for  his  thrift  and  industry,  as  well  as  for  his  neighborly  kindness. 
On  April  30,  1884,  occurred  his  death,  and  the  Lutheran  church  lost  one  of 
its  most  valued  members. 

Jacob  Ulmer  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  obtained  his  education  at  the 
common  schools  of  the  locality.  When  he  had  attained  his  nineteenth  year 
his  father  permitted  him  to  start  out  in  life  for  himself,  after  which  he  worked 
at  the  carpenter's  trade  before  and  after  the  harvest  seasons,  during  which  time 
he  was  employed  in  running  a  threshing  machine  for  six  years.  In  1874 
he  married  Miss  Louisa  Ackerman,  a  native  of  Liberty  township,  a  daughter  of 
David  Ackerman,  who  had  been  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  and  had  been 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Crawford  county.  Three  children  were  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ulmer,  viz. :  Thomas,  Alpheus  D.,  and  Catherine, — all  of 
whom  reside  at  home. 

After  marriage  Mr.  Ulmer  settled  down  on  the  home  place  and  farmed' 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  851 

for  his  father,  on  shares,  until  about  1880,  when  he  purchased  the  place,  con- 
sisting of  one  hundred  and  four  acres.  His  aged  father  then  took  up  his  resi- 
dence with  his  son,  Samuel  Ulmer,  the  mother  having  passed  away  during  the 
previous  year.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Ulmer  has  successfully  pursued  farming, 
his  land  yielding  large  crops,  and  his  herds  increasing  in  numbers  until  he  is 
justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  substantial  citizens  of  the  locality.  In 
politics,  like  his  father,  he  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  and  has  served  for 
several  terms  as  township  trustee.  His  interest  in  educational  matters  has 
made  him  a  valuable  member  of  the  school  beard  and  he  is  a  leading  member 
of  the  German  Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Ulmer  is  one  of  the  highly  respected 
farmer-citizens  of  Crawford  count)'. 

JOSEPH  M.  RICHARDS. 

Joseph  M.  Richards,  deceased,  was  a  man  of  sterling  worth  who  made 
his  home  in  Crestline  and  by  his  many  commendable  personal  characteristics 
won  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  He  was  born  in 
NewT  Brighton,  Pennsylvania,  June  9,  1852,  and  there  remained  until  his  re- 
moval to  Allegheny,  where  he  entered  the  railway  service,  acting  as  fireman 
for  his  brother  on  the  Pennsylvania  road.  Before  he  was  twenty  years  of 
age  he  was  made  an  engineer  and  acted  in  that  capacity  with  the  same  road 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1892,  when  he  was  accidentally  killed 
while  on  duty.  He  was  oiling  his  engine  and  was  struck  by  a  passing  pas- 
senger train,  being  instantly  killed.  It  was  while  making  a  return  trip  from 
Pittsburg  with  freight  No.  65.  He  ran  his  train  on  the  siding  at  Steele  in  or- 
der to  secure  the  necessary  coal  and  also  clear  the  track  for  the  passenger  train. 
No.  31.  He  had  gone  down  under  the  engine  and  crawld  out  while  it  was 
letting  off  steam,  so  that  he  did  not  hear  the  on-coming  train,  which  was  ap- 
proaching at  a  speed  of  thirty  miles  an  hour.  A  projection  struck  his  head 
and  death  followed  immediately.  He  had  resided  for  more  than  fourteen 
years  in  Crestline  and  was  known  to  every  school  child  almost  as  well  as  to 
the  older  residents  of  the  city.  He  was  extremely  kind-hearted  and  was  num- 
bered among  the  best  residents  of  the  community.  He  held  membership  with 
the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers  and  the  Relief  Society,  and  wher- 
ever known  he  commanded  respect  and  the  friendship  of  his  fellow  men.  He 
was  sober  and  industrious,  energetic  and  reliable,  and  his  many  excellent  quali- 
ties classed  him  among  the  citizens  of  worth. 

Mr.  Richards  in  earlv  manhood  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma 


852  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Weber,  who  was  born  in  Crestline,  on  Christmas  clay  of '1858,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Michael  and  Mary  (Miller)  Weber.  Her  father  was  a  prominent 
and  honored  pioneer  of  Crestline,  conducting  a  hostelry  where  the  Continental 
now  stands,  this  place  being  known  as  the  Franklin  House.  However,  a  fire 
destroyed  the  hotel  in  i860.  Mr.  Weber  was  also  in  the  grocery  business  and 
was  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  town,  occupying  an  enviable  position 
in  business  and  social  circles  and  as  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He 
died  in  1884,  leaving  a  family  of  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  His  widow 
is  still  living. 

Mrs.  Richards  is  the  eldest  of  the  five  children.  She  was  reared  in  Crest- 
line and  there  pursued  her  education.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  are:  George, 
who  is  an  engineer  on  the  Pittsburg,  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chicago  road ;  Christ,  a 
fireman ;  Mary,  wife  of  James  B.  Fitzsimmons,  an  engineer  on  the  Pittsburg, 
Ft.  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad;  and  John  George,  deceased.  Mrs.  Richards 
has  considerable  prominence  in  Crestline,  being  one  of  those  well-to-do  la- 
dies of  the  city.  Her  home  is  celebrated  for  its  thoughtful  and  gracious  hos- 
pitality and  her  many  friends  delight  there  to  gather. 

P.  FRED  HOSS. 

P.  Fred  Hoss,  who  owns  and  cultivates  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
fine  land  in  Chatfield  township,  represents  one  of  the  old  and  honored  pioneer 
families  of  the  county.  When  the  greater  part  of  the  land  in  this  lacality  was 
still  in  possession  of  the  government  his  grandfather,  John  A.  Hoss,  took  up 
.his  abode  in  Crawford  county.  He  was  a  natve  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany, 
and  with  his  family  he  came  to  America,  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  a  sailing- 
vessel,  the  voyage  consuming  weeks  instead  of  days,  as  at  the  present  time. 
Continuing  his  journey  westward  to  Crawford  county,  lie  entered  a  tract  of 
government  land  in  Chatfield  township — the  farm  upon  which  our  subject  was 
born — and  erected  a  log  cabin,  after  which  he  began  to  clear  and  develop  his 
land,  thus  making  a  good  home  for  his  family.  One  of  his  children  was  Adam 
Hoss,  who  was  born  in  Y\  urtemberg,  Germany,  in  1823,  and  was  therefore 
a  lad  of  ten  summers  at  the  time  of  the  emigration  of  the  family  to  the  new 
world.  He  was  reared  here  amid  frontier  scenes  and  experiences  and  after 
attaining  to  man's  estate  he  married  a  Miss  Leity,  by  whom  he  had  two  chil- 
dren, Adam  and  Christiana,  both  now  deceased.  After  the  death  of  the 
mother  the  father  wedded  Catherine  Leity,  and  they  had  three  children, 
namelv :     Fred;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Ben  Green;  and  Lena,  who  married 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  853 

Dan  Kolb.  The  father  continued  to  reside  oh  the  old  family  homestead  until 
called  to  his  final  rest  in  1895,  when  seventy-two  years  of  age,  and  the  mother 
of  our  subject  passed  away  the  same  year.  They  were  consistent  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  known  and  respected  for  their  sterling-  worth.  The 
father  came  to  the  count}-  in  limited  circumstances  but  he  cleared  and  improved 
his  farm,  worked  industriously  and  with  determination,  and  thus  became 
well-to-do-. 

On  the  old  famly  homestead,  now  occupied  by  Samuel  K<  iln,  P.  Fred 
Hoss  was  born,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1855,  and  there  his  youth  was  passed,  the 
duties  of  the  school  room  claiming  his  attention  in  the  winter  months,  while  in 
the  early  spring  he  aided  in  planting  the  crops,  assisted  in  their  cultivation 
through  the  summer,  and  in  the  autumn  performed  his  share  in  garnering  tne 
yield  of  the  fields.  He  was  married  in  1883  but  continued  on  the  old  home 
place  until  1888,  when  he  came  to  his  present  farm,  comprising  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  the  rich  land  of  Chatfield  township.  The  buildings,  fences 
and  other  improvements  upon  the  place  were  put  there  by  him,  and  he  carries 
on  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  having  well  tilled  fields  and  good  grades 
0f  stock, — all  giving  evidence  of  his  thrift  and  careful  supervision. 

In  1883  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Hoss  and  Miss  Elizabeth 
Klink.  a  daughter  of  Christian  Klink,  and  unto  them  have  been  born  four 
children,  Jesse  E.,  Eva,  Jonas  and  Bertha.  The  parents  belong  to  the  Luth- 
eran church  and  have  many  friends  in  the  county.  Having  spent  his  entire 
life  in  Chatfield  township  Mr.  Hoss  is  deeply  interested  in  its  welfare  and  is  a 
progressive  citizen. 

SMITH  W.  BENNETT. 

Probably  no  profession  affords  a  wider  field  for  individual  enterprise  and 
ability  than  does  the  legal  profession,  and  this  fact  has  attracted  to  its  ranks 
multitudes  of  ambitious  young  men  in  every  generation  since  law  became 
reduced  to  a  recognized  science  and  increasing  civilization  has  demanded  a  finer 
discrimination  between  justice  and  injustce.  "Through  struggles  to  success" 
has  certainly  been  the  history  of  Mr.  Bennett.  Handicapped  by  physical 
disability,  but  with  strong  determination  and'  perseverance,  he  has  steadily 
advanced  until  today  he  occupies  a  conspicuous  position  among  the  dis- 
tinguished members  of  the  bar  of  this  portion  of  Ohio. 

He  was  born  in  Apollo,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  8th 
of  Mav,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  William  B.  and  Mary  A.   (Herron)   Bennett, 


854  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

both  of  whom  were  natives  of  western  Pennsylvania,  and  removed  from  the 
Keystone  state  to  Ohio  in  1862.  On  the  4th  of  April,  1864,  they  took  up  their 
abode  in  Bucyrus.  The  mother  died  in  May,  1899,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years, 
and  the  father  is  now  retired  in  Bucyrus.  The  only  school  privileges  which 
Smith  W.  Bennett  enjoyed  were  those  afforded  through  the  educational  system 
of  Bucyrus.  He  was  graduated  in  the  high  school  here  in  June,  1879,  but  his 
study  had  not  been  continuous.  During  his  fifteenth  year  he  was  ill,  being  con- 
fined to  his  bed  for  one  entire  year  with  necrosis  of  the  tibia,  which  left  him  crip_ 
pled  in  the  left  limb  and  forced  him  to  remain  away  from  school  for  three  years, 
naturally  a  lover  of  books,  he  spent  much  of  his  time  in  reading  and  in  his 
youth  had  a  desire  to  enter  the  literary  field,  but  thinking  that  he  was  not 
sufficiently  well  educated,  upon  leaving  school  to  become  a  writer,  he  under- 
took to  learn  a  trade  from  which  to  derive  means  sufficient  to  enable  him  to 
prosecute  a  college  course.  Physical  weakness,  however,  forced  him  to  give 
up  this  work  and  he  was  persuaded  by  his  mother  to  read  law.  He  at  first 
had  no  inclination  to  do  this,  but  complying  with  her  request,  he  soon  became 
deeply  interested  in  his  studies — an  interest  that  has  never  waned,  but  has 
grown  stronger  as  he  has  mastered  the  principles  of  jurisprudence  and  learned 
of  the  wonderful  science  which  has  developed  into  the  present  intricate 
legal  system.  His  long  illness,  though  difficult  to  be  borne  at  the  time,  proved, 
as  Mr.  Bennett  says,  "the  most  beneficial  thing  that  ever  happened"  to  him. 
In  early  inured  him  to  suffering  and  turned  his  thoughts  toward  books. 
Necessity  and  his  mother's  influence  turned  his  thoughts  to  the  law  and 
success  has  attended  his  efforts  in  this  direction.  He  has  contributed  as  a 
writer  to  the  literature  of  his  profession,  as  well  as  to  various  magazines  and 
periodicals.  For  thirteen  years  he  was  a  partner  of  General  E.  B.  Finley, 
of  Bucyrus.  During  a  part  of  that  time  the  firm  was  known  as  Finley, 
Eaton  &  Bennett,  and  later  became  Finley,  Beer  &  Bennett,  the  second 
member  being  Judge  Thomas  Beer,  of  Bucyrus.  Afterward  the  firm  became 
Beer,  Bennett  &  Monnett,  and  thus  remained  until  January  1,  1898,  when 
it  was  dissolved.  Air.  Bennett  then  went  into  the  office  of  Hon.  F.  S. 
Monnett,  attorney  general  of  Ohio,  as  special  counsel,  and  after  the  termina- 
tion of  Mr.  Monnett's  term,  remained  with  his  successor,  the  Hon.  J.  M. 
Sheets,  in  the  same  capacity.  He  has  had  charge  of  very  important  cases  in 
state  and  federal  courts,  and  in  the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States,  at 
Washington.      Some  of  the  most  important  questions  of  taxation  have  been 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  855 

settled  by  causes   in   which   he   participated,   especially   that   concerning"   the 
taxation  of  shares  of  national  banks. 

On  the  1 2th  of  January,  1891,  Mr.  Bennett  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Effie  Monnett,  of  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  T.  J.  Monnett, 
of  Bucyrus,  and  a  graduate  of  Monnett  Hall  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University, 
at  Delaware,  this  state.  She  died  October  26,  1898,  leaving  two  children, 
Hugh  M.,  born  February  22,  1892,  and  Grace  Lizetta,  born  January  2,  1896. 
On  the  28th  of  November,  1900,  Mr.  Bennett  was  again  married,  his  second 
union  being  with  Miss  Annie  Drought,  of  Bucyrus,  daughter  of  William  H. 
Drought,  and  a  lady  of  refinement  and  social  distinction.  Mr.  Bennett  holds 
membership  in  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  at  Bucyrus,  but  while 
an  adherent  to  that  denomination,  is  liberal  in  his  views,  according  to  others 
the  right  which  he  reserves  for  himself  of  forming  his  own  opinions  upon  all 
such  matters.  In  his  political  views  he  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and 
has  assisted  the  cause  of  the  party  "on  the  stump''  since  the  Blaine  cam- 
paign of  1884.  He  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and 
to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity,  and  has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree 
of  Masonry.  At  the  session  of  the  Ohio  State  Bar  Association,  held  in  July, 
1 901,  he  was  elected  its  secretary,  which  position  he  now  holds.  Viewed 
in  a  personal  light  he  is  a  strong  man,  of  excellent  judgment,  fair  in  his  views 
and  highly  honorable  in  his  relations  with  his  fellow  men.  His  integrity 
stands  as  an  unquestioned  fact  in  his  career.  His  life  has  been  manly,  his 
actions  sincere,  his  manner  unaffected  and  his  example  is  well  worthy  of 
emulation. 

ABRAHAM  LAIBBLY. 

Throughout  his  entire  business  career  Mr.  Laibbly  has  carried  on  agri- 
cultural pursuits  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  valuable  and  attractive  farm  of 
one  hundred  acres  in  Chatfield  township,  Crawford  county.  He  was  born 
in  Mahoning  county,  Ohio,  October  6,  1836,  his  parents  being  John  and 
Susanna  Laibbly,  who  had  eleven  children,  six  of  whom  are  yet  living.  Upon 
the  family  homestead  in  the  county  of  his  nativity  the  subject  of  this  review 
spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth,  early  becoming  familiar  with  all 
the  duties  and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist.  On  attaining 
his  majority  he  began  farming  on  the  shares,  and  has  always  engaged  in 
the  tilling  of  the  soil,  his  industry  and  careful  management  making  his  work 
a  profitable  source  of  income. 


856  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

In  the  year  1857  Mr.  Laibbly  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Mock,  and 
unto  them  were  born  two  children :  Emery  W.,  who  is  now  a  resident  farmer 
of  Chat  field  township;  and  Matilda,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 
After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Laibbly  was  again  married,  his  second 
union  being  celebrated  on  the  17th  of  January,  1899,  when  Amy  Seiple 
became  his  wife. 

It  was  in  the  year  i860  that  Mr.  Laibbly  removed  to  Crawford  county, 
taking  up  his  abode  upon  the  farm  which  has  since  been  his  home.  He  at 
first  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  but  has  since  added  to  the  property, 
until  he  now  owns  one  hundred  acres.  Only  twenty  acres  had  been  cleared 
when  he  took  possession,  all  of  the  remainder  being  covered  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  timber.  He  has  since  cleared  forty  acres  alone,  and  of  the  entire 
amount  eighty-three  ?.cres  has  been  made  ready  for  the  plow  and  is  now 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  the  fields  yielding  a  golden  tribute  to  the 
owner,  while  fine  improvements  indicate  lus  progressive  spirit.  His  first 
home  here  was  a  log  cabin,  in  which  he  resided  for  eighteen  years,  when  he 
replaced  it  by  his  present  fine  commodious  residence.  Good  barns  and  out- 
buildings also  furnish  shelter  for  grain  and  stock,  and  the  accessories  and 
conveniences  of  a  model  farm  are  here  in  evidence,  standing  as  monuments 
to  the  enterprise  and  labor  of  the  owner. 

Mr.  Laibbly  gives  his  political  support  to  the  Democracy,  and  his  fellow 
townsmen,  recognizing  his  worth  and  ability,  have  frequently  called  him  to 
public  orifice,  continuing  him  in  the  position  of  township  trustee  for  nine 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  parish  church,  and  is  a  citizen  of  worth, 
widely  and  favorably  known  throughout  his  adopted  county. 

AMOS  B.  CHARLTON. 

Among  the  eminently  successful  and  widely  known  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers  of  Liberty  township,  Crawford  county,  is  Amos  B.  Charlton,  who  was 
born  on  the  7th  of  September,  1835,  in  this  township,  a  son  of  Michael  and 
Anna  (Mason)  Charlton.  Nine  children  were  born  to  the  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject, and  of  these  six  still  survive,  namely:  Mary,  the  wife  of  L.  H.  Mason, 
of  Ashland  county;  Elizabeth,  the  widow  of  J.  H.  Wert ;  Amos  B.,  of  this 
sketch;  Narcissa,  the  widow  of  William  Tobias,  of  Wooster,  Ohio;  Jonas, 
formerly  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  First  Ohio>  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  now  a  resident  of  Columbus  county,  Ohio;  and  Alpheus  D.  Charles  was 
a  member  of  Company  C,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  during  the  Civil  war,  and 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  857 

died  of  typhus  ever  at  Grafton,  Virginia ;  and  Anna  and  Alexander  have  also 
passed  away. 

The  father  of  this  family,  Michael  Charlton,  was  born  in  Hagerstown, 
Maryland,  on  the  5th  of  March,  1808,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Men- 
ser)  Charlton,  who,  with  their  family  of  ten  children,  emigrated  to  Columbiana 
county,  Ohio,  as  early  as  1822.  In  1829  his  father  gave  him  a  tract  of  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  Liberty  township,  Crawford  county,  which  the  latter  had  en- 
tered some  time  previously.  After  one  summer's  work  on  this  farm,  however, 
Michael  returned  to  Columbiana  county,  and  there  married  Anna  Mason,  who 
was  born  therein  in  1810.  In  the  following  spring  they  returned  to  Liberty 
township  and  settled  on  their  farm,  and  this  became  their  permanent  resdence. 
As  time  went  on  Michael  Charlton  bought  other  land,  adding  at  different  times 
till  he  owned  four  hundred  and  thirteen  acres  in  Liberty  township,  and  one 
hundred  and  sixty  in  Columbiana  count)-.  A  long  and  useful  life  was  his, 
and  although  it  extended  to  his  ninety-first  year  it  was  tilled  with  good  deeds, 
and  when  death  came,  on  January  15,  1899,  he  was  sincerely  mourned  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends.  To  the  end  he  took  an  interest  in  public  affairs,  was 
a  stanch  Republican  and  was  a  most  estimable  man.  The  mother  had  passed 
away  on  September  20,  1892,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years,  eleven  months 
and  seven  days. 

Amos  B.  Charlton,  our  immediate  subject,  grew  to  manhood  surrounded 
by  excellent  home  influences,  and  it  was  not  until  he  had  attained  his  majority 
that  he  embarked  in  farming  upon  his.  own  account.  His  success  as  a  dealer 
and  shipper  iof  stock  was  immediate,  but  the  Civil  war  broke  out  just  at  this 
time,  and  on  August  12,  1861,  he  enlisted  for  service  in  Company  C,  Forty- 
ninth  Ohio'  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  made  second  lieutenant  of  his  com- 
pany. He  saw  eight  months  of  service  in  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  under 
General  Buell,  but  was  then  stricken  with  typhoid  fever  and  was  sent  to  the 
hospital  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  for  several  weeks.  So<  eager  was  he  to  be 
again  in  the  field  that  he  rejoined  his  regiment  before  he  was  able,  suffered  a 
relapse  and  was  obliged  to  resign  his  command,  sending  in  his  resignation. 
A  change  seemed  to  cause  so  much  improvement  that  his  comrades  persuaded' 
him  to  recall  his  resignation,  and  in  his  desire  to  be  again  on  the  field  of  duty 
he  did  so,  but  the  very  next  day  he  was  again  prostrated  and  was  quickly  put 
aboard  the  train  and  sent  home.  This  explains  why  he  never  received  any 
formal  discharge,  although  he  had  been  a  brave  and  faithful  soldier. 

The  following  summer  was  spent  by  Mr.  Charlton  in  recuperating,  but 
the  next  season  he  again  engaged  in  farming,  working  for  his  father  on  the- 


858  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

shares  and  also  resumed  his  buying  and  shipping  of  stock  to  eastern  markets. 
When  Mr.  Charlton  first  engaged  in  the  business  of  shipping  he  was  the  young- 
est shipper  in  this  section  of  the  country.  His  judgment  was  excellent,  he  un- 
derstood his  market,  was  careful  and  cautious  and  his  business  in  this  line  so 
prospered  that  the  time  came  when  he  shipped  as  high  as  ninety  thousand 
dollars  worth  of  stock  in  a  single  season.  In  1872  he  purchased  the  home 
farm,  consisting"  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-one  acres,  and  has  ever  since 
continued  to  make  this  desirable  place  his  home.  He  sold  it  in  1894  to  L.  H. 
Mason,  who  in  turn  sold  it  to  W.  H.  Charlton. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Charlton  was  in  1869,  to  Miss  Emma  E.  Hoppel,  a 
native  of  Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania,  born  on  the  23d  of  October, 
1849,  ancl  came  to  Crawford  county  wth  her  parents  when  quite  young.  To 
this  marriage  were  born  seven  children :  Virgil  H..  who  is  in  the  office  of  the 
Osborne  Machine  Company,  of  Columbus,  Ohio;  Ary  B.,  a  hotel  man  of  Alle- 
gheny. Pennsylvania;  Michael  Z.,  a  teacher,  who  resides  at  home;  Anna,  a 
teacher  and  wife  of  Dr.  E.  E.  Bevington,  of  Sulphur  Springs,  Ohio;  Mabel, 
also  a  teacher,  who  is  the  wife  of  W.  F.  McCameron,  of  Sandusky  township ; 
and  Orlo  H.  and  Donald  H.,  who  are  living  at  home.  All  of  the  children  of 
Mr.  Charlton  have  been  afforded  excellent  educational  opportunities  and  four 
-of  them  have  been  acceptable  teachers.  Virgil  H.  and  Michael  Z.  finished 
their  courses  at  Ada  (Ohio)  College. 

Mr.  Charlton  has  been  identified  with  various  interests,  for  nine  years 
being  a  partner  in  the  butchering  business  in  Sulphur  Springs,  continuing 
until  1895,  and  he  did  not  give  up  his  successful  stock  business  until  1885. 
Since  the  latter  date  he  has  paid  considerable  attention  to  the  farm.  In  poli- 
tics he  has  ever  been  a  stanch  Republican,  and  most  acceptably  served  the 
township  as  assessor  for  three  years.  His  connection  with  the  Lutheran 
church  has  covered  many  years,  in  which  he  has  held  the  positon  of  trustee 
and  is  known  as  one  of  its  most  liberal  supporters.  Not  only  is  Mr.  Charlton 
an  intelligent  and  liberal-minded  man,  but  is  also>  something  of  a  traveler, 
having  visited  fourteen  of  the  states  in  the  Union.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Masonic  order,  in  which  he  is  highly  esteemed. 

JACOB  MUNCH. 

One  of  the  most  respected  citizens  and  successful  farmers  of  Vernon  town- 
ship, Crawford  county,  Ohio,  is  Jacob  Munch,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  on 
April  29,  1847,  ancl  ne  was  one  °t  a  family  of  three  children  born  to  Nicholas 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  859* 

Munch  and  wife,  who  remained  in  Germany  all  their  days.  The  former  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years,  the  mother  of  our  subject  having  died  when 
her  son  was  but  two  years  old. 

Jacob  Munch  was  well  taught  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one,  according  to  the  laws  of  his  country,  he  entered  the  army, 
serving  faithfully  through  the  Franco-Prussian  war.  In  1873,  after  the  close 
of  that  war,  Mr.  Munch  decided  to  emigrate  to  America,  in  the  hope  of  bet- 
tering- his  condition.  His  landing  in  the  United  States  was  in  the  harbor  of 
New  York,  where  he  remained  one  week,  coming  then  to  Mansfield,  Ohio. 
Although  he  was  master  of  the  trade  of  stone  mason,  he  was  without  means, 
and  it  took  some  time  for  him  to  become  accustomed  to  the  unknown  language 
and  different  manners  and  customs,  but  his  honest  face  and  willingness  to 
work  soon  made  him  friends,  and  he  secured  employment  in  Mansfield  after 
a  short  delav.  About  one  year  later  Mr.  Munch  went  to  Crestline  and  worked 
at  his  trade  and  also  assisted  neighboring  farmers  in  agricultural  work. 

In  1877.  by  his  industry  and  economy,  Mr.  Munch  found  himself  able  to 
rent  a  farm  for  himself.  This  was  a  tract  of  some  sixty  acres,  in  Jackson 
township,  and  here  Mr.  Munch  and  his  estimable  wife  bent  every  energy  to 
cultivate  the  land  to  its  highest  condition  of  producing  capacity,  and  to  lay 
aside  means  in  order  to  become  the  owners  of  one  of  the  fine  farms  in  this  fa- 
vored part  of  the  state.  Mr.  Munch  had  been  married  in  1875  to<  Miss  Chris- 
tina Riber,  who  was  a  native  of  this  township,  and  who  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Riber,  who  had  come  hither  at  an  earlv  day  from  Germany  and  was  a  pioneer 
settler  of  the  township. 

For  nine  years  Mr.  Munch  cultivated  the  farm  -in  Jackson  township,  but 
in  1886  he  became  the  owner  of  his  present  home  farm,  which  consists  of 
ninety-three  acres,  and  here  the  family  has  since  resided,  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Munch  having  been  directed  to  their  welfare.  Honest  toil  has  met  with  its  re- 
ward in  the  case  of  our  subject.  It  was  by  no  fortunate  speculation  that  he 
attained  his  success,  but  by  the  application  of  unremitting  industry  and  self- 
denial  he  has  changed  the  condition  of  a  poor  German  youth,  in  a  strange 
country,  to  that  of  one  of  the  most  respected  and  prosperous  land-owners  of 
one  of  the  best  parts  of  the  state  in  which  he  has  made  his  home. 

Six  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Munch,  the  five  survivors  of  the 
family  being  as  follows:  Henry;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Edward  Zimmerman,  of 
Mansfield;  John;  Frederick  William;  and  Tracy,  while  the  one  removed  by 
death  was  named  George. 

In  politics  Mr.  Munch  has  become  identified  with  the  Democratic  party 


86o  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

and  his  religious  connection  is  with  the  German  Reformed  church.  He  is  one 
of  the  most  industrious  and  practical  farmers  of  this  neighborhood.,  and  his 
well  cultivated  land  and  excellent  improvements  show  his  excellence  as  an  agri- 
culturist. 

JACOB  BENDER. 

One  of  those  business  men  whose  probity  is  well  known  and  whose  career 
has  thus  far  been  distinguished  for  enterprise  is  Jacob  Bender,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing agriculturists  of  Crawford  county.  A  native  son  of  the  Buckeye  state,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Richland  county,  on  the  8th  of  January,  1840.  His 
parents  were  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Hoffman)  Bender,  and  they  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, nine  now  living,  namely :  Jacob,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Henry,  a  resi- 
dent of  Cranberry  township,  Crawford  county;  Charles,  who  resides  near 
Knoxville,  Iowa ;  Christena,  widow  of  Peter  Stiving,  of  Richland  county ;  An- 
thony, of  Vernon  township,  Crawford  county ;  William,  of  Auburn  township, 
this  county;  Lizzie,  wife  of  Cyrus  Cross,  also-  a  resident  of  Auburn  townshp ; 
John,  who  makes  his  home  in  Vernon  township ;  and  Philip,  of  Sandusky  town- 
ship. 

The  father  of  this  family  was  burn  near  Heidelberg,  Germany,  on  the 
5th  of  October,  1816,  while  the  mother  was  born  at  the  same  place  on  the  13th 
of  August,  1816,  and  there  they  attained  their  majority  and  were  married, 
that  event  occurring  in  1840.  In  the  same  year  they  bade  farewell  to  their  na- 
tive land  and  sailed  for  the  United  States,  and  after  arriving  in  this  country, 
they  located  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  near  Shelby,  where  Mr.  Bender  pur- 
chased forty  acres  of  timber  land.  They  took  up  their  abode  in  a  small  cabin 
which  had  been  built  by  a  former  owner,  later  "adding  twenty  acres  to  their  or- 
iginal tract,  and  there  they  resided  for  a  number  of  years,  when  they  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  four  miles  south  of  Shelby. 
There  they  made  many  substantial  improvements,  continuing  to  make  their 
home  there  until  1862,  when  they  sold  that  place  and  removed  to  Crawford 
county,  Mr.  Bender  buying  the  farm  of  George  Cummings,  which  contained 
about  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  located  on  the  present  site  of  old  De  Kalb, 
a  part  of  the  town  having  been  built  on  a  portion  of  the  land.  At  one  time  he 
also  owned  three  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Iowa  and  two  hundred  acres  in 
Michigan.  On  his  Crawford  county  farm  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  passing 
away  on  the  26th  of  September,  1897,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty  years,  elev- 
en months  and  twenty-five  days.    He  was  an  ardent  Democrat  in  political  mat- 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  86 1 

ters,  but  was  never  an  office  seeker,  and  he  became  known  as  on  of  the  most 
reliable,  straightforward  and  progressive  agriculturists  of  his  locality.  His 
wife  died  on  the  15th  of  January,  1885,  and  both  she  and  her  husband  were 
zealous  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  'While  in  Germany  she  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Reformed  church,  while  he  was  a  Catholic,  but  after  coming  to  Amer- 
ica they  both  united  with  the  Lutheran  denomination  and  remained  true  to  its 
teachings  until  their  death. 

Jacob  Bender,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  enjoyed  only  the  edu- 
cational privileges  afforded  by  the  old  pioneer  log  school  house  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, with  its  puncheon  floor  and  slab  benches,  and  he  remained  under 
the  parental  roof  until  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  then  removed  to  Michigan, 
where  he  spent  about  three  years  engaged  at  work  in  a  livery  stable  and  saw- 
mill, but  that  work  proved  too  heavy  for  one  so  young  and  at  the  close  of  that 
period,  in  1861,  he  returned  to  Ohio.  On  his  arrival  in  this  state  he  was  en- 
gaged by  a  Mr.  Crim  to  cross  the  plains  to  California  with  a  drove  of  horses, 
reaching  the  Golden  state  after  a  journey  of  three  months  and  three  days, 
although  a  part  of  the  train  did  not  arrive  until  ten  days  later.  Mr.  Bender 
remained  in  Sacramento,  California,  about  two  years,  working  in  a  sales  stable 
and  at  other  occupation.  In  1863  he  again  came  to  Crawford  county,  where  he 
was  employed  as  a  farm  hand  for  a  time,  and  later,  when  the  building  of  the 
Mansfield,  Cold  Water  &  Michigan  Railroad  was  begun,  he  was  employed  at 
making  cross  ti,es  for  the  company  and  afterward  working  on  the  grading  of  the 
road.  This  work  covered  the  greater  part  of  two  years,  after  which  he  pur- 
chased seventy-two  acres  of  his  present  home  place  and  settled  down  to  the 
quiet  pursuits  of  farm  life.  He  has  added  to  his  original  purchase  until  the 
homestead  now  contains  eighty-six  acres,  and  he  also  owns  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Cranberry  township,  and  a  town  residence  in 
Tiro. 

The  year  1865  witnessed  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Bender  and  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Molder,  a  native  of  the  Empire  state  and  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Molder, 
who  came  from  Germany  to  Xew  York,  entering  land  in  Niagara  county. 
About  1837  he  sold  that  place  and  came  to  Richland  county,  Ohio.  Unto  our 
our  subject  and  wife  have  been  born  six  children,  as  follows :  Anthony,  who 
makes  his  home  in  Sandusky  township,  Crawford  county;  Catherine,  who  is 
still  at  home;  Mary,  a  resident  of  Tiffin,  Ohio;  Marion,  of  Auburn  township, 
Crawford  county;  Nettie,  who  also  resides  in  Tiffin;  and  Cory,  deceased.  Mr. 
Bender  gives  his  political  preference  to  the  Democracy,  but  is  liberal  in  his 
views,  voting  for  the  men  whom  he  thinks  best  qualified  for  public  office.     The 


862  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  in  the  community  where  they 
reside  they  enjoy  the  respect  and  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances. 

WILLIAM  S.  BROWN. 

William  S.  Brown,  who  is  now  actively  connected  with  the  railway 
service  as  engineer  of  the  Pittsburg.  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  line,  and  makes 
his  home  in  Crestline,  was  born  in  Crawford  county,  August  20,  1862.  His 
father,  Joseph  Brown,  was  also  a  native  of  the  same  county,  and  was  born 
July  7,  1834.  The  grandfather  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this 
portion  of  the  state,  arriving  in  Crawford  county  with  a  rifle,  which  was  all 
the  property  that  he  had  in  the  world.  His  energy,  resolute  spirit  and 
capable  management,  however,  enabled  him  to  secure  a  handsome  competence. 
He  occupied  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land,  some  of  which  he  entered 
from  the  government,  and  at  his  death  he  still  owned  a  valuable  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  having  in  the  meantime  sold  the  other  portion  of  his 
property.  Joseph  Brown  was  reared  to  farm  life  and  from  his  father  he 
inherited  a  large  and  desirable  tract  of  land.  He  lived  upon  this  farm  for 
fifty-seven  years  and  was  one  of  the  best  known  agriculturists  of  the  com- 
munity. He  married  a  Miss  Smith,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Frederick, 
Wayne  county,  Ohio,  September  14,  1837,  and  pursued  her  education  in  one 
(if  the  log  schoolhouses  that  were  common  at  that  day.  In  1854  she  came  to 
Crestline  with  her  father,  who  was  a  prominent  business  man  of  this  city, 
connected  with  the  lumber  trade  and  with  the  clothing  business.  In  his 
political  views  Joseph  Brown  was  first  a  Whig,  but  in  1856  he  voted  for 
James  Buchanan  and  afterward  became  a  Republican.  He  died  on  the  old 
homestead  in  1896,  and  thus  passed  away  one  of  the  honored  pioneer  settlers 
of  Crawford  county. 

AYilliam  S.  Brown,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  spent  his  boyhood 
days  in  his  father's  home,  pursued  his  education  in  Crestline,  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years  he  entered  upon  his  business  career,  following  farming 
and  also  working  in  a  sawmill  for  his  father,  devoting  two  years  to  the 
latter  business.  He  then  entered  the  railway  service,  being  employed  as  a 
fireman  on  the  Pennsylvania  line  in  1885,  acting  in  that  capacity  for  seven 
years,  after  which  he  was  promoted  to-  engineer  in  1892.  Through  fifteen 
years  he  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago 
road,  and  during  that  time  has  had  only  one  accident  and  that  was  of  a 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  863 

very  slight  character,  no  one  being  injured.  The  car,  however,  broke  down 
on  account  of  being  overloaded.  Mr.  Brown  is  devoted  to  his  work  and  the 
responsible  duties  that  devolve  upon  him,  discharging  them  with  careful 
faithfulness,  allowing  nothing  to  interfere  with  them. 

In  1887  occurred  the  marriage  of  William  S.  Brown  and  Miss  Luella 
Walters,  who  was  born  in  Richland  county.  Ohio,  July  22,  1862,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Mary  jane  (Simpson)  Walters.  Her  parents  were 
born  in  Richland  county,  and  there  the  father  died,  but  the  mother  is  still 
living.  Mrs.  Brown  was  educated  in  Crestline  and  by  her  marriage  has 
become  the  mother  of  two  children:  Helen  May  and  Ruth  Lucile,  both 
natives  of  Crestline,  the  former  born  January  17,  1889,  the  latter  July  7, 
1891.  Mr.  Brown  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity,  the 
Maccabees  and  for  nine  years  has  been  connected  with  the  Brotherhood  of 
Locomotive  Firemen.  His  political  support  is  given  to  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  Republican  party  and  in  religious  faith  he  and  his  wife  are  Methodists, 
holding  membership  in  the  church  of  that  denomination  in  Crestline. 

CHARLES  NESS. 

For  twenty-seven  years   Charles   Ness  has  been  in   the  service  of  the 

Big  Four  Railroad  Company,  which  he  is  now  serving  as  engineer.     He  was 

born  in   1834,  and  when  only  about  a  year  old  was  brought  to  Crawford 

county  by  his  parents,  who  located  on  a  farm  one  mile  west  of  Galion.     The 

grandfather,  Michael  Ness,  Sr.,  lived  and  died  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania, 

as  did  his  wife.     Their  son,  Michael  Xess,  Jr.,  was  born  and  reared  in  York 

county,   whence  he  came  to  Crawford  count}-.     He  was   a    contractor  and 

builder,  and  followed  that  occupation  in  Galion  from   1835  until  his  death, 

which  occurred  December  19,  1900,  when  he  had  attained  the  ripe  old  age  of 

seventy-six  years.     He  erected  most  of  the  early  business  blocks,  churches 

and  factories  of  the  city,  together  with  many  of  the   residences.     He  was 

an  architect  as  well  as  contractor,   and  engaged   in   teaching  drafting.     In 

public  affairs  he  took  a  deep  and  earnest  interest,  and  was  one  of  the  charter 

members  of  the  Lutheran   church,   contributing  liberally  to  its   support  and 

doing  all  in  his  power  to  advance  its  work  and  upbuilding.     He  married 

Sarah  Ruhl,  a  daughter  of  Michael  Ruhl,  whose  father  laid  out  the  town  of 

Galion,   where  Michael   Ruhl   was  a  pioneer  merchant.     Mrs.    Ness   is  still 

living,   at  the  advanced   age  of  seventy-four   years.     In   their   family   were 

the   following  children :        Charles,   whose    name    introduces    this     review  ; 
49 


864  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

John,  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Galion;  Michael,  who  is  also  living  in  the 
same  city ;  William,  a  farmer  of  Leesville,  who  also  has  charge  of  a  quarry ; 
Mrs.  Ellen  Overley,  of  Galion;  Ida,  wife  of  James  Overley,  a  farmer  and 
stock-raiser  of  Todd  township,  .Monroe  county,  Ohio;  Emma,  wife  of  William 
Gorley,  of  Galion;  Mrs.  Margaret  Flick,  deceased;  and  one  who  died  in 
infancy. 

On  the  family  homestead  farm  Charles  Xess  was  reared,  and  during  his 
active  business  career  he  has  been  identified  with  the  railroad  service.  In 
1X74  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Big  Four  Railroad  Company,  with  which 
he  has  been  identified  for  twenty-seven  years.  Promoted  to  the  position  of 
engineer,  he  has  since  acted  in  that  capacity  and  is  one  of  the  most  reliable 
representatives  of  the  road,  being  ever  watchful  in  discharging  the  responsible 
duties  which  devolve  upon  him.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of 
Locomotive  Engineers  and  has  also  had  membership  relations  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity.  Mr.  Ne,ss  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Catherine  Casey,  a  daughter  of  Nelson  Casey,  of  Polk  township,  Crawford 
county,  and  they  now  have  one  daughter,  Myrtle  E.,  who  is  a  graduate  of 
the  high  school  and  is  now  a  student  in  the  university  at  Delaware,  Ohio, 
where  she  is  pursuing  a  special  course  in  vocal  and  instrumental  music.  The 
family  enjoy  the  warm  regard  of  many  friends  and  occupy  a  leading  position 
in  social  circles. 

J.  AGNEW,  D.  D.  S. 

Although  one  of  the  younger  representatives  of  the  dental  fraternity  in 
Crestline,  Dr.  Agnew  possesses  the  skill  and  ability  which  will  win  him 
success,  and  the  ambition  which  prompts  energetic  and  continued  action.  He 
was  born  in  western  Ontario,  Canada,  in  May,  1872,  and  his  parents  are  still 
residing  in  Wingham,  Ontario.  He  is  the  eighth  in  a  family  of  nine  children, 
among  whom  are  two  dentists,  two  physicians,  two  sisters  who  are  nurses  in 
the  Pennsylvania  hospital,  at  Philadelphia,  while  the  youngest  brother  is  now 
studying  medicine.  Such  a  record  probably  has  scarcely  ever  been  paralleled, 
and  the  family  is  certainly  doing  its  share  toward  the  alleviation  of  human 
suffering. 

Dr.  Agnew,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  pursued  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  county,  and  prepared  for  his  professional 
career  as  a  student  in  the  Pennsylvania  College  of  Dental  Surgery,  in  which 
institution  he  was  graduated  on  the  completion  of  the  regular  course,  with 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  865 

the  class  of  1899.  He  was  located  at  Galion  for  some  time,  but  in  June. 
1900,  came  to  Crestline,  where  he  opened  an  office.  Although  hardly  a  year 
has  passed  since  that  time  he  has  already  secured  a  large  clientage.  He  is 
thoroughly  in  touch  with  the  most  advanced  and  improved  methods  of  the 
day,  and  the  work  which  he  does  in  the  line  of  his  profession  has  given 
excellent  satisfaction.  He  is  a  young  man  of  determined  purpose,  of  resolute 
spirit  and  commendable  ambition,  and  these  qualities  cannot  fail  to  bring  him 
success. 

DAVID  KALB. 

One  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Crawford  county  is 
David  Kail),  who  resides  in  Chatfield  township,  where  he  owns  and  operates 
four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  valuable  land.  This  constitutes  one  of  the 
fine  farms  of  this  portion  of  the  state.  It  is  splendidly  improved  with  sub- 
stantial and  commodious  buildings,  having  three  houses  upon  it,  in  addition 
to  the  residence  of  our  subject.  The  barns  and  outbuildings  are  large,  furnish- 
ing ample  shelter  for  grain  and  stock,  and  fine  grades  of  horses,  cattle  and 
sheep  are  seen  in  the  pastures,  while  the  rich  fields  give  promise  of  golden 
harvests.  The  owner  is  numbered  among  the  most  prosperous  and  enter- 
prising agriculturists  of  the  county  and  well  deserves  his  sucess. 

Mr.  Kalb  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  March  21,  1844. 
His  father,  William  Kalb,  was  a  native  of  Wittenberg,  Germany,  born  in 
1800,  and  after  arriving  at  years  of  maturity  he  was  there  married  to  Sevina 
Haynes.  In  the  year  1832  they  emigrated  to  America,  making  the  voyage  on 
a  sailing  vessel,  which  was  sixty  days  between  port  and  port.  Mr.  Kalb  first 
located  near  Wooster,  Ohio,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  but 
after  three  years  came  to  Crawford  county,  settling  in  Chatfield  township. 
Here  he  bought  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  wild  land,  of  which  only  three 
acres  had  been  cleared,  the  remainder  being  covered  with  a  heavy  growth 
of  timber.  A  log  house  of  one  room  was  almost  the  only  improvement  on 
the  place.  Throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life  the  father  carried  on  farming 
here.  He  passed  away  at  the  age  of  ninety-one,  his  wife  when  eighty-nine 
years  of  age.  They  were  both  members  of  the  Pietist  church  and  were 
people  of  the  highest  respectability,  honored  as  worthy  pioneer  settlers,  who 
had  aided  in  laying  broad  and  deep  the  foundation  for  the  present  prosperity 
and  progress  of  the  county.  He  owned  considerable  real  estate,  including 
three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Chatfield  township.     Unto  Mr.  and 


866  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

Mrs.  Kalb  were  burn  eight  children,  namely:  Sylvania,  deceased  wife  of 
Michael  Lutz;  G.  William,  a  retired  farmer  of  Chatfield  township;  John, 
Jacob,  Catherine,  Redema  and  Caroline,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased;  and 
David. 

The  last  named,  born  and  reared  on  the  old  homestead,  pursued  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  and  when  twenty-one  years  of  age  assumed 
the  management  of  the  home  farm,  which  he  has  since  cultivated.  His 
practical  experience  in  the  fields  of  his  youth  well  qualified  him  for  the 
responsibility  which  he  assumed,  and  as  the  years  have  passed  he  has  in- 
creased his  operations,  becoming  one  of  the  most  extensive  farmers  of  the 
county.  In  connection  with  the  raising  of  grain  best  adapted  to  this  climate, 
he  is  extensively  engaged  in  raising  horses,  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs,  and  keeps 
on  hand  good  grades  of  stock.  In  addition  to  his  farm  here  he  also  owns 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Texas,  near  Fort  Worth. 

In  March,  ]86q,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Kalb  and  Miss  Catherine 
Beigle,  and  unto  them  were  born  the  following:  Sarah,  deceased;  Emma, 
wife  of  General  Wallymire,  of  Chatfield  township;  Lucy  E.,  wife  of  George 
Quick,  of  Chatfield  township;  Clara,  at  home;  William  H.,  a  schoolteacher 
in  Chatfield  township;  John,  David  T.  and  Frederick,  who  are  upon  the  farm; 
Lizzie,  deceased  ;  and  one  that  died  in  infancy.  The  mother  of  the  above 
children  was  called  to  her  final  rest  April  24,  1901,  and  many  friends 
were  left  to  mourn  her  loss.  The  family  attend  the  Lutheran  church,  of 
which  Mr.  Kalb  is  an  earnest  member.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  stalwart 
Democrat  and  has  served  as  school  director,  while  for  twelve  years  he  has 
filled  the  position  of  trustee  of  Chatfield  township,  his  long  retention  in 
office  being  ample  proof  of  his  fidelity  to  duty.  He  is  a  man  who  is  ever  found 
faithful  to  all  the  obligations  of  life,  who  is  honorable  in  his  dealing,  straight- 
forward in  contract,  and  his  many  estimable  qualities  make  his  example  well 
worthy  of  emulation. 

JOHN  JACOB  DURR. 

For  four  score  years  Mr.  Durr  has  traveled  life's  journey  and  his  has  been 
an  upright,  useful  and  honorable  career,  which  has  made  him  a  venerable  and 
respected  gentleman.  In  pioneer  days  he  came  to  Crawford  county,  and  for 
two-thirds  of  a  century  has  been  a  witness  of  its  development  and  progress, 
aiding,  as  he  found  opportunity,  in  the  work  of  growth  and  improvements, 
and  feeling  a  just  pride  in  what  has  been  accomplished  here. 


CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY.  *<$7 

Mr.  Durr  is  a  native  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  born  October  31,  1821, 
his  parents  being  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Crumb)  Durr,  who  had  five  children, 
namely:  Henry  and  Mary,  now  deceased;  John  J.;  Barbara,  who  has  also 
passed  away;  and  Adam,  who  is  living  in  Mercer  county,  Ohio.  After  the 
death  of  his  first  wife  the  father  married  Mary  Coile,  and  their  children 
were:  Martin,  who  is  deceased;  and  David,  who  makes  his  home  in  Chat- 
field  township.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  baker,  and  conducted  a  tavern 
in  the  old  country,  where  he  remained  until  1832.  when  with  his  family  he 
came  to  America,  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  a  sailing  vessel,  which  reached 
Baltimore  harbor  after  a  voyage  of  sixty-five  days.  From  that  place  the 
family  proceeded  by  team  to  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  and  in  the  winter  of 
1832  came  on  sleds,  drawn  by  oxen,  to  Crawford  county,  locating  in  Chat- 
field  township.  Here  the  father  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  government  land,  where  Thomas  Regula  now  lives,  and  erected  a  double 
log  cabin.  The  land  was  heavily  timbered,  and  the  entire  region  was  wild 
and  primitive,  the  family,  therefore,  experiencing  the  hardships  of  pioneer 
life.  Henry  Durr  continued  to  engage  in  farming  there  until  his  life's 
labors  were  ended  in  death,  when  he  was  seventy-five  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Durr  of  this  review  was  a  youth  of  eleven  years,  when,  with  his 
father  he  came  to  Chatfield  township.  So  wild  and  unbroken  was  the 
trackless  forest  that  he  was  several  times  lost  in  the  green  woods  while 
hunting  the  oxen  and  cattle  in  his  boyhood.  He  aided  in  the  arduous  task 
of  developing  the  raw  land,  clearing  it  of  the  timber  and  preparing  it  for  the 
plow.  He  lived  with  his  father  until  his  marriage,  when  he  established  a 
home  of  his  own,  removing  to  his  present  farm,  whereon  he  has  resided  for 
fifty-seven  years.  His  first  home  was  a  log  cabin,  and  the  young  couple  began 
their  domestic  fife  in  true  pioneer  style,  but  as  the  years  passed  all  the 
comforts  and  conveniences  known  to  the  older  east  were  introduced  and  the 
farm  was  thus  transformed  into  a  very  valuable  property.  He  now  owns  one 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  acres,  of  which  he  cleared  from  the  woods  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He  has  carried  on  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  has  also  successfully  practiced  veterinary  surgery.  His  labors 
have  been  crowned  with  an  enviable  degree  of  success  and  he  ha.s  accumulated 
a  comfortable  competence  for  the  evening  of  life. 

In  1844  Mr.  Durr  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Jacoby,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Daniel  and  Benjamin,  now  deceased; 
Leo,  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Philip  Kessler ;  Sarah,  who  married  Fred  Crother, 
of  Liberty  township ;  Mary,  who  resides  in  Flolmes  township ;  and  Lena.     On 


868  CENTENNIAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 

the  1 8th  of  June,  1872,  Mr.  Durr  was  united  in  marriage  to  Hannah  Solge. 
His  present  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Hannah  Herman,  and  they  were 
joined  in  wedlock  in  September,  1890.  Their  home  is  a  large  brick  resi- 
dence, which  was  erected  by  Mr.  Durr  in  1858,  being  one  of  the  many  ex- 
cellent improvements  which  he  has  placed  upon  his  farm.  He  has  long  been 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  when  he  first  resided  in  the  county 
religious  services  were  held  in  his  father's  cabin.  He  votes  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  has  always  favored  every  movement  and  measure  tending  to 
promote  the  general  welfare. 


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